Your firm can make a big change, and it starts with your unclaimed balances change.

Whether your law firm only has a few pennies left over, or a larger sum, you can donate it to us (risk-free) to fund a better supported profession for all. No matter whether you refer to these funds as Residual Client Balances, RCBs, or unclaimed balances, it’s these donations which have enabled our charity to keep on helping solicitors since 1858. If you’d like more information on how to do this – please speak to our charity team about options.

The ins and outs of how to donate unclaimed balances.

How to transfer funds.

Once you have checked whether your balance needs SRA approval or not – please email us at sec@thesolicitorscharity.org to start the process and let us know you will be donating an RCB.

There is due diligence carried out on all donations, particularly larger ones, and our policy can be found here.

Once your donation is cleared to be donated, you can do so by bank transfer and our bank details will be supplied on request.

Or, you can send a cheque made payable to The Solicitors’ Charity to:

The Solicitors’ Charity

1 Jaggard Way

London

SW12 8SG

You’ll need to provide a note or letter with payments (of £501 or more) which demonstrates that you have complied with SRA requirements.

On receipt of your bank transfer or cheque, we will send you a letter of indemnity which states that we will refund all or any part of the received sum when requested, in order that you might comply with your professional obligations to the entitled party, should a refund be needed in the future.

If you would like to have sight of the indemnity we offer in advance, please email sec@thesolicitorscharity.org so that you can check it meets your needs.

More information.

Many firms and law societies (and individuals) choose to give to us on a one-off or regular basis with RCB and voluntary donations; please do always let us know to expect donations so that we can acknowledge them fully and send indemnities out, where appropriate. 

Information on the SRA website about withdrawal of residual client balances form can be found here, or you can download the form here. 

Learn more about the prescribed circumstances in which you can withdraw client money from client account to pay to a charity of your choice here.