Attorney FAQs

What is the relationship between TotalAttorneys.com and High Performance Marketing?

TotalAttorneys.com is a full-service, web-based law practice management platform. Through the platform, Total Attorneys delivers a variety of services to small law firms and solo attorneys, including High Performance Marketing. Attorneys can currently purchase High Performance Marketing services independent of the platform. For those law firms operating on the platform, High Performance Marketing will soon be integrated into the platform and prospect contact information, invoicing and other communications delivered through the platform.

How do Total Attorneys' call center services work? What questions do they ask when reaching a Prospect?

A Prospect interested in speaking with an attorney can submit his information one of two ways: by filling out the form on a specific practice area website or by calling us toll-free. As part of the support services we provide to your law firm, our call center agents will call those Prospects who submit an online form within five minutes of receiving the form. Usually, we make contact sooner.

If our agents do not reach the Prospect during this initial phone call, or the agent reaches the Prospect but he is unable to speak with you at this time, the TA program will automatically generate an appointment time at which we'll attempt to connect the Prospect with your office. However, if an agent reaches a Prospect during the initial call and he is able to speak to you at that time, no appointment time will be scheduled. Rather, the agent will attempt to hot-transfer the Prospect to your law office.

When speaking with the Prospect, our call center agents will confirm the information that he or she submitted in addition to confirming whether the Prospect wants to get in touch with an attorney. Our call center agents will also explain to Prospects that we are not a lawyer referral service.

Are Calls Still Transferred When I am Out of the Office?

As we market on a national level, we are unable to "shut off" marketing for your law office. What this means is, you will still be receiving those who express interest in speaking with an attorney in your area, we will still be scheduling appointment calls and we will continue to follow-up with Prospects who have been assigned to your office.

Please contact your Account Manager for solutions on how best to handle calls while out of the office.

When am I Billed?

You will receive your Final Invoice within 24 hours of the end of the Dispute Period. The amount on your Final Invoice will reflect any credit requests that were accepted during the Dispute Period, as well as any other credits that may be due to your account. We will begin processing payments within 24 to 48 hours after your Final Invoice is emailed to you.

Forms of payment: We accept all major credit cards or ACH, which is the equivalent of an electronic check. An ACH payment would be automatically debited from your bank account. Please note that we may modify our billing process from time to time and that we will alert you to any changes before they occur.

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I already have a receptionist in my office—why do I need Virtual Receptionist?

Law firms with in-house reception choose Virtual Receptionist for many reasons. Some firms really value our 24 hour coverage. More firms appreciate our value as a complete voicemail replacement when their receptionist is on vacation, out sick or even just on another call. It's easy to configure your calls to "rollover" so Total Attorneys to that you only use us as much as you need us. That way, you make the most of your receptionist's time and still make sure that no calls go to voicemail ever again!

Who is speaking to my clients?

All calls are answered by professionally trained receptionists at our office in the heart of Chicago's Loop. Your clients and colleagues will receive the same professional service from our receptionists whether they call your office at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday or 2 a.m. on a Sunday.

What kind of training do Total Attorneys Virtual Receptionists receive?

In addition to diligent training in phone service, our receptionists are thoroughly instructed in the specifics of handling calls for legal professionals. They're familiar with the language of the legal profession and are well-versed in what constitutes the unauthorized practice of law. Virtual Receptionists are trained to be professional, friendly and helpful without overstepping their professional boundaries. With those guidelines in mind, they're also trained to use their best judgment on your behalf and not just follow a script.

How do I receive my messages?

Messages are posted to your online account and emailed in real-time. There's no lag time and you don't have to call in for messages or wait for periodic check-ins. You may also choose to provide specific instructions to our receptionists, to ensure that certain calls are transferred directly to your law office or your cell phone.

What if I don't use up all of the calls I've paid for?

Unlike most traditional answering services, Virtual Receptionist services are billed in blocks of calls and not on a per-minute basis. Those calls never expire. You’ll get the service you paid for, whether you use up those calls in two weeks or three months. Additionally, the blocks are relatively small at 50 calls, making it perfect for small firms with lower call volume that find themselves overwhelmed by traditional tiered packages.

What if I want to use the service intermittently?

With our "rollover" capability, it's easy to ensure that Virtual Receptionists pick up your calls whenever you need them to, but only when you need them to. Turning special features on and off is just as easy. If you’re headed out of town or your receptionist calls in sick, a quick telephone call will turn on appointment setting or change your transfer instructions immediately.

What if I want to receive only certain calls?

Our receptionists will take messages from each caller or, if you prefer, will use your instructions to determine which calls should be transferred immediately to your office. If you don’t want your staff overwhelmed with every question and inquiry in real-time but there are calls you don’t want to miss, our receptionists will use your criteria to determine when to take a message and when to forward the call directly to your office. We can even transfer to a particular person in your office based on your predetermined criteria.

