Payment flow audit
Every way clients pay today, mapped to the account each payment should reach.
The Problem
Trust Money and Card Fees Don't Mix
It starts when a client asks to pay a retainer by card. A general processor takes its fee from the deposit, and your trust ledger stops matching the bank.
A client wants to pay a retainer by card on your website.
- The only option is a payment button someone added years ago.
- Its processor keeps a fee from the deposit, so your trust account holds less than the client paid.
- Invoices still go out as PDFs, checks arrive late, and your bookkeeper matches payments by hand every Friday.
We start with where each payment belongs: retainers and cost deposits in trust, earned fees in operating.
Then we set up a processor built for that split, such as LawPay or Clio Payments, and put two clear payment paths on your site. Fees come out of operating, and payments post to your practice software. Your bookkeeper reconciles instead of retyping.
Two paths, two accounts
A retainer button deposits to trust, and an invoice button pays into operating.
Fees billed to operating
Legal processors debit their fees from your operating account, not from trust.
Payments that post themselves
Paid invoices sync to Clio or MyCase, so nobody matches checks by hand.
Our Legal Payments Process
From Payment Audit to Trust-Safe Checkout
You approve which account each payment reaches, watch test payments land, and sign off before any client gets a link.
What's Included
What You Get With a LawPay Integration
Payment paths, processor settings, and records for your legal processor, built around the trust and operating split your ledger depends on.
Compare Options
DeveloperLook vs General Processors vs DIY Setup
A general card processor is quick to start, and a legal processor alone takes an afternoon to switch on. Here is where each falls short of trust-safe, synced payments.
| Feature | DeveloperLookBest fit | General processor | DIY legal processor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust deposits | Deposited in full | Fee often netted | Deposited in full |
| Payment paths | Two labeled pages | One generic button | Pages you configure |
| Site placement | Linked or embedded | Checkout link | Hosted page link |
| Prefilled amounts | Set in every link | Client types amount | If you add them |
| Payment plans | Set up where supported | Subscriptions only | Built in, you configure |
| Software sync | Automatic, to your books | Manual matching | Native for some tools |
| Setup time | 2 to 7 weeks | Same day | About a day |
| Chargeback source | Operating account | Any linked account | Operating account |
DeveloperLook
General processor
- Trust deposits
- DeveloperLook: Deposited in fullGeneral processor: Fee often netted
- Payment paths
- DeveloperLook: Two labeled pagesGeneral processor: One generic button
- Site placement
- DeveloperLook: Linked or embeddedGeneral processor: Checkout link
- Prefilled amounts
- DeveloperLook: Set in every linkGeneral processor: Client types amount
- Payment plans
- DeveloperLook: Set up where supportedGeneral processor: Subscriptions only
- Software sync
- DeveloperLook: Automatic, to your booksGeneral processor: Manual matching
- Setup time
- DeveloperLook: 2 to 7 weeksGeneral processor: Same day
- Chargeback source
- DeveloperLook: Operating accountGeneral processor: Any linked account
DeveloperLook
DIY legal processor
- Trust deposits
- DeveloperLook: Deposited in fullDIY legal processor: Deposited in full
- Payment paths
- DeveloperLook: Two labeled pagesDIY legal processor: Pages you configure
- Site placement
- DeveloperLook: Linked or embeddedDIY legal processor: Hosted page link
- Prefilled amounts
- DeveloperLook: Set in every linkDIY legal processor: If you add them
- Payment plans
- DeveloperLook: Set up where supportedDIY legal processor: Built in, you configure
- Software sync
- DeveloperLook: Automatic, to your booksDIY legal processor: Native for some tools
- Setup time
- DeveloperLook: 2 to 7 weeksDIY legal processor: About a day
- Chargeback source
- DeveloperLook: Operating accountDIY legal processor: Operating account
Projects We've Built
Finance and Payment Projects We Have Built
Finance, payroll, and fiduciary sites our team designed and built. None processes legal fees, but each handles money and records that clients rely on.
Finance SaaS Web Design & Development
- Finance
- SaaS Platform
- Website
Payrole Website Design & Development
- HR & Staffing
- Website
Fiduciary & Consulting Services website
- Finance
- Website
Money wish Corporate AppDesign & Development
- Finance
- Website
What Our Clients Say
What Clients Say After Launch
Feedback from teams we have built finance and payment systems for.
