Model Rule 1.15 requires what regarding client property?

• A. Personal use of client funds for office expenses
• B. Safekeeping, proper custody, and prompt accounting of client funds and property
• C. Keeping client funds in a personal account
• D. Reporting client property to the bar association

Answer: (B)

Safeguarding client property is the priority: a lawyer must keep client funds and property separate from the lawyer’s own, in proper custody, and must account for them promptly. Model Rule 1.15 requires funds and property belonging to clients to be held in a trust or other appropriate custody arrangement, deposited promptly into a separate trust account, and accompanied by accurate records and timely accounting to the client. This protects clients from misappropriation and ensures transparency about what’s been received and what’s been disbursed.

Using client funds for office expenses or keeping them in a personal account violates this safeguard because it blurs ownership and allows commingling or mismanagement. Reporting client property to the bar association isn’t the routine duty under this rule; the rule centers on safekeeping and accounting, with bar action arising only in disciplinary contexts.