Purpose, scope and definitions

(a) The purpose of the Client Protection Fund is to promote public confidence in the administration of justice and the integrity of the legal profession by reimbursing losses caused by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed or otherwise authorized to practice law in the courts in Wyoming occurring in the course of the lawyer-client relationship. (b) The following definitions shall apply: (1) ‘‘Chair’’ means the chairperson of the Client Protection Fund Committee, or the Chair’s designee. (2) ‘‘Claimant’’ means a person or entity who directly or through an authorized representative alleges a loss caused by the dishonest conduct of the lawyer which arises out of and by reason of a lawyer-client relationship. (3) ‘‘Committee’’ means the Client Protection Fund Committee. (4) ‘‘Dishonest conduct’’ means wrongful acts committed by a lawyer in the nature of theft or embezzlement of money or other wrongful taking or conversion of money, property or other things of value, including failure to refund fees received in advance as required by Rule 1.16 of the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct. (5) ‘‘Fund’’ means the Client Protection Fund of the Wyoming State Bar, to be funded by budget allocations designated for such purpose by the Board of Officers and Commissioners of the Wyoming State Bar. With the adoption of these Rules, references in other rules to the ‘‘Clients’ Security Fund’’ shall be deemed to refer to the Fund. (6) ‘‘Lawyer’’ means a member of the Wyoming State Bar, including deceased members and recently suspended or disbarred members whom clients reasonably believed to be authorized to practice law when the dishonest conduct occurred. (Added May 16, 2017, effective July 1, 2017.)