{"id":9931,"date":"2023-05-24T00:05:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T23:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/?p=9931"},"modified":"2026-02-27T23:49:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:49:40","slug":"legal-clients-card-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I first <\/span><a title=\"how to start a law firm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/guides\/how-to-start-your-own-law-firm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">started my law firm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, I asked the lawyers I knew how they dealt with legal clients who preferred credit card payments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The unanimous answer? Not one of them accepted card payments as a payment method.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fast forward almost a decade: most clients now expect to <\/span><a title=\"accept credit card payments at your law firm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/accept-card-payments-law-firm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pay legal fees by credit card<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this blog post, we\u2019ll explore:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why law firm clients want to pay by debit or credit card.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How you can offer debit and credit card payments as part of your legal client service.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tips and tools that can help your law firm get paid quickly through debit or credit card using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/features\/legal-billing\/\">legal billing software<\/a> and online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/features\/payments\/\">law firm payments<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Legal clients want the option for debit and credit card payments<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your legal clients not only want to pay by debit and credit card\u2014they expect to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/guides\/2021-legal-trends-report\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2021 Legal Trends Report<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that consumers ranked whether a law firm offered payment plans as one of the most important factors for hiring a law firm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s because we live in an age where:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are plenty of options for the alternative delivery of legal services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clients have come to expect the instant service and satisfaction they get from Amazon, Netflix, and Uber in every consumer interaction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bottom line is: your clients have expectations for who they do business with and they are short on time. They want flexibility, convenience, and ease.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When your law firm <\/span><a title=\"how to run a client-centred law firm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/blog\/client-centered-law-firm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is thoughtful, responsive, and engaged<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with what your legal clients want, you not only make it easier for clients to pay, you experience benefits like getting paid faster, improving collections, setting yourselves apart from the competition, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And if those card payments are made online? Even better. According to the <\/span><a title=\"legal trends report\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/guides\/legal-trends-report-2022\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2022 Legal Trends Report<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">law firms that increased their revenue year-over-year were much more likely to use online payment processing systems.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Credit card payments put your clients\u2019 needs first<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For most people, coming up with a large legal fee isn\u2019t easy. Even if they have the funds, their money may be tied up in an investment or retirement account.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What\u2019s more, potential clients are now also struggling with the <\/span><a title=\"2022 legal trends report\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/about\/press\/2022-legal-trends-report\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">burdens of inflation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asking clients to pay for significant retainers upfront could result in your clients either opting to handle legal issues on their own or hire a more affordable lawyer should rates increase. On the other hand, having the option to pay by credit card can make things easier as credit card payments allow your client to pay for your legal services over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/law-firm-payment-plans\/\">payment plans<\/a> come into play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/guides\/legal-trends-report-2022\/\"><i>2022 Legal Trends Report<\/i><\/a>, 70% of consumers want the option to pay a lawyer via a payment plan. Doing so allows your legal clients to pay via automated payments or fund transfers\u2014giving your firm a competitive edge.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<div\n\tclass=\"o-image l-image alignnone wp-image-10330 size-full \"\n\t\tstyle=\"max-width: 46.875rem;  width: 3000px;\"\n\t\t>\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"o-image__wrap l-image__wrap js-lazy-image-wrapper\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"padding-top:50%;\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<noscript>\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Charts_Many clients are looking for alternative payment methods\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Charts_Many-clients-are-looking-for-alternative-payment-methods-750x375.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"750\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"375\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/noscript>\n\t\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<source\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP\/\/\/wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Charts_Many-clients-are-looking-for-alternative-payment-methods-750x375.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Charts_Many-clients-are-looking-for-alternative-payment-methods-1500x750.webp 2x\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"image\/webp\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Charts_Many clients are looking for alternative payment methods\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\twidth=\"750\"\n\t\t\t\theight=\"375\"\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Charts_Many-clients-are-looking-for-alternative-payment-methods-750x375.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP\/\/\/wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"is-lazy js-lazy-image\"\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Charts_Many-clients-are-looking-for-alternative-payment-methods-750x375.png 1x, https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Charts_Many-clients-are-looking-for-alternative-payment-methods-1500x750.png 2x\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because of liquidity constraints, clients appreciate the option to break that legal bill up into multiple payments. As debit and credit cards allow them to make automatic payments to your firm, they are a central part of payment plans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Payment plans can benefit your law firm, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s because automated payments mean you no longer have to manually collect outstanding bills every month\u2014which can be time-consuming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is also why so many <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/clio-payments-uk\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">law firms are turning to online payment solutions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to help make it easy to collect payments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, online payment solutions, like Clio, make it easy to automatically replenish retainers or break up payments for fixed fee services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can accept debit or credit cards, bank transfers online, and your clients can pay through flexible payment plans, accept <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/client-accounting-tips\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">client funds payments<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and be confident that you are compliant with trust accounting rules.