LawPay Customer Service: Expert Guide for Law Firms
Overview and what to expect
LawPay (https://www.lawpay.com) is a payments platform built for law firms and legal organizations; customer service is oriented around payments, trust-account (IOLTA) compliance, integrations and transaction disputes. In practice you will interact with three core support areas: account & onboarding, technical/API/integration support, and dispute/chargeback resolution. Knowing which area your issue falls into reduces resolution time—account changes and documentation requests typically close in 1–3 business days, technical tickets often require developer input and can take 1–10 business days, and chargebacks or bank investigations can take 30–120 days depending on the card network and bank.
Support is handled via LawPay’s official support portal (https://support.lawpay.com), in-app help, and direct channels that the firm admin sees after login. For most firms the best practice is to open a ticket in the portal (creates a traceable case number) and attach all necessary documentation at submission: this reduces back-and-forth and halves average resolution time. Throughout this guide I explain exactly what to prepare, typical SLA windows, common error codes, and how to escalate when necessary.
Contact channels and practical hours
Primary contact points are (1) the LawPay Support Portal (support.lawpay.com) for ticketed requests and knowledge-base articles, (2) in-app chat or messaging for quick questions, and (3) scheduled phone callbacks for complex items like merchant bank onboarding or chargeback disputes. Use the portal for any account change or transaction dispute so there is a timestamped audit trail; phone calls are helpful for real-time troubleshooting but should be followed by a portal ticket summarizing outcomes.
When you open a portal ticket, expect an automated acknowledgement and a case ID. Typical internal response targets in the payments industry are: initial triage within 24 business hours, technical triage within 48–72 business hours, and full resolution within 7–14 business days for non-bank items. Issues involving external banks or card networks (refund reversals, chargebacks, ACH investigations) follow external timelines—ACH returns are commonly resolved in 7–14 business days, card network disputes can extend to 30–120 days.
What to prepare before contacting support
Prepare the following exact data points to accelerate support: merchant account ID (visible in your LawPay dashboard), the full transaction ID (e.g., T-1234567890), date and timestamp (ISO format: 2024-07-21T14:23:00), amount (include currency and cents, e.g., USD $1,525.00), last four digits of the card or bank account, settlement ID (if available), and screenshots or PDFs of receipts and bank statements showing the item. Missing any of these commonly costs 24–48 hours of follow-up.
Also gather compliance documentation when relevant: for IOLTA/trust account requests include your bar license number, trust account name exactly as held at the bank, and a bank letter or voided check showing routing and account numbers. For API errors include the exact HTTP error code and timestamp (e.g., 401 Unauthorized at 2024-06-15T09:02:11Z), the API endpoint called, and a sanitized copy of the request/response headers and body.
Common issues and step-by-step troubleshooting
Declines and card processing errors: If a client’s card is declined, record the exact decline code/message from LawPay (decline codes map to card networks and issuing bank responses). Common actionable steps: (1) ask the client to try another card or eCheck, (2) confirm the billing address and CVV match, (3) attempt a $1 auth to validate the card (void after validation), and (4) if you see repeated issuer-specific declines, open a ticket with full transaction ID and the decline code. Repeated declines often indicate issuer-level blocks, which the merchant cannot override; LawPay support will advise whether a retry or alternate payment method is appropriate.
Refunds vs voids vs partial refunds: A void is possible only before settlement; after settlement you must issue a refund. When requesting support, provide the settlement ID and the exact amount you wish to refund. Expect refunds to post to client cards in 3–7 business days (card networks) and eChecks to take 7–10 business days. If a refund does not appear after the expected window, include bank posting dates and the original settlement date when escalating.
Chargebacks and disputes: When a cardholder disputes a transaction, LawPay will notify the firm and supply chargeback details and deadlines to submit representment documents. Typical chargeback windows are 30–120 days based on card brand and reason code. Action steps: collect merchant-signed engagement letter or retainer agreement, signed receipt or authorization email, copy of the refund policy, and the transaction descriptor that appeared on the cardholder statement. If you miss the network deadline, the liability usually shifts to the merchant; timely submission is critical.
- Checklist to include in every support ticket: (1) Merchant ID and case title; (2) Exact transaction ID, date/time and amount; (3) Screenshots of dashboard error and bank posting; (4) Customer contact info (last 4 digits only, no full PAN); (5) Relevant signed documents (engagement letter, voided check); (6) Desired outcome (refund, reversal, reconciliation).
Escalation path, compliance and reconciliation best practices
Escalate to higher tiers when an issue remains unresolved after two full business days or when external deadlines (chargeback response windows) are at risk. In your ticket request “priority escalation” and include the deadline date. If the portal response does not produce a resolution, ask LawPay support to open a bank investigation (for ACH or bank-related holds) or to provide the dispute packet for network representment (for card chargebacks).
For compliance and reconciliation: reconcile daily for firm accounts that accept high volumes (10+ transactions/day) and at minimum weekly for smaller firms. Reconciliation means matching LawPay settlements to your operating and IOLTA bank deposits: record settlement ID, deposit date, gross amount, fees, refunds, and net deposit. Firms implementing daily reconciliation report 30–50% fewer accounting adjustments at month-end. Maintain at least 7 years of retention for payment-related records to meet most state bar and bank audit expectations.
Additional resources and final recommendations
Use LawPay’s knowledge base (support.lawpay.com) for article IDs, walkthroughs and downloadable templates for engagement letters and dispute packets. If you manage multiple user roles, create a single point-of-contact (POC) within your firm who is authorized to submit and approve account changes—this prevents mixed authorizations that slow support. For firms integrating with practice-management software (Clio, PracticePanther, MyCase), keep integration tokens and API keys in a secure vault and include integration logs when opening technical tickets.
Finally, measure support performance: track average time-to-first-response, time-to-resolution, and the percent of tickets resolved in one interaction. These metrics will tell you whether to change internal processes or request a formal SLA amendment. For urgent production-impact incidents, follow the portal and in-app routes simultaneously—open the ticket, attach all evidence, and request a callback to compress the troubleshooting timeline.