Can Virtual Receptionists schedule appointments?

Our Virtual Receptionists will schedule appointments using your shared calendar. Use this service all the time, after hours, or when your office is closed for the holidays or a vacation. With Virtual Receptionist, you can return to the office to find your new business pipeline full of prospective legal clients who might otherwise have dropped off the table while you were unavailable.

What is the relationship between TotalAttorneys.com and Virtual Receptionist?

TotalAttorneys.com is a full-service, web-based law practice management platform. Through the platform, Total Attorneys delivers a variety of services to small law firms and solo attorneys. Attorneys can purchase Virtual Receptionist services independent of the platform, but for those attorneys operating on the platform management and delivery of messages, appointment scheduling and other features will soon be integrated into the platform.

I’m ready to sign-up. How do I get started?

Getting set up is easy. Simply complete our online form to get started or call (877) 349-1307.

What kinds of payment options are available to my firm through the Payment Processing Program?

Through the Total Attorneys' Payment Processing Solution, you can offer your clients a wide range of payment options that will benefit your office:

• Credit Card and Debit Card Acceptance enables you to accept all major cards such as Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express® and Discover® in payments for legal services.
• Check Solutions help accelerate your receivables with electronic check clearance in 72 hours.
• Recurring Billing automatically secures payments from your clients based on a cycle that you determine.
• Attorney Escrow Management allows you to secure escrow and trust funds in dedicated accounts.

Your Total Attorneys Payment Processing Solution allows you to accept payments online instead of a separate card terminal, and provides an online payment status page that gives you real time information for optimal account reconciliation.

What are the fees for a merchant account?

The fee structure for a Total Attorneys merchant account is as follows: The Monthly Fee for the TotalAttorneys.com Payment Processing features: $35.00 per firm account, per month.

• No setup fee
• No application fee
• No activation fee
• No monthly minimums
• No batch fees
• No annual fees
• Discount rate quoted by a payment processing specialist
• Transaction fees quoted by a payment processing specialist

Is there a service contract?

There is no service required, no set up fee and no cancellation fee.

How do I apply for a Total Attorneys merchant account?

Getting started is easy. Simply complete our online form to start the merchant application process.

What kind of information do I need to provide for the application?

The information you will need to provide is very basic and will include your business name, address, Tax Identification Number (TIN), actual or projected dollar processing volume per month, and how long you have been operating. Additionally, if you already have a merchant account from another provider and would like to switch completely to the Total Attorneys merchant account, you will be asked for the previous three months of processing statements. In addition to the statements, a preprinted, voided check is required for both the trust and operating account to ensure funds are deposited to the correct account. If you do not have a preprinted check, a letter from your bank outlining account details including name on account, routing/account number, and verifying that the account is ACH-ready will be acceptable.

Do you need a credit check and/or my financials as part of the set up process?

Yes, credit checks are required by Visa and MasterCard and are necessary to determine if the business owners are financially sound. Additionally, if you plan to process over $50,000 in transactions per month and/or have an average transaction size of $2500 or more, 1 year of complete CPA prepared/Audited financials may be required. In some cases, 2 years of the most recent CPA/Audited financials may be needed depending on credit of signer, years in business and projected volume levels. Bluefin Payment Systems extends virtually unlimited lines of credit when a merchant account is set up. Financial stability is the most critical component of the approval process.

When do I receive notification that my account has been activated?

Once your application is submitted to a Payment Processing Specialist, it will be reviewed by the Underwriting department for approval. Once it has passed through underwriting, you will be notified that your merchant account application has been accepted. Your Total Attorneys Payment Processing features will be live and ready for use within 3-5 business days from the time of underwriting approval.

How do I receive my funds?

The funds from your transactions are deposited directly into the checking account you specify on your merchant application. Visa/MasterCard/Discover deposits will normally be deposited in 2 business days. American Express in 3-4 business days, and ACH transactions in 3-5 business days.

Who do I contact if I have technical or service-related questions on my account?

A Total Attorneys Payment Processing Specialist is available to answer all of your account-related questions at 877-700-4919, Monday through Friday, 9 am – 6 pm Central Time.

Who are Bluefin Payment Systems?

At Total Attorneys we realize how critical processing payments accurately can be to your firm. That’s exactly why we selected Bluefin Payment Systems to be our processing partner when we set out to build payment features into the TotalAttorneys.com platform. Bluefin Payment Systems boasts an extensive team of specialists that have worked in the payments industry for over 25 years, and the company supports thousands of payment processing customers around the globe. Their commitment to customer service excellence, security and broad knowledge of new and emerging payment processing technology made them the perfect partner to help us deliver the new payment features to our clients.

