include the firm’s name and we will send out the indemnity letter by return, either by email or post. It’s a very easy process, just contact us and we will guide you through it.” The ease of process for donating is echoed by Ben Sanders at SAS Daniels. “The process is very straightforward. We used to make donations by cheque but now pay by faster payment which is much more convenient for us.” Donating your firm’s unclaimed balances to The Solicitors’ Charity is 100% risk-free Donating your firm’s RCBs to The Solicitors’ Charity is 100% risk-free. The charity offers complete indemnity in every case, irrespective of the amount, which means you can always claim the funds back should you ever need to. Nick adds: “I think all firms will be very aware of unclaimed client balances because of the accounting rules, but they may not realise that they are able to donate them to The Solicitors’ Charity and that we give an absolute indemnity that they will get the money back if a client reappears in the future.” Andrew Blatt, Founding Partner at Murdochs Law Limited, has a longstanding relationship with The Solicitors’ Charity. He says: “They’re brilliant to work with and very personable and they are in the process of going through changes to try and be even more relevant to solicitors.” His firm specialises in solicitors’ professional discipline and regulation, including the niche area of helping firms to close. “When firms close, they often have residual balances that they just can’t identify,” he says. “Those residual balances can be anything from a few pounds to many hundreds of pounds; the only way firms can get rid of the balances is to return them to clients or give them to charity.” Integrity is highly regarded by Andrew. “We need to work with a charity that is credible and, if a claimant made a claim in a later year, is able to make that payment: The Solicitors’ Charity fits those bills.” THOUGHT LEADER 77 Your firm’s small change can make a big change to solicitors in need or crisis.
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