Contents
General Questions
What is a Trust Request?
Will Trust Requests work on mobile?
Do I have to live or practice in the US to access the Trust Request feature?
Can I skip the approval process when working with Trust Requests?
Can I customize the Bill Theme that I apply to my Trust Requests?
Can I accept partial payments on my Trust Requests?
Can I close out a partially paid Trust Request if no further payments are expected?
Can my clients overpay a Trust Request?
Can I delete a payment received on a Trust Request?
How can I return unused trust funds to a client?
Can I void a Trust Request?
Can I Overpay a Trust Request?
Clio Payments Related Questions
Can I send Trust Requests without Clio Payments?
What happens when my client pays a Trust Request via the emailed link or Clio Connect?
If a Trust Request is paid via Clio Payments, can the payment be received into my Operating Clio account?
Can I void a Trust Request payment in Clio?
How will I be billed for the transaction fees associated with Trust Request payments?
How long does it take to see trust payments appear in my trust bank account when using Clio Payments?
I have Clio Payments enabled but I do not have a trust account with LawPay, how can I receive credit card payments on my Trust Requests?
General Questions
"Trust Request" is the name of the feature in Clio that allows you to create a 'bill' to request funds in trust from your clients. You can create Trust Requests to collect an initial trust deposit or retainer from your clients, or to request a top up of trust funds. Trust Requests will not include any charges for services or expenses and all payments made on a Trust Request will be deposited immediately into a Clio trust account.
Payments can be manually recorded on a Trust Request, or Clio Payments users can receive credit card payments directly into their trust accounts.
Will Trust Requests work on mobile?
Not yet. The Trust Request feature relies on billing components in Clio that are not currently available through our mobile applications.
Do I have to live or practice in the US to access the Trust Request feature?
Where you practice is only relevant if you plan on using Clio Payments to receive trust payments by credit card. Clio Payments is only available for credit card transactions into domestic U.S. bank accounts, and only in U.S. dollars. Also, clients paying a Trust Request via the emailed link may be required to do so from an IP address located in the United States.
Can I skip the approval process when working with Trust Requests?
Yes, you can skip the approval process when creating a new Trust Request by checking the "Skip the trust request approval process" box. Note however that if your account is restricted from editing approved bills, you will also be restricted from editing approved Trust Requests.
Can I customize the Bill Theme that I apply to my Trust Requests
Yes, Bill Themes customizations will generally apply to your Trust Requests. We suggest that you create a theme specifically for your Trust Requests to keep the formatting distinct from your revenue bills as required.
Can I accept partial payments on my Trust Requests?
Yes, partial payments on Trust Requests will be recorded and can be displayed to clients to notify them of any outstanding amounts.
Can I close out a partially paid Trust Request if no further payments are expected?
Yes, you can close out a partially paid Trust Request by recording a $0 payment on the Trust Request, choose your source as a "Direct Payment", add the $0 and then checking the "write off remaining balance" box at the bottom.
Can my clients overpay a Trust Request?
Not yet. Currently, the maximum amount that can be received in payment on a Trust Request is the amount originally requested. If you require your client to pay more into trust, then you must generate another Trust Request or record the overpayment as a manual transaction.
For general instructions on how to record a trust transaction manually in Clio, please see the "Managing Account Transactions - Retainers, Deposits, or Pre-Payments" article.
Can I delete a payment received on a Trust Request?
No. Many jurisdictions require a complete record of any changes made to a trust account, including corrections, and do not allow deletions that are not documented within the trust record itself. In order to accommodate the breadth of jurisdictions served by Clio, we have decided to comply with the strictest of trust requirements. By adding these safeguards, Clio protects lawyers against any concerns that may arise during an audit of their trust records and protects against fee disputes.
If you have applied a trust payment in error, please see the "How to Adjust Mistakenly Applied Payments on Trust Request" article for steps to remedy the transaction error.
How can I return unused trust funds to a client?
In Clio, you will have to manually record a negative transaction to reflect any unused funds that you have returned to your client.
For general instructions on how to record a return of trust funds in Clio, please see the "Disbursing Trust Funds" article.
Until a payment has been received on a Trust Request, it can be voided by following the instructions on the "Creating and Managing Trust Request Bills" article.
Clio Payments Related Questions
What happens when my client pays a Trust Request via the emailed link or Clio Connect?
When your client pays a shared Trust Request by credit card, the request will be automatically updated to reflect the payment. It will still take between 24-48 hours for the credit card payment to be processed. Until then, you are able to void the payment if required.
For general information about sending bills to your client for payment via Clio Payments, please see the "Sending a Bill to your Client via Email for Payment" article.
If a Trust Request is paid via Clio Payments, can the payment be received into my operating Clio account?
No, due to compliance rules in many jurisdictions, all payments received via the Trust Request feature must be deposited into a trust account.
Can I void a Trust Request payment in Clio?
Payments made on a Trust Request by credit card can be voided until the payment has been processed - between 24-48 hours. Once the payment processing has completed, it can no longer be voided or returned in Clio.
If a trust payment has been received in error, please see the "Troubleshooting Mistakenly Applied Trust Payments" article for steps to remedy the transaction error.
How will I be billed for the transaction fees associated with Trust Request payments?
When a payment is received on a Trust Request, the full amount will be deposited unaltered to your trust bank account. At the end of the month, any processing fees associated with credit card payments will be deducted from the operating bank account that you have connected to Clio Payments.
How long does it take to see trust payments appear in my trust bank account when using Clio Payments?
Between 24-48 hours.