PAID TO VICTIMS OF LAWYER THEFT
$33M/YR
What client protection funds across the country pay out in a typical year to clients whose lawyers took their money.
ABA STANDING COMMITTEE ON CLIENT PROTECTION
AI‑native control for client money
Trust accounting still runs by hand. suss. checks every disbursement, reconciles every account and signs every record, before the money moves.
Done by hand is where trust accounts go wrong.suss. automates all of it.
Your firm's new 24/7 accountant.
suss. does the trust accounting work overnight that used to wait for month end: verifying payees, matching instructions, reconciling to the penny, and writing all of it down.
pre-launch build. the interesting parts are redacted on purpose.
OVERNIGHT
WORKINGHow suss. checks every disbursement
PAYEE VERIFICATIONM-2481
Payee namematches the matter record
Bank accountopened 3 days ago
Email domainsmithlaw-payments.co, firm on file is smithlaw.com
HELD FOR REVIEW
Top boutique firms
trust suss. with
In state after state, mishandling client money is the most common reason lawyers get disciplined. Not malpractice. Not billing. The trust account.
STATES THAT PRE-FUND THE FAILURE
50
Every state maintains a fund to repay victims of lawyer theft, financed by lawyers' own dues. The profession budgets for this.
ABA MODEL RULES, LAWYERS' FUNDS FOR CLIENT PROTECTION
OVERDRAFTS IN ONE STATE, ONE YEAR
738
Trust account overdrafts banks reported to the California bar in fiscal year 2025 alone. Every one can open a disciplinary file.
STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA, 2025 ANNUAL DISCIPLINE REPORT
COMPLAINTS NEEDED TO GET AUDITED
0
New Jersey and, since 2025, California randomly audit firm trust accounts with no grievance filed. Enforcement stopped waiting.
NEW JERSEY COURTS · STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA, CTAPP
TRUST JOURNAL
EXPORT READYDATEDESCRIPTIONAMOUNTBALANCE
08/01Opening balance$47,180.00
08/03Retainer deposit · M-2471+$2,500.00$49,680.00
08/04Filing fees · M-2471−$402.50$49,277.50
08/06Settlement deposit · M-2477+$12,000.00$61,277.50
08/08Client disbursement · M-2477−$8,140.00$53,137.50
08/08Wire fee M-2477−$25.00$53,112.50
BANK $53,112.50
BOOK $53,112.50
CLIENT LEDGERS $53,112.50
DIFFERENCE $0.00 — BALANCED
The record.
Every check, hold, and clearance is written down as it happens: signed, timestamped, and export ready. For your bar examiner, your auditor, and your carrier.
suss. prepares. Your firm approves. The record shows both.
Three checks run on every dollar before it leaves the trust account. No new workflow to learn, no thirty day lag.