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LawPay Integration
LawPay Integration

Easily integrate with LawPay to simplify your billing workflows and accept/process payments made via credit card and eCheck

Updated over 4 months ago

Overview

LawPay is the go-to online payment solution for the legal industry. Connect your existing LawPay account to Docketwise or sign up for a new LawPay account and start getting paid easier, more securely, and 39% faster.

Docketwise integrates with LawPay, so your clients can pay Docketwise invoices by credit card or eCheck right into your LawPay account. Additionally, you can easily report on payments and payment plans made via the LawPay integration.

Notes:

  • Payments made or recorded directly on LawPay (outside of the Docketwise-LawPay integration) will not be reflected in Docketwise.

  • Client credit financing/Pay later accounts are not currently supported by the integration.

Contents

Setting Up the Integration

Getting Started

In order to set up the integration, you will need to follow the steps below:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations

  2. Click on the Activate LawPay button

  3. Log in to LawPay (if not already logged in)

  4. Click the Allow button when prompted to authorize the integration

Connecting Your Accounts

To connect your LawPay bank acconut(s) with your Docketwise bank account(s), you can either:

  • Connect it with an existing bank account created in Docketwise OR

  • Create a new bank account in Docketwise with the same name as your LawPay bank account by selecting the Import option

Toggling Accepted Forms of Payment

When using the LawPay integration, you also have the option to restrict the form(s) of payment that can be used for client payments (CC and eCheck). To restrict a certain form of payment, simply uncheck it in your settings.

Notes:

  • If a form of payment is disabled / grayed-out, that either means

    • Your LawPay bank account is not currently set up to receive the form of payment. If this is the case, you will need to first set this up in LawPay.

    • You need to refresh your LawPay integration settings for the specific bank account by clicking the Refresh option.

Selecting Default Client Payment Accounts

In order to receive client payments in Docketwise, you'll need to indicate a Default Client Payment Account for each Operating and Trust Accounts.

You can always set these default accounts (and make any other changes) after activating your LawPay integration by navigating to Settings > Integrations.

Receiving Payments into Trust vs Operating

In order to receive payments into your Operating Account, you will need to make a Bill and set a default operating account under your LawPay integration settings.

Alternatively, to receive payments into your Trust Account, you will need to make a Trust Request and set a default trust account under your LawPay integration settings.

Payment Surcharges

If your LawPay account has the option enabled to pass on the credit card processing fee surcharge to clients, this will be done automatically via the LawPay integration.

Important Notes:

  • This option for passing on the surcharge the client must be enabled directly your LawPay account by a member of the LawPay team for this functionality to work within Docketwise.

  • The surcharge fee is based on a percentage that applies to all credit card transactions

  • Surcharge amounts are not currently shown in the invoice itself but can be referenced within Payments Reports.

Surcharges can be added for both one-off credit card/eCheck payments and payment plans/scheduled payments made via the LawPay integration. Below, you can see how this appears for both credit card payments and payment plans/scheduled payments.

Payment Plans

When creating a payment plan via the LawPay integration, the surcharge amount automatically appears after entering:

  • Credit Card Payments:

    • Installment amount

    • Card number

    • CVV code

  • eCheck Payments:

    • Installment amount

    • Bank account number

    • Routing number

One-off Payments

Similarly, when recording a one-off credit card/eCheck payment or when a client is making a payment via the LawPay integration, the surcharge amount automatically appears after entering:

  • Credit Card Payments:

    • Payment amount

    • Card number

    • CVV code

  • eCheck Payments:

    • Payment amount

    • Bank account number

    • Routing number

Additional Resources:

Payment Plans with the LawPay Integration

With Payment Plans in Docketwise, you can set a schedule for your client to pay off a balance overtime instead of one lump sum.

