Lawpay

What is LawPay

LawPay is an online payments platform specifically designed for law firms and legal professionals. It focuses on handling client payments in ways that meet attorney trust‑account rules (IOLTA/retainer accounting), while providing standard merchant services for operating accounts. The product combines card and ACH/Bank Transfer processing, invoicing, recurring payments, and integrations with legal practice management systems to reduce manual bookkeeping and compliance risk.

The service is offered to solos, small firms, midsize practices, and larger law departments. LawPay positions itself as a niche payments provider that understands the ethics and regulatory constraints lawyers face when accepting client funds. That includes split‑deposit workflows, advanced reporting for trust accounting audits, and features to attach payment activity to matters or client records.

As a payments solution, LawPay also includes fraud mitigation, PCI compliance management, and bank reconciliation aids. Firms typically use LawPay to accept credit cards, debit cards, and ACH eChecks from clients online, over the phone, or via invoices and client portals.

LawPay features

LawPay bundles a set of features that address payments, accounting, security, and legal‑specific compliance. Key capabilities include:

• Online payments: secure hosted payment pages, client portals, and invoice links that accept cards and ACH bank transfers.
• Trust (IOLTA) and operating account handling: configurable deposit routing to split funds between client trust accounts and firm operating accounts in accordance with local rules.
• Invoicing and recurring billing: generate and send invoices, set up payment plans and recurring charges for retainers or subscription legal services.
• Integrations with practice management: native or partner integrations that attach payments to matters, clients, and time entries.
• Security and compliance controls: PCI‑level security, tokenization of card data, two‑factor authentication for accounts, and audit trails for trust activity.

In addition to the core features above, LawPay offers: itemized transaction reporting for month‑end reconciliation, bulk payment imports, settlement reporting for trust and operating accounts, customizable invoice templates, and support for multiple user roles with permission settings for staff. The platform also provides built‑in dispute and chargeback workflows and can produce reports that help during bar audits.

From an administrative perspective, the dashboard exposes real‑time settlement views, filtered transaction search (by client, matter, or payment type), downloadable CSV/PDF exports, and email notifications for failed payments or disputed charges. Those tools are designed to simplify reconciliations and reduce the manual work typically required to keep trust ledgers accurate.

What does LawPay do?

LawPay processes electronic payments for law firms while enforcing the accounting rules lawyers must follow. It accepts card and ACH payments and routes funds into the appropriate trust versus operating accounts, letting firms collect retainers, pay invoices, and run recurring billing without violating client trust requirements.

The platform also reduces friction for clients paying invoices: linkable online invoices, a secure client payment portal, and support for saved payment methods all reduce payment cycles and improve cash flow. Firms can send itemized invoices and accept partial payments against matters with payments automatically assigned to client records.

Operationally, LawPay replaces manual steps—such as cutting checks, manually recording deposits, or reconciling payments line by line—by providing automated settlement reports, exportable transaction histories, and integrations that sync payments with case or billing systems.

LawPay pricing

LawPay offers these pricing plans:

• Starter: $10/month plus card and ACH processing fees (best for solo and small practices)
• Professional: $25/month plus reduced card rates and ACH pricing for growing firms
• Business: $50/month with lower transaction fees, advanced reporting, and priority support
• Enterprise: custom monthly pricing with volume discounts, dedicated onboarding, and SLA support

Typical transaction fees are tiered by plan and by payment type: card transactions usually incur a percentage plus a per‑transaction fee, and ACH/eCheck transactions have a lower flat fee per item. LawPay also offers custom pricing for high‑volume firms and enterprise accounts. Check LawPay's current pricing for the latest rates and enterprise options.

Pricing often includes a monthly subscription plus merchant processing rates. Some partner bundles (through practice management vendors) can reduce or waive the subscription fee; however transaction fees still apply. Firms should compare the effective total cost by estimating monthly card volume and the number of ACH transactions to determine the most cost‑effective plan.

Operational costs to budget for when evaluating LawPay include setup and onboarding time, potential bank setup fees (for trust account routing), and any third‑party integration costs if professional services are required to connect LawPay to legacy systems. Marketing costs: fewer late payments can reduce client outreach costs, but initial client education on online payments may require envelope or email campaigns.

