Local SEO for Lawyers: How to Generate 2x More Leads

Your prospective client needs a lawyer and local SEO can help them find you. They enter the keywords “lawyers near me” in Google. Your law firm appears. As they scan through the search results, they see your law firm, again and again. Most of the information they see demonstrates your ability to get things done for your clients. 

Slowly they begin to realize the truth. You’re something special. Imagine that you could achieve these results in your law firm. What would this do for your career, reputation, or firm? 

Local SEO is the key to Google search success

The majority of small to medium-sized law firms struggle with at least one of the following problems: 

1. Lack of quantity and quality of leads
2. Lawyers are struggling to close the leads they have
3. Law firm margins are too small due to mistakes like discounts, write-downs, and write-offs
4. Firms are undercut by low cost providers and industry disruptors like LegalZoom or RocketLawyer
5. Advertising costs are too high
6. They’re attracting poor quality clients, which hurts realization and retention rates in the long term

Local search can help lawyers address these problems. Using local search, law firms can:

• Increase the number of traffic-producing keywords that drive clients to their site  
• Make credibility, authority, and prestige markers (e.g., awards, specialization, wins) more visible in Google
• Increase the number of leads generated so they can raise their prices comfortably
• Make competitors irrelevant or zone them out of Google’s search results
• Decrease advertising costs by getting others to rave about your firm
• Attract clients who will fight for your attention, spend more with your firm and pay higher fees

How lawyers can increase traffic, leads, and revenue via local SEO

Local SEO for lawyers doesn’t have to be expensive. There are several low cost and no cost tactics lawyers can use to boost search results. Before we take a look at these tactics, I want to cover some general principles regarding marketing. These aren’t absolute rules. They’re simply important details to keep in mind. 

1. Paid advertising produces results faster. Using services like Facebook or Google Ads means you’re able to generate traffic, leads, and revenue immediately. The nature of paid advertising and marketing means these paid services lack longevity. Results go away as soon as you stop paying. 
2. Free advertising takes time. Free tactics like search engine optimization, review management, influencer marketing, etc. all require time to generate results organically. If results are rushed, they’re typically pretty lackluster. As a general rule, free advertising tactics perform well over the long term. It takes time to set up but lasts for a long time. 
3. Combine free and paid advertising tactics for the best results. Combining free and paid advertising tactics produce exponential growth (think 2 + 2 = 42). Both of these tactics play off each other, boosting your firm’s reputed and presumed credibility. 
4. Paid advertising can be free. Structure your offers the right way, and your paid advertising can be free. This can be accomplished in several ways, i.e., using paid ads to send prospective clients to a paid consultation page to gauge their interest. 

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the local SEO search tactics you can use to generate 2x more leads:

• Consistently build a robust online review portfolio
• Systematically build a strong publicity/mentions portfolio
• Use newsjacking to promote your firm’s pro bono work
• Pick a public fight against a worthy adversary
• Write for notable publications
• Speak at local events where your target audience is present
• Use positive controversy to raise your firm’s profile
• Local advertising via Google Ads 
• Remarketing advertising to boost sign-ups from previous visitors
• Become a career interviewee on radio and podcast shows
• Create your own radio show
• Syndicate your content to client-facing sources 
• Become a career interviewer, interviewing people your clients want to hear from

Just one of these tactics can 2x your lead generation campaigns. Overlap these strategies, and the positive results grow exponentially. These local SEO strategies can be used to dominate Google’s local search results, many of these strategies, yes, even paid advertising, can be low/no cost tactics when they’re used effectively. 

Here’s the most significant reason your law firm should invest in local SEO: Most law firms aren’t using it well. If most firms are doing the same things poorly, no wonder it isn’t working all that well. But it can. 

Lawyers near me = your firm, everywhere

At least, that’s how it should be. When done right, local SEO for lawyers will help you drive more traffic and appear higher in searches. When your prospective clients enter location-specific keywords in Google, they should see your firm everywhere. As they scan through Google’s search results, your firm and accomplishments should appear consistently. 