We had a pretty specific idea of what we wanted our website to become, but I wasn’t sure how easily we could explain all of it to a development team. There were quite a few moving parts, and we were working toward a deadline, so I expected a few things to get lost along the way. That never really happened. They understood what we were trying to achieve, kept us updated throughout the process, and got everything ready within the agreed timeline. The final site feels much easier to navigate, works beautifully on mobile, and is noticeably smoother for our customers. It was a huge relief seeing the original idea actually turn into the website we had in mind.
The mobile experience is probably my favourite part of the new site. We had spent a lot of time making sure the desktop version looked right, and the team kept pushing us to think about how everything would actually feel on a phone too. They were right. The navigation is clean, the interactions feel natural, and everything we’ve tested so far works exactly as it should. They also went through the links, forms, integrations, and other details more than once before launch, which I really appreciated. And even after going live, we could still reach out when something came up. The whole process felt friendly, organised, and surprisingly straightforward.
What I appreciate most is that the website is actually easy for us to manage now. We can update content ourselves instead of sending a developer a message every time we need to change something small. They also paid attention to the technical SEO side, which mattered to us because we didn’t want a new website to create problems for the traffic we already had. I’ve probably asked more questions than I should have since launch, but every question has been handled patiently and without any fuss. The team is easy to work with, they explain things clearly, and when we need something changed, they focus on getting it done rather than making the process complicated.
1,000+
Projects shipped
10+
Years of experience
Top 3%
Upwork Top Rated Plus
5 stars
Average review score
Work Culture
Why Firms Trust Us With Client Payments
Payments touch money you hold for clients, so every habit below favors a clean trust ledger over a fast launch.
Trust first, then convenience
Every test payment refunded
Fees stay in operating
Links clients recognize
Fixed scope, fixed price
You own every account
Overview
Who sets up law firm payment processing on a firm's website?
DeveloperLook sets up law firm payment processing on your website with LawPay, Clio Payments, or LexCharge. We build retainer and invoice pages, route each payment to trust or operating, and sync payments to Clio or MyCase. Projects start at $650 and take 2 to 7 weeks, with processing fees billed to operating.
- Starting price
- From $650 USD, fixed scope after a payment audit
- Typical timeline
- 2 to 3 weeks for pages, up to 7 weeks custom
- Experience
- 10+ years of development experience and 1,000+ shipped projects
- Post-launch support
- 30 to 60 days of payment monitoring, depending on plan
4 more facts
- Service
- Law Firm Payment Processing & LawPay Integration (pages, routing, sync)
- Platforms
- LawPay, Clio Payments, LexCharge, Clio, MyCase, and QuickBooks
- Built with
- 8am hosted fields, hosted payment pages, webhooks, React
- Communication
- Calls in US, UK, and AU business hours
You email invoices as PDFs and wait for checks. You want a pay button on every invoice and on your website.
Your processor nets its fee from each deposit, so your trust ledger and bank statement rarely match without manual fixes.
You quote flat fees upfront and need the retainer paid online before the first court date.
Your practice software includes payments, but you haven't switched them on or linked them to your website.
You build law firm sites and need a LawPay integration and trust-safe payment pages wired in behind them.
You want clients to pay over time while your firm is paid upfront. Our Legal Fee Financing Integration service covers pay-later options.
You need a client portal with case updates, documents, and invoices behind a login. See our Law Firm Client Portal service.
Your budget is under $650 and one payment link is enough. Most legal processors let you share a payment link yourself.
You sell products online and need a store checkout. Our Payment Gateway Integration service fits ecommerce better.
Not sure we're the right fit?
Send a two-line brief. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team.
Pricing
Transparent Starting Prices for Legal Payment Processing
These are starting points in USD. Your final price depends on your processor, payment paths, and checkout design, and you get a fixed proposal after a free payment audit.
Trust-Safe Pay Pages
For firms that need retainer and invoice payments on their own website.
