Opinion ID: 2341788
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: count three: failure to maintain books and records

Text: 22. Rule 1.15(d) sets forth detailed and specific requirements for the maintenance of attorneys' books and records and handling of practice-related funds. 23. Prior to January 1, 1999, Rule 1.15(d) required that a lawyer shall adhere to the provisions of Interpretive Guideline No. 2, which set forth detailed and specific requirements for the maintenance of attorneys' books and records and handling of practice-related funds. 24. As set forth in this Petition and the McCullough Report, the Respondent failed properly to maintain his law practice books and records for his general escrow account, real estate escrow account, and operating account from January 1994 through December 2002. Specifically, the Respondent (1) used his operating account for funds (i.e., client retainers) that should have been held in a fiduciary capacity; (2) failed to maintain cash receipts journals, and to total and balance cash receipts and disbursement journals on a monthly basis; (3) failed to reconcile the check register balance for each bank account to the bank statement balance on a monthly basis (4) for the general escrow and real estate escrow accounts, failed to prepare monthly listings of client and third party balances showing the name and balance of each client or third party, and the total of all balances; and (5) for the general escrow and real estate escrow accounts, failed to reconcile a total cash balance so as to agree with a total of client and third party balance listing. By engaging in this conduct, the Respondent violated Rule 1.15(d) and former Interpretive Guideline No. 2.