Also, by pairing Payment Plans in Docketwise with LawPay you unlock additional functionalities:

  1. Clients can pay their installment directly from their reminder OR

  2. You can set up Automatic Payments, where your client's card or account is debited automatically

Non-automatic vs. Automatic Payments

When setting up a Payment Plan in Docketwise, there are two options:

  1. Without Automatic Payments

  2. With Automatic Payments

Without Automatic Payments

  • This option available to everyone (whether you are integrated with LawPay or not).

  • Clients will receive a reminder 7 days before an installment is due, the day an installment is due, and 7 days after an installment was due (if it has not been paid).

  • If you are integrated with LawPay, these reminders will also include an option for your client to pay the installment.

    • You can also customize which forms of payment are and are not accepted (CC and eCheck)

With Automatic Payments

  • This option is only available for users with the LawPay integration.

  • With this method, you can set up scheduled payments (CC or eCheck) to be automatically made each time the installment is due.

Setting up a Payment Plan

To set up a payment plan, you will first need to create an invoice, add all charges for the invoice and adjust any settings (if necessary). Once this is done, simply activate the slider bar for the Payment Plan as shown below.

After this, you'll need to choose whether the payment plan will be paid automatically or to send reminders for each installment. And finally, you will need to enter the remaining details (frequency, installment amount, start date, and any billing info) and you can finish creating your payment plan.

Notes:

  • Deleting an invoice that is associated with an active payment plan / scheduled payments in LawPay will also delete the scheduled payments in LawPay as well.

  • Deactivating the LawPay integration will delete any scheduled payments that were made via the LawPay integration with Docketwise.

  • If you cancel your Docketwise account, scheduled payments in LawPay that were created via the Docketwies integration will remain in LawPay unless unless the above actions are taken.

Sending an Invoice for a Client to Pay

With the LawPay integration, you can send your invoice to a client to get paid directly and have these payments reflected on your invoices in Docketwise. When a client receives an invoice, they can choose to pay either via credit card or eCheck.

You can share invoices directly via email or text message, in bulk via email or text message, or via the client portal:

You can also click here to preview the client experience of paying invoices.

Paying an Invoice with a Credit Card

If you already have a credit card on file provided by the client and are authorized to charge them through this method, you can process charges for work done, expenses incurred, etc.

In order to process and record a credit card payment in Docketwise, you will need to follow the steps below:

  1. Open the invoice for which you will be processing and recording a credit card payment

  2. Click the Record Payment button

  3. Choose Credit Card as the payment type

  4. Enter the payment amount

  5. Add any additional payment details such as a description or associated charges (optional)

  6. Click the Billing Details → button

  7. Fill out the necessary information relating to the payment details

  8. Click the Submit Payment button

If you prefer, you can also share the invoice directly with your client for them to make Credit Card payments. Learn more.

Paying an Invoice via eCheck

If you already information to charge a client via eCheck on file provided by the client and are authorized to charge them through this method, you can process charges for work done, expenses incurred, etc.

In order to process and record an eCheck payment in Docketwise, you will need to follow the steps below:

  1. Open the invoice for which you will be processing and recording an eCheck payment

  2. Click the Record Payment button

  3. Choose eCheck as the payment type

  4. Enter the payment amount

  5. Add any additional payment details such as a description or associated charges (optional)

  6. Click the Billing Details → button

  7. Fill out the necessary information relating to the payment details

  8. Click the Submit Payment button

If you prefer, you can also share the invoice directly with your client for them to make eCheck payments. Learn more.

Refunding Payments

With payments recorded via the LawPay integration, refunds can be automatically triggered directly from within Docketwise for the associated payment in LawPay.

If you need to refund a payment made on an invoice, you can do so by following the steps below:

  1. Open the invoice in which the payment is being refunded

  2. Click the ✏️ icon next to the payment that is being refunded

  3. Click the slider bar to active under the Refund this payment option

  4. Add an internal note for reporting purposes (optional)

  5. Click the Save Payment → button

Related Articles
Sending an Invoice for a Client to Pay
Creating a Trust Request
Billing by Time
Creating an Invoice
Payment Plans in Docketwise
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