(a) Qualified recipients shall be not-for-profit entities, tax-exempt under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, or any successor provision, eligible to receive distributions of IOLA funds pursuant to one or both of the following categories:

1. (1) qualified legal services providers which shall be an entity which operates within New York State and provides direct civil legal services without charge to poor persons within a geographical area in New York State; or

2. (2) administration of justice providers which shall be an entity which operates within New York State and which:

   1. (i) enhances civil legal services to the poor through innovative and cost-effective means;
   2. (ii) provides direct civil legal services either to groups of clients currently underserved by legal services, such as the elderly or the disabled, or in an area of representation, whether substantive or geographical, that cannot be or is not effectively served by individual qualified legal services providers;
   3. (iii) provides legal, management or operational training, or legal, management, support service, or technical assistance, or direct legal assistance, informational advocacy or litigation support to qualified legal services providers; or
   4. (iv) which otherwise promotes the improvement of the administration of justice.

(b) All qualified recipients shall:

1. (1) ensure that the funds received are expended in accordance with the provisions of section 97-v of the State Finance Law, section 497 of the Judiciary Law and this Part;
2. (2) preserve the attorney-client privilege in all cases;
3. (3) ensure that no one shall interfere with any attorney funded in whole or in part by IOLA funds in fulfilling a professional responsibility to a client as established by the code of professional responsibility and the provisions of section 97-v of the State Finance Law, section 497 of the Judiciary Law and this Part; and
4. (4) prohibit discrimination, as defined by the applicable laws of the United States and the State of New York, against (i) any person applying for employment or employed by the qualified recipient; or (ii) any person seeking participation in, or the benefits or proceeds of, a program or programs supported in whole or in part by IOLA funds.

(c) Recognizing that the IOLA funds available for distribution may not be sufficient to make distributions to all qualified recipients submitting applications for such funds which merit funding, the board of trustees shall from time to time establish funding priorities. Among the factors to be considered by the board of trustees in establishing the priorities shall be:

1. (1) if there are two or more qualified recipients in a geographical area who have applied for IOLA funding, the board shall distribute available funds annually based upon a determination by the board in its discretion of the merits of the applications of the qualified recipients and the impact that distribution to the qualified recipients will have on ensuring the delivery of stable, economical and high quality civil legal services to that area;
2. (2) absent special circumstances, qualified recipients shall have substantial sources of income used for the provision of civil legal services to the poor in addition to the funds requested;
3. (3) expansion and improvement of existing qualified recipients shall be preferred over requests to provide IOLA funding to establish new qualified recipients, except in instances of unique and difficult to serve areas and groups;
4. (4) requests shall be encouraged for applications for IOLA funds which will result in the development and strengthening of pro bono programs which generate the provision of substantial voluntary legal services to the poor;
5. (5) the level of professional standards and efficiency and quality of services;
6. (6) the provisions for client participation in program planning, priority setting and operation;
7. (7) provisions which prohibit attorneys employed full time in legal assistance activities supported all or in part by IOLA funds from engaging in any compensated outside practice of law;
8. (8) the encouragement of cooperative proposals from multiple qualified recipients in a given service area;
9. (9) the level of client and community support for the services for which IOLA funds are being sought;
10. (10) whether a qualified support and training provider applicant seeking IOLA funds to provide training and support services to qualified legal service providers has obtained the approval of a majority of the programs it seeks to assist; and
11. (11) qualified support and training provider applicants seeking IOLA funds to provide direct legal services either to groups of clients currently underserved by legal services or in areas of representation that cannot effectively be serviced by individual qualified legal services providers shall demonstrate the need for such services.