Florida Bar Rule 5-1.2 · Trust account compliance

Your trust account, reconciled monthly, without the spreadsheet panic.

IOLTAWatch connects to your firm's trust account, performs the three-way reconciliation the Florida Bar requires, and produces an audit-ready PDF — every month, automatically. Built for solo and small-firm attorneys who can't afford a bookkeeping mistake.

Bank-grade connection via Plaid SOC 2-informed controls No credit card to start
How it works

From bank login to a compliant PDF — in fifteen minutes a month.

You set it up once. We do the rest. No new accounting platform to learn, no IT lift, and nothing to import by hand.

01 / connect

Connect your trust account

Securely link your IOLTA account through Plaid in under two minutes. Read-only access — we can see transactions, we can never move money.

Setup time~ 2 min
02 / reconcile

We reconcile every transaction

Each new deposit, disbursement and bank fee is matched against the correct client sub-ledger. Outstanding items, transfers and corrections are flagged for your review.

Review time~ 10 min / mo
03 / archive

Download a Bar-ready PDF

On the last day of each month, IOLTAWatch generates a signed three-way reconciliation PDF formatted to Rule 5-1.2(f)(5) and archives a copy for the six-year retention window.

Retention6 years
What's actually at stake

A missed reconciliation isn't a paperwork problem. It's a license problem.

The Florida Bar audits trust accounts — sometimes randomly, sometimes after a single client complaint. The standard isn't "you meant to." The standard is "you did it, in writing, every month."

RULE 5-1.2(f)

Monthly reconciliations are mandatory

Florida lawyers must produce a comparison of the bank statement, trust ledger and the sum of client sub-ledgers — every month, in writing, retained for six years.

CH. 3-7

Audits can be triggered by a single complaint

The Bar can subpoena trust records at any time. Missing or inconsistent reconciliations are the most common trigger for escalated review.

SANCTION

Suspension is on the table

Trust accounting violations regularly result in public reprimand, probation, suspension and — in cases of commingling — disbarment. Even unintentional shortfalls are sanctionable.

FEE

Your malpractice carrier is watching too

Most Florida malpractice applications now ask whether you reconcile monthly and retain documentation. "No" answers move you to a higher premium tier — or off the policy entirely.

The trust account is the third rail of legal practice. Touch it the wrong way, even by accident, and a fifteen-year career ends in a one-page disciplinary order.
Paraphrased from Florida Bar discipline guidance Public reprimands & suspensions related to Rule 5-1.2 are reported quarterly in The Florida Bar News.
Rule 5-1.2(f)(5)  ·  "A monthly reconciliation comparing the bank balance, the trust ledger balance, and the total of client sub-ledger balances shall be prepared and retained."

IOLTAWatch produces exactly this document, on the last calendar day of each month, and stores it for the full six-year retention period.
Pricing

One price. One job. Done before the first of the month.

No tiers, no seat math, no surprise upgrade when you take on a fifteenth client matter. Cancel anytime — your archived reconciliations stay yours.

Career Insurance

IOLTAWatch

For solo and small Florida firms, 1–5 attorneys.

$ 199 / month, per firm

Billed monthly. 30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.

  • Automated monthly three-way reconciliation
  • Unlimited client sub-ledgers & matters
  • Plaid-secured connection to one trust account
  • Bar-formatted PDF, signed & timestamped
  • Six-year audit archive, exportable any time
  • Email alerts for variances, fees & stale checks
  • Florida-based support from a real human
Get started
What $199 actually buys you

Less than two billable hours a month. Roughly one-twentieth of a bookkeeper.

Most Florida solos either do reconciliation by hand on the 28th of the month at 11pm, or pay an outside bookkeeper $400–$1,200 to do it for them. Either way, the attorney is still the one with the license on the line.

 
Status quo
IOLTAWatch
Monthly time cost
3–6 hours
~ 10 min
Monthly dollar cost
$400–$1,200
$199
Audit-ready PDF
Depends
Every month
Retention & archive
Your inbox
Six years, indexed
Who's accountable
You
Still you — with proof