Time tracking for consultants is a catch-22. In fact, consulting is a trap that will eventually enslave unknowing organizations. This sounds horrible; to be honest, this also sounds like pure hyperbole. This is often the first impression people have, but eventually, they come to realize that it’s true.

The advantages of consulting are intertwined with the disadvantages. The unfortunate part of all of this is the fact that the disadvantages of traditional consulting models outweigh the benefits.

Time tracking for consultants is a trap

Don’t misunderstand, time tracking is an absolute necessity for your consultancy. It really doesn’t matter whether you bill by the hour or on a fixed basis, you still need to know how much time you’re spending on your tasks, projects, meetings, and events.

I’m guessing you already know why. You need to know that your rate is fair to your clients and profitable for your business.

Here’s why this is a disaster. Using the traditional model, your consultancy loses more time and money as you grow. This is the reality for any service business that uses the conventional model. Let’s take a look at a common scenario to see how this impacts the business in our example.

1. Amazing news, you’ve just won a large client.
2. Your new client pays upfront for 50,000 hours of work.
3. You only have the manpower to deliver 1,200 hours of work.
4. This means you’ll need to hire more employees.

This is the problem. When your income goes up, your expenses shoot up exponentially. Win a large contract, and you’ll need to:

• Spend money to find candidates to hire
• Hire new employees
• Cover health insurance, incentives, and bonuses
• You’ll need to pay for insurance in several areas
• Pay for training, supplies, and materials so your employees can work
• Managers to monitor your flock of employees

All this expense for the chance to spend more time on your client’s project. This is the trap you face as a consultant. While some consultancies can make this work, most struggle in the long-term, eventually falling apart as work dries up or continues to grow.

This often leads to burnout. What if there was a way to use timekeeping to 2x your productivity, 3x your revenues, and work 50 percent less?

How to 2x your productivity, 3x your revenues

First, you’ll need to track your time carefully. You’ll need a timekeeping software that provides you with automatic, real-time updates. You need a precise measurement — you’re looking for answers to a few specific questions.

1. How much does it cost to provide your service?
2. How much value does the client receive (in real dollars) from your work?
3. What are you currently billing for your service(s)?

Contemporaneous (as-it-happens) timekeeping is important because it enables you to answer question #1. It also provides deeper insights into questions #2 and #3.

What’s next? Your consultancy uses timekeeping to boost productivity and pricing to increase revenues. With timekeeping, you focus your time and attention on the projects and tasks that lead to profitable results. Use the list of strategies and tactics in our comprehensive guide to boost productivity.

Then comes pricing.

Pricing is a struggle for many consultants and attorneys

But it doesn’t need to be. You just need the right structure for your firm. What do you get from the proper structure?

You get breathing room. You get the freedom and confidence you need to experiment, to figure out what’s best for your business. Let’s take a look at the inner workings of this structure. It may not seem like it, but this structure is just as important as your pricing. You’ll see why in a moment.

There are a few ways you can approach this:

• À la carte. You pick and choose what you want from this. Keep the meat, leave the bones.
• Take it all. You keep and test everything. You throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.
• Customize. You use this to create your own idea or plan.

Here’s the structure.

1. Choose projects you can do with your existing workforce.
2. Identify your breakeven point. This is the absolute bare minimum you need to cover your expenses without hiring employees.
3. Set a reasonable price you’re comfortable with.
4. Close the clients you need to meet your breakeven point.
5. Keep your existing clients then double your client roster.
6. Double your price for your newest clients.
7. Keep your clients. Double your client roster.
8. Double your price again at the end of your contract term for your newest clients.
9. Repeat steps 4 – 6.
10. Replace or re-up existing clients at your new rates.

Now, let’s role play with some numbers.