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This ultimately allows you to spend more of your precious time practising the law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Debit and credit card payments can help you get paid faster<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s face it: traditional payment transactions by cash or cheque can be a tedious process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To pay by cheque, clients typically have to manually write out a cheque, go to the post office to send it, and then your law firm has to deposit it. And in many cases, your clients may not even have chequebooks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To pay with cash, you need to meet your clients face-to-face, and then deposit the cash at the bank. These days, more and more people don\u2019t carry cash with them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In our digitised, 21st century, these options are not exactly convenient. Both of these instances require your law firm clients to visit the bank first to order a chequebook, take out cash, or get a bank draft, adding to the time needed to complete the transaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What\u2019s more, in certain situations like a pandemic, or for clients who can\u2019t visit your law office, it may also be difficult to arrange an in-person appointment just so your client can pay your law firm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By offering debit and credit card payments, you can simply complete the transaction online and even set up automatic payments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When your law firm accepts debit and credit card payments, you:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Save valuable time otherwise spent tracking down payments and processing cheques.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Receive payments sooner.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reduce the time between the legal client making a payment and your firm receiving it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Considerations before accepting debit and credit cards<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, we\u2019ve established that your clients want to pay by debit or credit card and that your firm will see many benefits by integrating them into your practice. But before implementing this payment option, you need to understand the ethics of law firms accepting credit card payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>There are four ethical questions when it comes to accepting debit and credit cards at a law firm:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can I accept payment for legal fees and expenses with a debit or credit card?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can I accept the advance payment of fees by debit or credit card?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can I pass a surcharge to my client to compensate for the processing fees charged by some debit and credit card processors?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Can I set up recurring charges for customers once they have stored a credit card on file with my law firm?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As always, different jurisdictions have different ethics rules regarding lawyers accepting card payments. While lawyers can take debit and credit card payments (especially since clients want to pay by card), remember to check your country\u2019s specific rules regarding firms accepting card payments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How to let clients pay by card<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re ready to accept debit and credit cards, one of the first steps is to decide how you\u2019ll accept card payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Below are the different ways your law firm can accept cards.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<div\n\tclass=\"o-image l-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-9933 \"\n\t\tstyle=\"max-width: 46.875rem;  width: 1200px;\"\n\t\t>\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"o-image__wrap l-image__wrap js-lazy-image-wrapper\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"padding-top:68.8333333333%;\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<noscript>\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Optimized-Photography_EMEA_EMEA Localised Payments Stock Photography (2)\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-Photography_EMEA_EMEA-Localised-Payments-Stock-Photography-2-750x516.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"750\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"516\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/noscript>\n\t\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<source\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-Photography_EMEA_EMEA-Localised-Payments-Stock-Photography-2-750x516.webp\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP\/\/\/wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"image\/webp\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Optimized-Photography_EMEA_EMEA Localised Payments Stock Photography (2)\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\twidth=\"750\"\n\t\t\t\theight=\"516\"\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-Photography_EMEA_EMEA-Localised-Payments-Stock-Photography-2-750x516.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP\/\/\/wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"is-lazy js-lazy-image\"\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<h3><b>Different ways of accepting debit and credit card payments from law firm clients<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><b>Online card payments<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the easiest ways to meet the needs of clients who want to pay with a debit or credit card is to accept online card payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And the good news is that setting up online payments is easy: you just need to provide a payment gateway, a technology that allows you to accept <\/span><a title=\"debit vs credit\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/articles\/personal-finance\/050214\/credit-vs-debit-cards-which-better.asp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">debit or credit card purchases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from your clients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s best to find a native payment processor that is specific to the legal industry. That\u2019s because, due to ethics rules, selecting a debit and credit card processing provider involves an extra layer of complexity: you need a debit and credit card processing solution that recognises and accounts for the difference between client accounts (for retainers) and operating accounts (for bill payments).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When deciding which online legal payments provider to go with, make sure that the solution you choose:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can schedule recurring payment plans.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Follows client accounting ethics and is PCI compliant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Offers transparent, simple pricing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Integrates into your firm\u2019s workflow.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While there are many available online card payment providers, it can be overwhelming to know which one to go with. