Donate unclaimed client accounts

Your firm’s residual client balances can help Martin House be there when families need us most and have a lasting impact on families like Ruby & Sophia’s.

Identical twins Ruby & Sophia were diagnosed as babies with alternating hemiplegia of childhood, an incredibly rare condition which affects only one in a million people. Parents Kevin and Lyndsey live with the knowledge that at any moment, the girls could go into full body paralysis and even stop breathing.

Lyndsey said: “At times, it can be really hard to explain the impact of their condition, and how quickly we can suddenly find ourselves in an emergency situation.

“We’ve found Martin House to be quite the lifeline. Your stay comes just when you need it, the responsibilities are taken from you. A night without a SATs monitor beeping is everything!”

Residual client funds can help ensure we can continue to provide these crucial lifeline services and support to our families.

• £1,000 could help pay for counselling and emotional support from one of our specialist team for families at times of heightened anxiety.
• £5,000 could fund one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists for one month, enabling them to provide specialist palliative care to children and their families.
• £7,500 enables us to take a group of young people on an outdoor adventure trip to Kielder, where they can try new experiences at a centre designed for people with disabilities.
• £10,000 can help us provide end of life care for a baby, child or young person at Martin House, allowing their family to spend precious time together to say goodbye.

Donating residual funds is very simple:

Donating up to £500

Residual client balances of up to £500 can be donated to a charity without authorisation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Where the rightful owner cannot be traced, you may donate the unclaimed client funds to Martin House Children’s Hospice.

Donating over £500

Amounts over £500 can also be paid to Martin House provided the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) grants permission. To obtain permission, please contact the Professional Ethics Guidance Team at the SRA:

Professional Ethics, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN

DX: 720293 Birmingham 47

Tel: 0370 606 2577

Email: professional.ethics@sra.org.uk

Further guidance and the relevant application form may also be found on the SRA website.

Subject to confirmation that you have obtained the necessary SRA approval, we will email you acknowledgement of receipt, and provide a signed individual indemnity letter for your records.

Martin House has sufficient safeguards in place to guarantee that all funds, if reclaimed, will be refunded.

Further information

If you’ve got any questions about donating unclaimed client accounts, contact us:

• Tel: 01937844569 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
• Email: partnerships@martinhouse.org.uk

Use our template letter to notify your intention to donate the unclaimed funds.