• Your breakeven point: $3,000 per mo.
• Introductory price: $1,500 per mo.
• Clients needed: 2

What if you doubled your price per client three times? That’s $12,000 per mo., per client.

If you keep six clients, that’s $72,000 per mo. or $864,000 per year. It’s doable, but it’s also comfortable. With the right tools, resources, and leverage, you can easily manage six clients on your own or with a small team.

See what I mean? Some consultants prefer to keep wonderful clients and their current rates. They value relationships highly and desire to work with the right client instead of every client. Others prefer to grow their revenues exponentially.

Do what works for you. It’s tough for most people to increase their pricing systematically. It takes a certain degree of mental toughness.

How consultants can work 50 percent less

As your revenue and productivity grow, you’ll find you need fewer employees to do the work, especially if you’ve been disciplined and focused on keeping expenses low. If you follow this model carefully, you’ll find you’re able to make more money doing less work.

This is how you work 50 percent less, but it gets better. Productize your service for clients who are unwilling to spend a large amount of money, and you’re able to make even more money from those with smaller budgets. They get the training they need, and you receive the cash flow you need to grow.

Create (at least) two streams of revenue, and you’ll find you’re able to grow your income on demand.

Consulting doesn’t have to be a catch-22

It doesn’t have to enslave your business. You can build a consulting firm that’s intertwined with advantages—a firm where the benefits outweigh the downsides. With an innovative model, your consultancy gains more time and more money. As you master timekeeping and pricing, you’ll find you’re able to grow your income on demand.

This is the reality for any service business that uses an innovative model. Focus on the right strategies and tactics, and you’ll find you’re able to double productivity and triple revenue growth in half the time.

Law firm billing and payment collection can be a time consuming process. Attorneys can spend a substantial amount of non-billable time managing different matters, tracking billable time, invoicing and collection. Poor or dated billing practices can make this process even worse.

It’s important to remember that your clients want to pay for your work. However, accessibility or the shuffle of the day, may delay their payment.

Start with the basics

The usual advice offered by a variety of pundits is a solid place to start. To increase your odds of getting paid on time, make sure your invoice:

• Follows billing guidelines
• Is properly formatted
• Is sent to the right people, at the right time
• Provides clear instructions and due dates
• Clearly accounts for performed work
• Follows any additional instructions (i.e., CC decision-makers)

These basic details are easy to miss, so it’s important to verify that you’ve covered your basis with this first before proceeding with the unexpected strategies below. If you’re missing the basics, these extra details won’t work.

Strategy #1: Require 100% percent of your fee upfront

This is a difficult sell for many attorneys.

Many clients are absolutely unwilling to pay 100 percent of your fee upfront. This makes sense for a variety of reasons. If you’re doing work (i.e., litigation) that is ongoing, there’s no way for you to know how much 100 percent is with any significant degree of accuracy.

Then there’s client fear. Many clients enter into a relationship with a new law firm or attorney hesitantly. Most prefer to test the waters first and see how the relationship goes ahead of time.

How do you go about getting 100 percent of your fee upfront? You build relationships, reputation, and authority with prospective clients before they arrive at your firm. You do this by teaching clients. There are a variety of approaches, but the focus is the same. You’re displaying authority and demonstrated expertise that clients can use as a measuring stick to recognize your value.

• Giving speeches at local, regional, and national events
• Conducting webinars
• Partnering with high-profile thought leaders
• Create industry-leading research
• Write a book or create a workshop
• Create several seminars to solve a specific problem
• Become a perpetual interviewee, appearing as a guest on TV, radio, podcasts, and video

When many attorneys hear the word guarantee, they immediately assume clients are expecting a specific outcome with their matter (which they can’t do). You can’t do that because you don’t have control over all of the elements in their matter.