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve put together <\/span><a title=\"law firm credit card processing fees\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/law-firm-credit-card-processing-fees\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a guide to choosing the best law firm credit card processing and debit card processing service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>In-person debit and credit card payments<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although this is another way your law firm can accept debit and credit card payments, it\u2019s a more time-consuming method. It\u2019s also a less <\/span><a title=\"client centred law firm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/resources\/client-centered-law-firm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">client-centred<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> option for accepting payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, for certain clients who can\u2019t access a mobile device or computer to complete their online card payment, your law firm can consider accepting in-person debit and credit card payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some ways of accepting in-person debit and credit card payments include using a payment services provider like <\/span><a title=\"in-person payments\" href=\"https:\/\/squareup.com\/ca\/en\/payments\/in-person-payments\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Square<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or <\/span><a title=\"stripe\" href=\"https:\/\/stripe.com\/en-gb-ca\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stripe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Merchant bank accounts<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Opening a <\/span><a title=\"merchant account\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/m\/merchant-account.asp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">merchant bank account<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to accept card payments from your legal clients is another way you can accept card payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That said, a debit and credit card processing service and legal payments provider like <\/span><a title=\"Clio Payments\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/features\/payments\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clio Payments<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> typically charges lower processing and transaction fees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For more tips on debit cards, credit cards and online payments for lawyers, visit our <\/span><a title=\"Clio Payments\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/resources\/payments\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">payments resource hub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Tips for getting paid quickly<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019ve established that legal clients want to pay by debit and credit card and that your law firm can benefit from accepting card payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What are some other ways you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/billing-procedures-law-firms\/\">improve your billing process<\/a> and increase cash flow? The main ways are to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Improve your timekeeping and record-keeping habits so you can accurately collect billed time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bill consistently so clients know when they can expect to pay your law firm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Send clients regular billing reminders.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Accept debit and credit card payments\u2014since clients want to pay by card and there are many benefits to letting them do so.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bottom line is: when your law firm clients can pay online, you have the ability to manage the entire legal client journey\u2014from the very beginning of client intake and client onboarding, all the way through payment collection. And when you can do that through one secure, compliant, and trusted system, you get paid faster.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Reap the rewards of letting legal clients pay by card\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the primary reasons your clients want to pay by card is they\u2019re already used to doing so for other purchases and services\u2014and for good reason.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your law firm benefits, too. That\u2019s because accepting card payments can also help your firm improve cash flow, get paid faster, and provide a better client-centred service. All of this can increase your bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, there are some ethical considerations before you choose a card processing service. Be sure to check your jurisdiction\u2019s rules and recommendations surrounding law firms accepting cards, before choosing a debit and credit card processing service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Want more? We cover <\/span><a title=\"how to accept credit card payments at your law firm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/accept-card-payments-law-firm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5 ways you can start accepting credit cards at your law firm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Note: Clio Payments is available to customers in the UK.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"coauthors":[47],"class_list":["post-9931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accounting","content_category-firm-performance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.7 (Yoast SEO v24.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So | Clio UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Clio UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-23T23:05:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-27T23:49:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-legal-clients-want-you-to-accept-credit-cards-300x150-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Willie Peacock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@teresamatich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Willie Peacock\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So | Clio UK","description":"Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So","og_description":"Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/","og_site_name":"Clio UK","article_published_time":"2023-05-23T23:05:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-27T23:49:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":150,"url":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-legal-clients-want-you-to-accept-credit-cards-300x150-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Willie Peacock","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@teresamatich","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Willie Peacock","Estimated reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/","url":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/","name":"Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So | Clio UK","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-legal-clients-want-you-to-accept-credit-cards-300x150-1.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-23T23:05:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-27T23:49:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/4243825d71e1869ac6d28a798de1f377"},"description":"Technology is changing how people pay for things, and your legal clients have become accustomed to the ease that credit cards offer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-legal-clients-want-you-to-accept-credit-cards-300x150-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Optimized-legal-clients-want-you-to-accept-credit-cards-300x150-1.jpg","width":300,"height":150},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/legal-clients-card-payments\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your Legal Clients Want the Option of Debit and Credit Credit Card Payments\u2014How Your Firm Can Do So"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/","name":"Clio UK","description":"Your trusted resource for the latest ideas on running a more efficient, profitable law firm.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/4243825d71e1869ac6d28a798de1f377","name":"Teresa Matich","description":"Teresa Matich is an experienced legal tech writer and editor who is passionate about helping legal professionals learn more law firm management, law firm marketing, and more. After attending the University of British Columbia, she worked as an office clerk at a well-respected law firm in Vancouver while building her writing career, absorbing a wealth of knowledge about the legal industry and legal practice. With over eight years writing about legal practice management, law firm billing, and more, she has edited and been a long time writer for the award-winning Clio blog, where she's written dozens of articles about law firm marketing, organization, and everything a lawyer would need to start a law firm. In addition, she has written for publications such as GP Solo, Legal Technology Today, and Above the Law. Finally, she's interviewed dozens of practicing lawyers and leading legal industry thinkers, including Preet Bharara and Bryan Stevenson. Teresa's talks and conferences ClioCon 2024. The Centralized Firm: Powered by Clio ClioCon 2022. The Benefits of a Legal Blog ClioCon 2022. Reisman Spotlight: Community Impact & Community Champion ALPS In Brief Podcast. Where Legal Tech is Heading Featured articles JSTOR. Can You Hear Me Now? Client Communications in the 21st Century","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/teresa-matich-716bb245","https:\/\/x.com\/teresamatich"],"jobTitle":"Staff Editor & Content Strategist","worksFor":"Clio","url":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/blog\/author\/teresamatich\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9931"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=9931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}