Des Moines, December 4, 2015 — The Iowa Supreme Court Lawyer Trust Account Commission (Commission) is accepting applications for grants from the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program. The grant period begins July 1, 2016. IOLTA program grants are awarded to public purpose projects that provide legal services to low-income persons in civil cases, law-related education, or that improve the administration of justice in Iowa.
Under the provisions of chapter 44 of the Iowa Court Rules, applicants must file one copy of their application in paper form, and one copy of their application in electronic form. Organizations may obtain a copy of the rules and grant application forms (paper and electronic) from the Lawyer Trust Account Commission, Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50319, or by calling (515) 725-8029, or by email at [email protected]. Application forms also may be downloaded from the Commission's web page on the Iowa Judicial Branch web site.
The Commission must receive completed grant applications no later than 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 4, 2016. The Commission will review the applications and seek approval from the Iowa Supreme Court for awarding the grants. Grant recipients will be announced in late May or early June of 2016.
The Iowa Supreme Court created the Lawyer Trust Account Commission to help support legal services to low-income persons in civil cases using the interest from lawyers' pooled trust accounts. The lawyers' pooled trust accounts hold clients' funds that are so small in amount or held for such a brief period that there is no economic benefit to individual clients. Previously, lawyers' trust accounts earned no interest. The first grants awarded under the IOLTA program were made in June, 1986. To date, the Commission has awarded more than $24 million in grants.
For More Information:
Paul H. Wieck II, Office of Professional Regulation
(515) 725-8029
Iowa Supreme Court
1111 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-3952