When I use the word guarantee, I’m talking about factors you can control. Here’s a list of the following guarantees you can provide to reduce client risk:

• An attorney available 24/7
• Same day response times for client calls, requests, or messages
• Budget cap guarantees (no additional billing without prior authorization)
• No double billing promise

These are details you can control quite effectively and won’t negatively affect your law firm billing. This upfront preparation gives clients the confidence they need to take a risk. It also enables you to ask for 100 percent of your fee upfront because you’re giving clients far more in return.

Strategy #2: Members-only bonus

Your clients have specific people they’d like to speak with. A members-only bonus can be tied to your client’s performance (e.g., paying on time, offering feedback promptly, being a pleasure to work with, etc.) and used as a behavior correction mechanism.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re a real estate attorney, you work with a variety of clients, but real estate investors are your bread and butter. Who do they want to talk to? People with money.

You can create, at your expense, a monthly lunch and learn where you connect your clients (real estate investors) with financiers who have large amounts of available cash. Each month, you provide tickets to the event, available only to clients in good standing.

You can create a members-only bonus around your clients for a wide variety of practice and focus areas. Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Connect clients with financiers
• Introduce clients to power brokers, influencers, and thought leaders
• Provide access to your ‘deal-making service’
• Access to exclusive in-demand seminars and events
• Exclusive members-only services and rewards

You can come up with your own ideas for members-only benefits. The important part here is that your benefits have a strong value proposition and meet four specific criteria:

1. Your clients want/value it
2. It’s exclusive to your law firm
3. They understand it
4. Clients believe what you’re offering

The hidden benefit to these members-only programs is the fact that it enables you to command (and receive) higher fees from clients. If your members-only benefits have a strong value proposition, your clients will jump at the chance to join your program.

Strategy #3: Quid pro quo partnerships

A report by Sheldon Banoff at Katten, Muchin, Zavis, and Rosenman states, “lawyers and law firms are being asked (or are aggressively seeking) to take equity ownership in their clients.” More and more, attorneys are receiving stock and stock options in place of all or a portion of client legal fees.

Is this legal? Absolutely, though, there are some specific guidelines attorneys will want to be mindful of. The ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released Formal Opinion 00-418. “Opinion 00-418 notes that the laws, court rules, regulations, codes of professional responsibility, and opinions promulgated in the individual jurisdictions are controlling on individual lawyers.”

This is good news. Per the ABA opinion, if you receive equity ownership in lieu of, or in addition to, a cash fee for your services, you’re entering into a business transaction with your client. This means you’ll need to meet the requirements of Model Rule 1.8(a).

Will this work for your firm? It’s an important question that you’ll want to consider carefully. Banoff notes that attorneys/firms will need to discuss the following:

1. Are there legal constraints on law firms owning equity interests in various types of businesses?
2. Are there ethical constraints (pursuant to bar association opinions, state court rules, or otherwise) that preclude lawyers from accepting stock for fees in certain situations?
3. How would a jury view a law firm defendant, where the firm has a substantial ownership interest in the client?
4. Do the law firm’s professional liability insurance policies cover situations involving clients in which the firm also has a substantial economic interest?

Banoff notes you’ll also need to have an internal dialog about the following:

• Are you prepared to hold this stock for the long term?
• If a long-term hold is likely, how will the firm allocate the stock ownership among its partners?
• Would the client view the law firm’s sale of the stock as a vote of “no confidence” in the client?
• Should the stock be distributed out to the partners individually?
• Should the equity be transferred out of the firm and into an investment partnership or fund?
• What should be done concerning partners who leave the firm (either voluntarily or involuntarily; by retirement, termination, or otherwise) before the stock is ultimately disposed of? Do they retain an economic interest in the stock’s value?
• Will the firm pay the withdrawing partners cash for their interest, even though the firm cannot or will not liquefy its investment at that time?
• What are the firm’s exit strategies concerning the stock or options received?

This seems like a hassle. But the potential payoff is monumental if both sides properly negotiate the terms. It positions you and your clients on the same side instead of the adversarial relationship that’s typical with attorney/client relationships. This is the benefit of partnerships.

