As an Org Plus Plan subscriber, you have unlimited access to the On Demand training library of pre-recorded training videos. You can watch these as many times as you like at your own leisure. Questions can be posed to trainers during and after the video, with responses being provided within 2 working days. Ensure you’re logged into your account to access.
For non-subscribers and all other plan subscribers, access can be purchased separately.
#1. Your firm acted for a client in the sale of commercial premises. The transaction has been completed and the firm are in the process of accounting to the client for the net proceeds of sale. Independently of this retainer, the client’s son has instructed another solicitor in your firm to act for him in buying a flat.
The father has asked your firm to retain enough money to cover his son’s legal fees and to send the balance to him. Your firm is concerned that by transferring the money to the son you may be in breach of rule 3.3.
Is this providing banking facilities?
#2. A bill of costs must be signed by a partner/director or member?
#3. Money received from the Legal Aid Agency on account of disbursements that are not yet incurred or paid is?
#4. Is it permissible to issue the client with a bill of costs for an unpaid, not yet incurred, court fee?
#5. When dealing with residual balances that are £500 or less that are to be paid to a charity, your firm posts a journal from the business side of the client’s ledger and credits a nominal ledger in the name of the charity. You then transfer the residual balance from the client account to the business account.
Once a month, the payment to the charity is made from the charity nominal ledger. Is this permissible under the SRA Accounts Rules?
#6. You’re firm is acting for the executors in dealing with the administration of a deceased person’s estate and have sent a bill to the executors, together with the estate accounts for approval. You have asked the solicitor that is acting if you can transfer costs from the client account to the business account to discharge the bill in full. The solicitor has replied “no, as costs are not properly due”.
Is this a breach of SRA Accounts Rule 4.2?
#7. Your firm acted for a client in the sale of commercial premises which is now completed. Your firm are in the process of accounting to him for the net proceeds of sale. Independently of this retainer, the client’s daughter has instructed another solicitor in your firm to act for her in buying a flat.
The father has asked the firm to retain enough money to cover his daughter’s legal fees and to send the balance to him.
Is this providing banking facilities?
#8. Your firm prepare a lot of wills and fixed fee interviews as one-off transactions for clients. However, instead of opening an individual client ledger for each client, you have a general ledger on which you record the details of each client and the costs received.
Is this a breach of the SRA Accounts Rules?
#9. You have instructed an interpreter in order for your client to be able to communicate with you or to enable your client to understand Court proceedings. The cost of the interpreter is being passed on to the client. When billed, the cost is:
#10. As soon as there is no longer a proper reason to hold client money, it must be returned to the client or third party for whom the money is held:
Third Party Managed Accounts – Online Workshop
Length: 30 Minutes
Published September 24, 2022
Last Updated on May 4, 2023
Who is this training for?
This online workshop is for Solicitors, Lawyers, Accountants, Compliance Officers, COFA’s, Legal Accounts Professionals, Legal Cashiers and anyone that has any involvement in working in legal finance and compliance.
Purpose of this training?
So what is a TPMA (Third Party Managed Account)? Other than it being another acronym we add to our never ending list of acronyms, a TPMA is an account where a third party (an authorised payment service provider) holds money on behalf of two or more transacting parties. For law firms that means a third party would hold funds for you and also for your client.
The SRA Accounts Rules (2019) made it clear that Third Party Managed Accounts can be used as an alternative to the use of a client account or alongside an existing client account. This workshop explains what one is, the types of TPMA, the SRA’s expectations and requirements and the advantages and disadvantages of using one.
- Traditional Client Accounts
- Overview of Third Party Managed Accounts
- How Third Party Managed Accounts work for law firms
- Advantaged and Added Protection of Third Party Managed Accounts
- The SRA’s Expectations and Requirements
Practice notes and training sessions represent the Association of Legal Compliance & Accounts’ view of good practice in a particular area. They are not intended to be the only standard of good practice that firms can follow.
Practice notes and training sessions are not legal advice, and do not necessarily provide a defence to complaints of misconduct or poor service. While we have taken care to ensure that they are accurate, up to date and useful, we will not accept any legal liability in relation to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
All ALCA online training is delivered live, interactive and is recorded. We bridge the gap between ‘face-to-face’ and online training by applying a blended approach. Questions can be posed to trainers throughout the workshops with quizzes/polls being used to engage with attendees.
Workshops can be continuously replayed for 60 days after broadcast.
Benefits?
- Reduced cost
- Can be taken anywhere on any device – no travel time or cost
- Shorter and more efficient than face-to-face
- Live and interactive
- Recorded and can be replayed at your leisure
Depending on your subscription and the length of the workshop, the pricing is as follows:
Our online workshops are delivered via Zoom. You can access the session via your computer, tablet or mobile device.
Details on how to join the online session will be provided the day before the training goes live.
We recommend you run a system test and check your internet speed by clicking <a href=”https://zoom.us/test” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>HERE</a>.
If your firm prevents you from using Zoom, please <a href=”mailto:hello@alca.org.uk”>contact us</a>.
There is no requirement to attend live but we advise that you do where you can as this will be the best experience for you. Don’t forget, you can pose questions live to the trainer and join in with the interaction when you attend live. Also, be mindful that you have access to the recording for 30 days, after which, it will no longer be available.
Not at all. We prefer it if candidates do as it makes the training more engaging but it is not mandatory to turn your camera or microphone on during the training session.
If you don’t have a microphone, you can still pose questions using the chat facility.