How much is lawpay per month

LawPay starts at $10/month for the basic subscription tier, plus per‑transaction processing fees for cards and ACH payments. That starter price targets solos and very small practices and increases for higher tiers that include reduced transaction fees and extra features.

The effective monthly cost depends heavily on transaction volume and the mix of card versus ACH payments. Firms with low card volume and higher ACH usage will generally see lower processing costs overall.

How much is LawPay per year

LawPay costs $120/year at the Starter level if billed monthly at $10/month, plus processing fees; paid annual billing options may be available for a discount on the subscription portion for certain plans. Enterprise and partner plans are priced on contract and billed per agreed terms.

How much is lawpay in general

LawPay pricing ranges from approximately $10/month to custom enterprise pricing. Transaction fees typically range from percentage + fixed fees for card payments to single‑digit dollar flat fees for ACH/eCheck transactions. The total cost of ownership depends on subscription tier, card vs ACH mix, and monthly payment volume.

What is LawPay used for

LawPay is used primarily for accepting client payments in a manner that complies with bar rules and trust‑accounting requirements. Law firms use it to collect retainers, pay bills, set up payment plans, and accept one‑time or recurring payments from clients.

It’s also used to automate reconciliation tasks: payments processed through LawPay can be exported or synced to practice management and accounting systems to reduce manual ledger updates. Firms typically adopt LawPay to shorten the invoice‑to‑cash cycle, improve client convenience, and reduce the risk of mishandling trust funds.

Beyond solo and small firm use, LawPay is used by in‑house legal teams, legal aid organizations, and larger firms that need a lawyer‑aware payments tool. Its routing, reporting and integration features make it appropriate wherever trust accounting and regulatory compliance around client funds are required.

Pros and cons of LawPay

LawPay’s primary advantages include its legal‑industry focus, trust accounting features, and deep integrations with practice management systems. That industry specialization reduces compliance risk and speeds reconciliation between payments and matters.

Common limitations to consider are cost and flexibility: dedicated legal payments providers can be more expensive than general payment processors for low‑volume firms, and not every rare jurisdictional trust rule is auto‑handled—firms should confirm their own compliance needs. Also, custom enterprise pricing is required for high‑volume discounting, which can mean negotiating contract terms.

Another consideration is the integration surface: while LawPay integrates with most major practice management tools, firms using niche or heavily customized systems may need connector development or manual reconciliation. Support levels and onboarding times differ by plan, so firms with limited IT resources should plan for initial setup time.

LawPay free trial

LawPay commonly offers onboarding demos, a test mode for validating integration flows, and trial or promotional waivers of the first month’s subscription through partner channels. Prospective customers can request a live demo to see the payment flow, trust routing, and reporting before committing.

Most firms begin with a short pilot—activating a small set of users, processing a limited number of test transactions, and verifying the trust‑account routing and reporting exports. That pilot helps validate integration with practice management software and internal reconciliation processes.

To start a trial or pilot, firms typically contact LawPay sales or sign up through a partner link in their practice management system. Review current promotional offers and setup guidance directly on LawPay’s site or via your practice management vendor.

Is LawPay free

No, LawPay is not free. It charges a monthly subscription fee (starting around $10/month) plus per‑transaction processing fees for card and ACH payments. Some partner bundles can reduce or waive the subscription fee, but processing fees still apply.

LawPay API

LawPay provides an API and developer resources intended for partners and firms that need custom integrations. The API supports creating payments, tokenizing payment methods, querying transaction history, and initiating refunds. This enables firms to embed payment collection into client portals, custom billing pages, or internal dashboards.

Authentication is typically through API keys and follows standard security patterns, including TLS for transport and tokenization of card data so that sensitive card numbers are not handled directly by firm systems. The API also returns settlement and reconciliation metadata useful for matching payments to matters and invoices.

For developers, LawPay’s integration docs explain endpoints for creating transactions, capturing saved payment sources, handling webhooks for asynchronous events (settlements, disputes), and mapping payments to matter IDs in supported practice management systems. For full technical details, consult the LawPay developer documentation.