If you’re able to produce exceptional value for clients and you’ve negotiated well, bonuses or incentives are very reasonable requests to make. This also means you no longer need to hound or pursue clients.

Strategy #4: Incorporate ePayments in your law firm billing

If your law firm only offers one method of accepting payments, you may be making it difficult for your clients to pay you faster. Majority of clients are used to paying for services online and about 78% of them would prefer to do so. Law firms are comfortable with accepting paper checks because it has been the norm in the legal industry for decades. However, they present several roadblocks in your law firm’s billing process and delay invoices being paid on-time and in-full.

Accepting ePayments is easy with the advancement in legal technology. Legal software management platforms like Bill4Time, allow you to offer online payments easily. The platform offers a built-in payments processor that keeps your payments safe and compliant.

These law firm billing strategies motivate clients to pay faster

The wonderful thing about these strategies is the fact that you can use all four in your law firm. Use them separately, across various clients, or simultaneously with a small batch of motivated clients.

These unexpected strategies mean you’ll have the peace of mind you need to pour yourself into your work, doing everything you can to take care of your client’s needs. You can go above and beyond, providing the care, guidance, and protection your clients need.

Create the right structure, and you’ll find clients are eager and quick to pay.

The recording for this live stream is available. Register here to access it for free! 

We recently released our built-in payments processor, Bill4Time Payments. Whether you’ve already activated online payments in your Bill4Time account or simply looking for more information on how it can support your business, these best practices will help you get the most out of Bill4Time Payments and reduce your struggles with accounts receivable. 

If you missed the latest virtual event with our Manager, Customer Success, Kris Holz, you can view the recording below to gain more insight on how Bill4Time Payments can simplify your billing. 

Online payments are more than a nice-to-have (3:05) 

In today’s world, it’s almost impossible to run a business without relying on some form of technology or online software. Utilizing technology allows your firm to sync with today’s “on-demand” lifestyle which your customer’s have come to expect when conducting business. This makes having online payments an essential part of your business and customer experience. In fact, many consumers have already agreed that digital payments are their preferred payment option. 

What separates Bill4Time Payments from the rest? (4:03)

Our built-in payments processor cuts out third-parties and gets rid of the middle man. Simply put, we can offer industry-low fees and transparent, flat pricing that other processors can’t. Bill4Time Payments is accessible right within the Bill4Time platform meaning your payments are secure in one place. Did we mention, we’re 100% compliant with ABA, IOLTA, and all 50 state bar associations for accepting online payments?

Customize your client portal (6:44)

Before you get started with online payments, you’ll want to set your clients up for success. This is done by customizing the client portal and activating the appropriate settings. Admin users can easily set up automatic invoice notifications for clients, control the client dashboard to make certain items viewable to the client such as payment history or current balances. Taking just a few moments to customize your client’s experience with the portal will allow for a more secure experience and enable them to pay you faster. 

Sending invoices and your client’s experience (9:00)

Sending an invoice to your clients has never been easier! With Bill4Time Payments, you can easily create customized invoices that will display a “Pay Now” button, giving your client the prompt to securely pay online. If they’ve already set up their client portal, they will receive an email notification to login and pay with a new or previously stored payment method. Clients have the option to pay with credit card, eCheck via bank sign-in or eCheck via account and routing numbers. 

Access a high-level overview of your payments (13:00)

Once approved, you will notice a “Bill4Time Payments” tab within your Bill4Time account. In this tab, you can quickly monitor what payments are coming in and out. You’ll be able to see the status of individual payments, the amounts, and which project they originated from. 

Easily request electronic retainer payments (14:33)

Bill4Time Payments takes it one step further by offering electronic advanced fees or trust payments. Simply send any client in Bill4Time an email containing a link which will direct them to pay their retainer or advanced fee payment to any bank account connected to Bill4Time Payments or operating account. 

