Lynda ArtesaniLegal Accountant and Data Migration Specialist at The Proper Trust

Is that money really available? #legalaccounting #lawfirms #trustaccounting

27 May 2026 · 0 min

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0:25

In this brief segment, the speaker recounts an experience at a personal injury (PI) law firm where the firm was eager to disburse settlement checks to clients, leading to instances of bounced checks. To mitigate this risk, the speaker instituted a strict verification protocol: staff must contact the client’s bank officer directly—not the bank’s general customer service line—when a check is about to be issued. The conversation with the officer must be documented with the date, time, and the officer’s guidance (e.g., confirmation that funds are good or a recommendation to wait additional days). This practice aims to ensure that the money is truly available before disbursement, protecting both the firm and the client and maintaining proper trust‑account compliance.

Even one, one PI firm I had, they were so anxious to disburse the money and be the hero to the clients. And I saw a couple times where the check bounced, and I put in place they had to call their bank officer, not the customer service line at the bank. Right. They had to call their bank officer and document on this date, this time, I talked to Lynda, she said the funds are good, blah blah blah, or she said wait 4 more days, or whatever