As you receive your 2015 end-of-year  financial and tax statements, JCOPE offers you a friendly reminder not to lose track of these important documents,  including summaries of brokerage/investment accounts and retirement plans, that you will need on hand in order to file your financial disclosure statements later this year.

Another important matter to keep in mind is a change in the law that took effect as of December 31, 2015.  Reporting individuals who practice law, are licensed real estate brokers or agents, or hold certain other licensed positions may be required to disclose the identity of new clients and existing clients for whom they take on new matters, the type of services provided, and the compensation received from those clients. Filers should be aware of this change now so that they can inform clients that their names and other information may have to be disclosed as part of a financial disclosure statement. These new disclosures will apply to new client matters beginning in 2016 and will be included in the 2016 financial disclosure statement, which is due to be filed in calendar year 2017.

The change in the law will add two new questions to the 2016 FDS form,  8 (b-1) and 8 (b-2).  You can read the statute, including the wording of those questions, by clicking here.