Getting started with Bill4Time Payments is simple

In just a few simple steps, your company can be on its way to offering hassle-free online payments. Our 3-step application process is easy to complete and can be found right in your Bill4Time account at no additional cost. 

If you’re not already a Bill4Time user, you can get a free custom demo to learn how our practice management software can help you better manage your business. 

Learn more about how Bill4Time Payments can reduce accounts receivable and exciting upcoming feature releases by watching the recording below.

Research shows attorneys spend two-thirds of their day on non-billable work. If attorneys are struggling to meet their quotas, law firms may notice they’re missing revenue goals. However, there could be other factors that can play a role in lost revenue. Here’s why law firm utilization and realization rates matter and steps to boost them.

How minimum billing increments impact revenue

Daly & Sorenson represented Gabrielle Manigault, their client, in 97 legal matters over the course of 16 years. They had a long-standing relationship.

However, Manigault owed more than $84,500 in unpaid legal fees. She disagreed, so her firm declined to litigate her case and sued to recover their fees. Manigault stated in her appeal that her fee should be reduced because her firm billed in 15-minute minimum increments. She believed her firm would “routinely charge her for work that took far less time to accomplish, and speculated that the firm was billing for unproductive casual conversations between attorneys and paralegals.”

This scenario stems from the absence of a written fee agreement and miscommunication with the client regarding the law firms minimum billing increment policy. Minimum billing increments are a great way to boost law firm utilization and realization rates but it’s important to outline your billing process to clients during the onboarding process.

Using minimum billing increments to boost law firm utilization and realization rates

There are several strategies attorneys can use to boost their utilization rates. Here’s the great news about these strategies; what’s beneficial for your clients is also helpful for your law firm.

1. Make minimum billing increments a part of your intake process

According to According to Lexis-Nexis’ Age of the Client, your client’s number one and number three concerns in the attorney/client relationship is oriented around your fee.

“Provides clear indication of likely costs/works to fixed fee” and “explains charging system clearly at outset” are two of the most important factors listed here, revolving entirely around money. This should be part of your client intake process.

Show your clients the fee arrangements and minimum billing increments you use (if any). Treat this conversation as an opportunity to discuss any objections or concerns they may have ahead of time. Reassure your clients that it’s okay to say “no” so you can be confident in their “yes.”

2. Avoid ambiguous billing practices

Extensive overbilling, block billing, billing for meaningless or unproductive conversations — are all important areas to avoid.

They can come look unprofessional and leave clients with more questions about your billing such as:

• When did this bill come in, and why are all of these tasks lumped together as a single line item?
• Why did it take so long to do this?
• Are you overbilling so you can ring the meter and justify more fees?

These poor billing habits could lead you to a billing dispute and a potential loss of revenue.

3. Enforce timekeeping for billable and non-billable work

If you want to increase your firm’s utilization and realization rates consistently over time, there’s one ingredient you’ll need above all else. You’ll need to review your timekeeping policies and how employee’s are tracking their time.

With utilization optimization, you can:

• See how your employees are spending their time: Is there an administrative process that’s eating away at billable time? Are specific employees struggling with specific matters? Accurate timekeeping gives you the intel you need to assess time management and identify the root cause.
• Find billable leakage sources: Are attorneys spending an unreasonable amount of time searching for the documents and tools needed to do their jobs? Are attorneys under quota and unable to produce the volume of billable work needed to sustain the firm (due to an excess of non-billable work)? With proper timekeeping finding the answer is simple.
• Set billable targets and financial goals: Look at your current situation; do you have the tools and resources you need to hit your billable targets or financial goals? With time tracking software, you’ll be able to give a clear and accurate answer.

Boosting law firm realization rates

By developing good habits, you’ll be able to get more value from each of your employees. You’ll able to identify revenue leaks before they spiral out of control. You’ll finally be able to achieve consistent, year-over-year growth. Morale will improve, making it harder for competitors to poach key employees.

