Rule 1 Purpose and Scope

These rules set the basic requirements for how lawyers must handle client trust accounts. When a lawyer holds money that belongs to a client, like a settlement payment or a retainer that hasn't been earned yet, that money has to be kept separate from the lawyer's own funds. This rule explains that the whole set of rules exists to spell out the minimum records lawyers must keep and the minimum steps they must follow when managing that money.

Think of it as the baseline standard. Every lawyer who handles client trust funds has to follow these procedures, no matter how big or small their practice is. The goal is to make sure client money is tracked properly and never mixed up with the lawyer's personal or business funds.

This particular rule doesn't get into specific record-keeping details. It just explains why the rest of the rules exist and confirms that they apply to anyone participating in the Trust Account Program.