Illinois · Trust Accounting
What Illinois attorneys must do to keep client trust funds compliant — the governing rule, how often you must reconcile, and how long records must be kept.
Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15 (General Duties), 1.15A (Required Records), 1.15B (Trust Accounts and Overdraft Notification), effective July 1, 2023
At least quarterly (three-way)
7 years
Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois (ARDC)
Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois
Required — banks must notify the regulator
Source: Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois (ARDC) . Rules change — always confirm against the current text before relying on it.
Illinois's stated reconciliation requirement is: At least quarterly (three-way). A three-way reconciliation compares three totals that must all agree. If they do not, the difference has to be found and resolved before the reconciliation is complete.
Bank statement balance, adjusted for outstanding checks and deposits in transit.
Your internal trust account register as of the same date.
The total of every individual client ledger balance on that date.
For a full walkthrough of the procedure, common violations, and what examiners look for, see our IOLTA compliance guide.
Illinois requires trust account records to be retained for 7 years. In practice that means keeping:
IOLTA Guard automates three-way reconciliation, blocks negative client ledgers, and keeps the audit trail Illinois attorneys are expected to maintain.