In the old days, if your law office wanted to take credit cards, you would probably have to sign a years-long agreement with a credit card processor and pay exorbitant fees on each transaction. Heck, in even older days, you would have had to use one of those heavy metal machines that used carbon paper. (True story: I saw one of those in use at a restaurant the other day.)

Today? You can take payments online. You can use a reader the size of a nickel that plugs into your smartphone. Or if you’re feeling super adventurous, you can try something really new, like Apple Pay or one of the other NFC (tap-your-phone) readers.

Here are a few options, from slightly more old-school to bleeding edge:

1. Online Credit Card Payment Services.

Both will require you to integrate their service into your law firm’s website, and both can be a bit clunky at times. But both are also trusted brand names, pretty much on the same level as your traditional brick and mortar banks and retail outlets.

2. Mobile Credit Card Readers.

There are a ton of competitors in this field. All charge in the neighborhood of 3 percent for credit card processing. Keep an eye out for extra fees for manually entering credit card numbers (as you would do when a client gives you payment information over the phone) and holds on funds. (There were some complaints by lawyers about Square holding funds when it first launched – complaints which have since dissipated.)

3. Apple Pay/NFC Payment Services.

These, quite frankly, aren’t much of an option. In order to take Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or whatever “Isis Mobile Wallet” is now called (the app company that changed its name after the terrorist group overshadowed them – nobody noticed), you need a Near Field Communications (NFC) reader for users to wave their phone in front of. These are typically attached to cash registers and point-of-sale systems, neither of which you’re likely to have handy.

Plus, only the newest iPhones (6 and 6 Plus) have NFC capabilities. Most mid-range and flagship Android phones have had NFC for years, but nobody actually uses it at this point.

But take a look at the future, where your phone wirelessly passes disposable credit card numbers to merchants, keeping your credit card data safe:

Pretty neat, isn’t it? In the meantime, if you’ve used one of the mobile or online services, and have an opinion, tweet us @FindLawLP.

Related Resources:

  • Apple Pay Overview (MacRumors)
  • Mac Desktop Buyers’ Guide Q4 2014: New Mac Minis and iMacs (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • With ‘Apple SIM,’ New iPads Can Connect to Different Carriers (FindLaw’s Technologist)

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