IOLTA Program
Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) is a method of raising funds to increase access to justice for low-income individuals, provide civil legal aid to the poor, promote public understanding of the law, and improve our justice system.
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands, operate IOLTA programs. The Wyoming IOLTA program was established in 1989 by the Wyoming Supreme Court to help fund the unmet legal needs of Wyoming’s citizens.
Today, the Wyoming Foundation for Civil Justice administers Wyoming’s IOLTA program. We provide funding and support to legal aid service providers throughout the state through grants.
How does an IOLTA program work?
When a lawyer receives funds that belong to a client or a third party, the lawyer must hold those funds in a trust account and keep it separate from the lawyer’s funds. And when those funds (that need to be held in trust) cannot earn more income than the cost of holding the funds, the money can be deposited in an IOLTA program account. The pooled interest goes to the IOLTA program.
How can I contribute to the Wyoming IOLTA program?
Lawyers and financial institutions seeking information about the Wyoming IOLTA program or how to establish an IOLTA bank account may contact the Wyoming Foundation for Civil Justice.
For IOLTA compliance questions, contact the Wyoming State Bar.
Attorneys may complete the Wyoming IOLTA Participation Form for Attorneys and return it to an IOLTA eligible institution to open an account. Please review the IOLTA Eligible Institutions.