AO No. 2021-3 Allocation of Funds from Lawyer Trust Account Program

On order of the Court, effective immediately, Administrative Order No. 1997-9 is rescinded and replaced with Administrative Order No. 2021-3 to provide that funds to be distributed by the Board of Trustees of the Michigan State Bar Foundation shall be disbursed as follows: 1. Seventy percent of the net proceeds of the Lawyer Trust Account Program to support the delivery of civil legal services to the poor; 2. Fifteen percent of the net proceeds of the Lawyer Trust Account Program to support programs to promote improvements in the administration of justice; 3. Ten percent of the net proceeds of the Lawyer Trust Account Program to support increased access to justice, including matters relating to gender, racial, and ethnic equality. In disbursing the funds, the Bar Foundation shall consider and prioritize recommendations from the State Court Administrator; and 4. Five percent of the net proceeds not to exceed a maximum of $50,000 of the Lawyer Trust Account Program to support the activities of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society plus an amount computed annually by the State Court Administrative Office to equal the cumulative, compounded increase to date in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers since 2022. Any funds in excess of the maximum amount shall be divided evenly among programming described in paragraphs 1 through 3.