IOLTA Grant Applications

State of Iowa Seal

Des Moines, December 8, 2010— The Iowa Supreme Court Lawyer Trust Account Commission is accepting applications for grants under the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program for the grant period that begins July 1, 2011. IOLTA program grants are awarded to public purpose projects that provide legal services to the poor in civil cases, law-related education, and other programs that improve the administration of justice in Iowa.

Organizations may obtain grant request application forms by contacting the Lawyer Trust Account Commission, Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50319, or by calling (515) 725-8029. The Commission encourages applicants to submit grant requests in electronic form. An electronic version of the complete application set is available from the Commission by electronic mail or at the Commission’s web page on the Judicial Branch web site:

http://www.iowacourts.gov/Professional_Regulation/Attorney_RegulationCommissions/IOLTA

The Commission must receive all completed grant applications no later than 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 4, 2011. The Commission will then review the applications and seek approval of the Iowa Supreme Court for awarding the grants. Grant recipients will be announced in late May or early June of 2011.

The Iowa Supreme Court created the Lawyer Trust Account Commission to provide legal services to the poor 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 it is not possible for the funds to economically benefit the individual clients. Previously, attorneys’ trust accounts earned no interest. The first grants awarded under the IOLTA program were made in June, 1986. To date, grants totaling more than $22,562,000 have been awarded.

Source: Iowa Supreme Court