$650
- Payment flow audit
- Trust and operating accounts checked
- Retainer and invoice payment pages
- Amounts and invoice numbers prefilled
- Payment links for invoice emails
- 30 days of payment monitoring
Full Payments Flow
For firms that want payments at intake, eCheck, installments, and synced records.
$1,700
- Everything in Trust-Safe Pay Pages
- Retainer payment after the engagement letter
- eCheck, saved cards, and payment plans
- Consult fees at booking
- Sync to Clio, MyCase, or QuickBooks
- 60 days of payment monitoring
Custom Firm Checkout
For firms that want a branded checkout on their own domain with custom routing.
$3,800
- Everything in Full Payments Flow
- Checkout built with 8am hosted fields
- Trust or operating routing by matter type
- Installment rules for flat fees
- Payments dashboard for your bookkeeper
- 60 days of payment monitoring
For Agencies
White-Label Legal Payments Setup for Agencies
You own the client relationship. We supply the payment audit, processor setup, and trust-safe pages under your brand. Your law firm clients get paid online, and you skip learning trust accounting.
Stay client-facing
Trust routing handled
Senior payment engineering
Flexible capacity
How the partnership works
Send the firm's processor, bank setup, practice software, and website access.
You get a fixed quote, a timeline, and the engineer assigned.
We launch under your brand and give the firm a staff guide.
Partner with DeveloperLookDelivered under your brand
The Right Technology for Your Project
Technology Stack
We use processors built for trust accounting and connect them to the software your bookkeeper already uses.
WordPress
Webflow
Next.js
React
- LawPay
- Clio Payments
- LexCharge
- 8am Payment Gateway API
- Clio Manage
- MyCase
QuickBooks
Xero
Google Analytics (GA4)
Google Tag Manager
Slack
Zapier
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers on cost, trust accounts, processors, payment plans, and syncing payments to your software.
Our setup starts at $650 for trust-safe payment pages on your website. A full flow with eCheck, installments, and practice software sync starts at $1,700, and a custom checkout at $3,800. Processor fees are separate, and you pay them directly to LawPay, Clio, or LexCharge.
Payment pages go live in 2 to 3 weeks, mostly waiting on processor approval and bank checks. A full flow with sync takes 3 to 5 weeks, and a custom checkout 5 to 7 weeks. Clio says it typically reviews a payments application in one to two days.
Unearned client money belongs in trust under ABA Model Rule 1.15, so a processor can't net its fee or a chargeback out of that deposit. Legal processors deposit trust payments in full and bill fees elsewhere. We set up IOLTA trust accounting payments so each retainer reaches trust untouched.
Each offers hosted payment pages or links for your site. LawPay pages can be linked, or embedded once 8am approves your domain, with the amount and invoice number prefilled. Clio Payments creates secure payment links and QR codes. For a fully branded form, we use 8am's hosted fields.
Yes, if your processor supports it. Clio Payments takes cards, eCheck, and ACH in the US, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay, and runs payment plans from saved methods. LawPay supports eCheck and scheduled payments. We switch on the methods, then add the right buttons to each page.
They deposit trust payments in full and bill fees to your operating account instead. LawPay debits a month's fees from operating at month end and allows no trust debits, even for chargebacks. Clio deducts its fees from operating too, daily or monthly, as you choose.
It removes the steps between reading an invoice and paying it. A pay button with the amount filled in shortens the wait, and so do a saved card and a reminder with the same link. Your aged receivables report is the honest measure, so we compare it before and after launch.
The best payment processing solutions for law firms share three traits. They bill fees to operating, keep chargebacks away from trust, and sync records to your practice software. LawPay, Clio Payments, and LexCharge are all built for that split, and the right pick usually follows your software.
It keeps earned and unearned money apart. A regular merchant account deposits to one bank account and nets fees from each payment, which can short a trust balance. Legal processors connect both accounts and keep trust deposits whole. Surcharges, if you add them, follow your processor's settings and your state's rules.
Your firm owns the processor account, bank connections, and pages. We work through an admin or developer login, then hand everything back with a runbook. We don't hold client funds at any point, since money moves from the client's card to your bank through the processor.
Book a call
Book Your Exclusive Strategy Session Today!
Pick a 30-minute slot that works for you. We meet on Google Meet to align on goals, scope, and the right next step.