Lynda ArtesaniLegal Accountant and Data Migration Specialist at The Proper Trust

Why Zelle “Doesn’t Fit” the Legal Industry #lawfirms #legalaccounting

11 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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1:18

In this brief excerpt, attorney Steve explains why peer‑to‑peer payment services like Zelle are unsuitable for legal practice. He emphasizes the need to protect client funds and avoid exposure to risks that could arise from Zelle transactions, noting that many state bars are currently discussing the issue. A second speaker reflects on how firm size influences payment method choices, suggesting that while boutique or mid‑size firms might consider alternative payment options, large law firms with hundreds of attorneys likely do not use Zelle for client payments, raising questions about consistency across the industry.

Yeah, no, that's not how I get paid.
As an attorney, I want to protect my clients.
Yeah.
I want to protect their money. I want to make sure that there's no uneasiness with the platform that I'm using, no potential exposure like what could happen with a Zelle transaction. It just doesn't fit the legal industry. And that's again why so many state bars are talking about it these days.
You know, you know what's interesting too, Steve, when I think about it, we, You're mid-size. Well, I don't want to say mid-size, boutique size. Let's say you're of a certain, you're not—
Right.
Like the big law firms. Right. And when you think about the larger law firms, I have to wonder, ones that are built out pretty big, you've got like 300, 400, 500 attorneys. That's probably not the form of payment acceptance that they're taking. So why is it acceptable on the other side of it?
I think probably, and this is not picking on small firm or boutique attorneys, but they have that extra bit of excitement in wanting to get that client and take care of them right away and retain them in their firm.