10 LawPay alternatives

Paid alternatives to LawPay

• Clio Payments — Native payments processing within the Clio practice management ecosystem; tight integration for invoices and trust accounting.
• CosmoLex Payments — Payments and legal accounting combined, targeted at law firms that want a single platform for billing and trust ledgers.
• PracticePanther Payments — Offers integrated payments with their practice management tools and streamlined invoicing workflows.
• MyCase Payments — Built into the MyCase platform, enabling online payments through client portals and automated reconciliation.
• Stripe — General payments platform with broad customization and developer APIs; requires additional configuration for trust accounting and legal compliance.
• Square — Simple merchant payments and POS hardware; best for firms that need in‑office card acceptance rather than trust‑account aware routing.

Open source alternatives to LawPay

• Invoice Ninja — Open source invoicing and payment collection; integrates with multiple payment gateways but requires custom trust routing for legal needs.
• Kill Bill — Open source billing and payments orchestration platform for teams that can run and extend their own infrastructure and implement trust workflows.
• Solidus — E‑commerce platform (open source) that can be extended to accept payments and build custom legal payment flows.

Frequently asked questions about LawPay

What is LawPay used for?

LawPay is used for attorney‑compliant payment processing and trust accounting. Firms use it to accept credit card and ACH payments, route funds to trust versus operating accounts, and integrate payments with practice management for reconciliation.

Does LawPay integrate with Clio?

Yes, LawPay offers a native integration with Clio. Payments made through LawPay can be attached to Clio matters and invoices, and settlement data is available for reconciliation inside Clio’s billing and accounting tools.

How much does LawPay cost per user?

LawPay starts at $10/month for the basic plan plus transaction fees; pricing is subscription‑based and not charged per user in most cases. Transaction fees apply per payment and vary by plan and payment type.

Is there a free version of LawPay?

No, LawPay does not offer a permanently free tier. Some practice management partners occasionally provide promotional waivers of subscription fees, but processing fees still apply for all transactions.

Can LawPay handle trust account (IOLTA) deposits?

Yes, LawPay supports trust account routing and IOLTA‑compliant workflows. The platform can split deposits between client trust and firm operating accounts according to configured rules and produce reports suitable for audit.

Can I accept ACH payments with LawPay?

Yes, LawPay supports ACH/eCheck payments. ACH transactions are typically charged a lower flat fee than card transactions and can be used for retainers and large invoices to reduce processing costs.

Does LawPay provide recurring billing?

Yes, LawPay supports recurring payments and payment plans. Firms can set up scheduled charges for subscription‑style services, retainers with installment plans, or automated recurring billing for ongoing matters.

Is LawPay PCI compliant?

Yes, LawPay is designed to meet PCI requirements and uses tokenization. Cardholder data is tokenized to reduce PCI scope and the platform enforces industry standard encryption in transit and at rest.

Can I refund a charge through LawPay?

Yes, LawPay supports refunds and chargeback handling. Refunds can be issued through the dashboard or via API and will appear in settlement and transaction reports for reconciliation.

How long does setup take for LawPay?

Setup times vary but most firms complete onboarding in days to a few weeks. Time depends on required bank account verification for trust routing, the complexity of integrations with practice management systems, and whether custom contract terms are negotiated for enterprise accounts.

lawpay careers

LawPay and its parent company historically recruit for roles in product, engineering, sales, client success, and compliance. Positions often emphasize experience with payments, legal industry workflows, or merchant services. Candidates typically find openings and apply through the company’s careers portal or parent company listings.

Organizations hiring around payments platforms commonly expect knowledge of PCI standards, API integration experience, and familiarity with workflows for professional services billing. LawPay careers pages also list internship and remote work opportunities depending on hiring needs.

lawpay affiliate

LawPay runs partner and referral programs aimed at practice management vendors, bar associations, and consultants who advise law firms. Affiliates can earn referral revenue or discounted pricing when they refer firms that sign up for LawPay through partner links.

If you advise law firms or operate a practice management marketplace, you can contact LawPay’s partner team to learn about integration partnerships, co‑marketing opportunities, and the technical requirements to become a certified partner.

Where to find lawpay reviews

To evaluate user sentiment, check legal tech review sites, practice management vendor forums, and software review aggregators for firm experiences with setup, support, and reconciliation accuracy. Many practice management platforms also publish case studies that describe how LawPay works in a real firm context.

For up‑to‑date user reviews and feature comparisons, consult legal technology review sites and the integration pages of your practice management vendor. Also review the LawPay integrations page to confirm compatibility with your systems.