The Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) program was first established in 1988 as a voluntary means to raise money to provide civil legal services to the poor and disadvantaged of Pennsylvania. With the issue of Supreme Court Order 252, Disciplinary Docket No. 3 on July 17, 1996, this program became mandatory.

The program works as follows: clients often ask attorneys to hold particular sums of money for them. When this involves a large amount of money or a lengthy period of time, attorneys invest the money for their clients. When the amount is small or will be held for a relatively short period of time, however, investing is not practical. It is these funds which the IOLTA program targets.

These small or short-term funds are deposited into special, interest-bearing IOLTA accounts at financial institutions which have been approved by the Supreme Court. On a quarterly basis, the financial institutions transfer the interest from these accounts to the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers Trust Account Board, which administers the program. The board, upon approval from the Supreme Court, then distributes the funds to non-profit organizations, law school-administered clinics and administration of justice projects that provide civil legal services free of charge to the poor and disadvantaged.

Committee Members
Maureen P. Kelly, Esq., Chair
William P. Carlucci, Esq., Vice Chair

Hubert X. Gilroy, Esq.
Lewis F. Gould, Jr. Esq.
William T. Hangley, Esq.
Penina Kessler Lieber
M. Mark Mendel, Esq.
Michael H. Reed, Esq.
Andrew F. Susko, Esq.

Staff:
Alfred J. Azen, Executive Director