Can I process checks I get in the mail through TotalAttorneys.com?

No, checks you receive in the mail from your clients should be deposited in your bank account as normal.

How do I as an attorney obtain proper authorization for an E-Check or ACH payment from my client?

As a service provider to your client, you must receive a written or electronic authorization from your client before processing E-Check (ACH) payments. This authorization can come in the form of:

• A signed retainer or engagement agreement, with a section that outlines the use of E-Check or ACH payments for services rendered.
• A discussion message inside of your TotalAttorneys.com account from the client authorizing the E-check (ACH) payment.
• An email sent to the law firm from your client authorizing the E-Check (ACH) payment.

I’m ready to sign-up. How do I get started?

Getting set up is easy. Simply complete our online form to get started or call (877) 349-1307.

• Legal Leads – Online prospects looking for a local attorney
• Payment Processing – Securely accept all major credit cards and ACH payments
• Fastcase – Legal research subscriptions
• Legal Web Experts – Website creation and online marketing management
• LegalEase – Paralegal and attorney services by the hour

Click here to see all our complete list of apps.

How do you compare to other software providers in the legal industry?

The Total Attorneys platform is the most robust client management platform available.

The most obvious difference is that we have deeper integrations of our marketing tools, leads for new clients, and native iPhone and iPad apps.

Plus, we only charge $1 per user, our competition charges as much as $50 per license, per month.

Do I have to use the client portal?

You do not have to use the client portal, although most of our firms do find it highly beneficial. From within the portal, clients are able to have discussions with you and upload documents for you to review. Clients are also able to submit payments through our payment processing app.

Do clients count as billable users?

No, they don’t! All clients that register for the client portal are free of charge to you. Billable users are the members of your firm that have access to the full product. Additional billable users are still just $1 a month.

How does billing work?

Total Attorneys offers your law firm a variety of options for tracking time and billing.

While many billing and time-tracking systems allow only for billable hours, Total Attorneys recognizes the need for fixed-fee billing and hybrid methods that allow for fixed-fee and hourly combination billing.

You can easily send invoices straight from the platform.

Clients can also submit payments right through the client portal if you have the payment processing app, where your clients can choose to pay either by major credit card or ACH.

The platform also offers a built-in opportunity to track pro bono services.

The billing options are robust and were designed for flexibility, a product built by attorneys for attorneys.

Is my data secure?

Total Attorneys provides the same SSL protection used by online banking and government institutions.

Data is encrypted using industry-proven algorithms. All of your data is housed in an accredited, dedicated, secure data center with 24/7 access and monitoring.

I’m ready to get started. How do I create my account?

Creating an account is easy. Simply click here to get immediate access for only $1 per month. Or call 877-349-1307 to talk to an agent right now.

What are legal leads?

Simply put, legal leads are a form of marketing for your law firm. You select the zip codes and practice areas desired, and Total Attorneys delivers high quality in-market consumers actively looking to connect with an attorney.

Prospects complete in-depth forms online and are delivered to you in real-time. You only pay for the leads your receive.

How do I sign-up?

To sign up, and receive 10 free leads for joining, simply click here to get started or call us at (877) 248-4001.

How much does it cost?

Pricing varies based on practice area; select only the zip codes and practice areas you want to target, and you’ll only pay for the leads you receive. For more information on leads in your target area, please click here to contact us or call (877) 248-4001.

Where do leads come from?

Prospects complete in-depth forms on sites specific to certain practice areas, such as TotalBankruptcy.com, TotalDivorce.com, TotalDUI.com, TotalCriminalDefense.com, TotalInjury.com, TotalSocialSecurity.com and TotalTaxLawyer.com.

Why is Total Attorneys the best place to get leads?

At Total Attorneys, the success of our attorneys is our top priority. We follow a rigorous multi-step process to help us deliver the best in-market consumers actively looking to connect with an attorney. With our 10 Point Total Quality Check, you know you are getting the industry’s best leads!

How are leads delivered?

Leads are delivered in real-time to your email address. Leads are also entered directly into your Total Attorneys practice management platform, where you can manage your pipeline, convert prospects to clients, and manage your existing clients, all in one place. We also provide Lead Notifier, a free service that delivers leads to your phone. You’ll receive a call with the lead’s details – simply press “1” to dial out to the potential client.

Are leads State Bar compliant?

To support Total Attorneys’ model of leveraging online technologies to grow and manage law practices, Total Attorneys funded a three-year nationwide legal defense to successfully resolve ethics questions and the interpretation of online marketing. With this, clear distinctions have been made between referral sites, directory listings and other forms of lead generation marketing used by lawyers. Click here to read the ABA’s Cloud Ethics Opinions.