Under the Legal Profession Act, which statement is a core rule relating to barristers and trust money?

• A. Barristers may hold client funds in trust.
• B. Barristers cannot hold or receive trust money.
• C. Barristers may provide opinions in areas outside practice.
• D. Rules are only guidelines and not binding.

Answer: (B)

The key rule here is that trust money must be held in a trust account by a law practice, not by a barrister personally. Under the Act, barristers are not permitted to hold or receive client funds into their own accounts or into trust for clients. This separation protects clients’ funds, ensures proper accounting and reconciliation, and avoids any risk of misappropriation or improper use of trust money. While a barrister can charge fees for work, those funds should flow through a proper mechanism (often via a solicitors’ trust account or as legitimate professional fees) rather than being treated as trust money belonging to the client.

That’s why the statement is correct: it reflects the binding rule that barristers cannot hold or receive trust money. The other options either misstate the role of trust money, address an unrelated issue, or incorrectly imply that the rules are merely guidelines.