Your clients will be eager and willing to pay the fees that you ask. If you’ve taken the time to keep them in the loop, it’ll be easier to earn and maintain their trust. By taking the time to explain your fee structure clearly, you ease their fears about being abused.

Your realization rates will begin to climb.

Start with clear communication and clean billing practices to boost revenue

Billable leakage can come from a variety of factors within your law firm. Taking a look into your billing practice and having a conversation about minimum billing increments with your team is a simple way to resolve the problem.

Implementing a practice management software is another way to remedy many of your law firms pain points from billing to time tracking. Begin with timekeeping, continue with minimum billing increments, and your poor utilization rates may become a thing of the past.

When it comes to product development, one thing is certain, customer feedback is our guiding star. As product manager it’s my responsibility to listen to that feedback to ensure we are creating the right features for our customers. Over the past few months while scoping out our Bill4Time Payments launch, we repeatedly saw the need for electronic retainer payment functionality. Today, I’m happy to announce that electronic retainer payments are now available for organizations that have activated Bill4Time Payments. For the first time ever, you can now process payments online into a Trust account directly and send requests for retainer payments within Bill4Time. 

Requesting Retainers or Advanced Fees With Bill4Time Payments 

While accounting for law firms presents many unique challenges, the Trust accounting and retainer processes are crucial to get right in order for your law firm to remain compliant. Knowing this, our product and engineering teams worked directly with our customers to ensure that this sensitive task of maintaining compliance while using Trust payments was as simple and user-friendly as the rest of the Bill4Time platform. 

So how does it work? Now in Bill4Time Payments, retainers or advanced fee requests can be utilized to request funds from your client without having to send an invoice. Depending on your unique circumstances, you have the capability to select the bank account you would like to receive the payment into — your Operating or Trust account. These payments will be tied to the Client and Matter selected and can be easily applied to pay off any outstanding or future invoices. 

To remain compliant, Bill4Time never takes processing fees from any Trust account payment. In addition, any Trust fees are pulled from the linked Operating account automatically, so Trust money stays Trust money. 

If you need a refresher on Trust accounting and the importance of separate Operating and Trust accounts, I highly recommend reading our Trust accounting refresher blog that gives a great overview of what you need to know in order to remain compliant.  

A Familiar, User-Friendly Experience Awaits 

Receiving retainer payments should feel intuitive for organizations using Bill4Time Payments and their clients who have used the platform already. Just as you would send a request for payment to your client from the new Bill4Time Payments tab, you can now do the same for a retainer request. The primary difference here is the necessary steps needed to select which bank account your funds will be deposited into. 

Once sent, your clients will receive an email containing a link to pay, just as they do when sent an invoice directly from Bill4Time. They will then be able to pay the retainer request via Credit Card or eCheck. Once the payment has been processed, they will receive a payment confirmation email with all relevant information for their personal records.

For a complete walkthrough of the Bill4Time Payments Retainer process, check out our Knowledge Base article.

While these sample screens seem relatively straightforward, they hold a tremendous amount of information that can be read by any attorney in a matter of moments. This isn’t by chance —  it took many iterations and reviews by our dedicated Bill4Time Product Council customers before we felt we had the right workflow for all of our customers to succeed.  

Whether it be Zoom walkthroughs, feedback via phone and email, or even deep-dive surveys, our Product Council customers were integral to the success of this new electronic retainer feature. If you are curious about being part of our Product Council and wish to shape the future of Bill4Time as a whole, we are always looking for willing participants. Current customers can fill out this simple form to begin the process.  

We’re thrilled to offer electronic retainer payments to Bill4Time Payments customers. We know how important it is to the integrity of your billing process and the overall success of your business. You can get started with electronic retainer payments today by visiting the payments tab in your account, or activate Bill4Time Payments by submitting the application in your account — it only takes ten minutes to apply.  

If you’ve been waiting on retainer payment functionality to get started using Bill4Time, sign up for a customized demo below to learn how to get started.