The Best Credit Card Payment Services for a Law Firm

Let's face it, the fees for your service as an attorney are expensive. So if you don't accept credit card payments, you're missing out on a large group of potential clients.

But every day we're seemingly bombarded by some new credit card payment service or technology. How do you know which one is the best for you?

Like with all things dealing with the law, the answer is that "it depends." Most of the large credit card payment services for attorneys provide the basic tools you need -- the ability to enter a client's credit card information and collect money. So in choosing the best service for you, you will have to consider other factors. Here is a look at three of the top credit card payment services for attorneys, as compiled by Attorney at Work:

1. PayPal. PayPal is the grand-daddy of credit card payment services. Consumers are naturally suspicious of handing over personal financial information like their credit cards to strangers, but when you offer a well-known tool like PayPal, your clients are much more likely to trust it. PayPal is great because it is easy to set up and you can send invoices to clients. However, Paypal may be a bit more expensive than its upstart competitors.
2. Square. Square is probably the most recognizable credit card payment service outside of Paypal and you can see use of their innovative swipe technology at most hip spots like food trucks and pop-up restaurants. But while their technology may be the coolest, Square may not be ideal for law firms as you have to manually swipe a card and your clients may not be hip to the Square name.
3. QuickBooks. A lot of attorneys already use QuickBooks to manage their accounts. But did you know that Quickbooks also offers merchant services that allow you to receive credit cards? Unlike PayPal and Square, Quickbooks has a monthly fee, but their per-transaction fee may be the lowest of the group. In addition, if you are already familiar with QuickBooks, you may like the familiarity of their credit card service as well.

There is no "right" credit card payment service for all attorneys. All of the above-mentioned services have their pros and cons and you will have to weigh these for yourself. But for the basic credit card transaction, any of these services will do the job.

Related Resources:

• How Attorneys Can Accept Credit Cards Without Losing Money (FindLaw's Strategist)
• Mobile Credit-Card Readers Change How Law Firms Get Paid (FindLaw's Technologist)
• The Anti Siri: Which Virtual Assistant is Best for Android Users? (FindLaw's Technologist)