---
title: "Prepare a trust receipt or disbursement from the written authority"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/draft-a-trust-receipt-or-disbursement-instruction-from-the-authority/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A41-T1-R2-US"
practice_area: "Trust accounting & handling client money"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Prepare a trust receipt or disbursement from the written authority

> Extract the payee, the amount, the purpose and any condition from the written authority into a checklist. Write no receipt, no disbursement instruction and no cheque or wire direction.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/draft-a-trust-receipt-or-disbursement-instruction-from-the-authority/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Trust accounting & handling client money](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| How AI is used | Extract the payee, the amount, the purpose and any condition from the written authority into a checklist. Write no receipt, no disbursement instruction and no cheque or wire direction. |
| What the lawyer must review | You write anything that receives or pays trust money. Model Rule 1.15(d) requires prompt notice and prompt delivery of funds the client or third person is entitled to receive, and a full accounting on request. Advance fees stay in trust until earned (Rule 1.15(c)). You confirm the authority covers this payment and that the funds have cleared before money moves. A tool must not originate the payment. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Draft a trust receipt or disbursement instruction from the authority](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/draft-a-trust-receipt-or-disbursement-instruction-from-the-authority.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Extract the payee, the amount, the purpose and any condition from the written authority into a checklist. Write no receipt, no disbursement instruction and no cheque or wire direction.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Disputed funds stay in the trust account under Rule 1.15(e) until the dispute is resolved. Do not pay the disputed portion to close a file.
- The state version of Rule 1.15, not the Model Rule, is the rule of professional conduct that binds the firm.

## Sources

- [ABA Model Rule 1.15, Safekeeping Property](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_15_safekeeping_property/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Direction to pay money into the law practice trust account](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/direction-to-receive-trust-money.md) | Letter | Yellow | Letter telling a payer to pay a named sum into the general trust account, with the client's confirmation that the money is entrusted for this matter and is not payment of a bill already given. |
| [Client direction for an IOLTA or separate trust deposit (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/us-iolta-or-separate-trust-deposit-direction.md) | Letter | Red | Client direction naming the trust account for a deposit, and the limits on a later withdrawal of earned fees or incurred expenses. The lawyer decides whether the funds are nominal or short-term. |
| [Written direction to pay trust money to a third party](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/direction-to-pay-third-party.md) | Letter | Yellow | Client direction to pay a stated sum of trust money to a named third party, with the cheque or electronic-transfer particulars in rule 43. It is not an authority to take costs. |
| [Notice that funds were received into trust (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/us-notice-funds-received-in-trust.md) | Letter | Yellow | A short notice that funds in which the client or a third person has an interest have been received and placed in a named trust account, as Model Rule 1.15(d) requires prompt notice. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*