Sharon Blake -

The safest course is often the simplest: don’t disburse trust money until you are clearly authorised to do so. Below are some of the most common queries that the Law Society of NSW’s Trust Accounts Department assists practitioners with. What goes wrong A practitioner holds trust money on behalf of not only their client but also another party (for example, conveyancing deposits, proceeds of sale, estates with multiple executors or funds held during matrimonial or commercial disputes).

A A A By - Jun 11, 2026 3:34 pm AEST Principals are responsible for ensuring that effective safeguards are in place to protect trust accounts from unauthorised access, cyber threats and data compromise. The following guidance outlines minimum cybersecurity expectations that are considered best practice for legal practices operating trust accounts in NSW. These controls represent a baseline standard only. Where critical controls are not in place, they should be implemented as a matter of priority.

The Trust Lodgement Portal will be open for submissions from 1 April 2026. All law practices – including those that did not receive or hold trust money during the year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) – are required to complete their Part A in accordance with the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) and rule 54 of the Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015. By 30 April 2026 Submit Part A (Confirmation of Trust Money), even if no trust money was held or received.