One of my attorney friends likes to often state,

“The only money you’ll ever see is money up front.”

When clients suggest that they pay his retainer in monthly installments, he responds,

“You can make monthly payments to your credit card company. They have already got convenient monthly billing to your mailing address set up.”

Attorneys that are solo practitioners or who are part of small firms can take advantage of various forms of payment beyond cash, checks or money orders and get paid quicker. And they can do so without investing in expensive credit card processing equipment.

I use Paypal’s Virtual Terminal. Paypal’s Virtual Terminal is an online credit/debit card payment solution. Clients can pay you over the phone, via fax, or in your office with Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.

Paypal's Virtual Terminal

It’s is as simple as logging into Paypal.com, pulling up virtual terminal and entering the credit card information.

Cost is $30 a month. Transaction fees range from 2.4-3.1% plus 30 cents per transaction depending upon your sales volume.

There are no set up fees, no cancellation fees and no additional hardware needed beyond your computer and an internet connection.