Lawyers can accept fees and payments into trust accounts via online payments apps like PayPal, Venmo, ApplePay, LawPay, and LexCharge but must ensure that app privacy settings are set to protect client confidentiality and take reasonable steps to guarantee the transaction is secure.

The Professional Ethics Committee on March 23 approved Proposed Advisory Opinion 21-2 to advise lawyers on using payments apps to accept money from clients.

Committee member Skip Smith, who chaired the subcommittee that drafted the opinion, said the advent of online banking has largely replaced writing checks for many people and now the development of a wide variety on online payment apps is transforming money transactions again. That includes the way lawyers get paid and receive funds to be held in their trust accounts.