We follow up on your past-due invoices so you don’t have to. Polite emails in your firm’s name go first. If those go unanswered, a real person checks in, kindly. You approve every word, and clients pay you directly.
Flat monthly fee from $519. Never a percentage of what you collect.
One past-due invoice, three touches
ExampleA quick note about your March statement
Hi Jordan,
I hope you’re doing okay. Your March statement is now past due, so here’s a copy, along with the link to pay online.
If a payment plan would help right now, just reply and we’ll work something out.
Following up on your March statement
Hi Jordan,
Just making sure last week’s note didn’t get buried. Your March balance is still open.
You can pay in full or in parts using the link below. If something about the bill doesn’t look right, reply and we’ll pass it straight to your attorney.
Spoke with Jordan. Plan agreed.
Jordan said things have been hectic with the move and the second email slipped by. No issue with the bill itself.
Offered the firm’s approved plan: three monthly payments. Jordan accepted and paid the first one on the call using the firm’s payment link.
An example of how follow-up can go. Names, amounts and wording are made up; your templates are written with you.
In family law, the people who owe you money are often in the hardest year of their lives. So the follow-up gets put off, the balance ages, and eventually it’s written off.
Phoning a client in the middle of a divorce about an overdue bill feels terrible for everyone. It can strain the relationship right when trust matters most.
Every reminder and phone call pulls attorneys and staff away from billable work and from the clients who need them.
The longer an invoice sits, the harder it is to collect. Without steady follow-up, earned fees drift toward write-offs.
Every firm’s rules are different, and we set the rhythm to match yours. This is what follow-up on a single past-due invoice commonly looks like.
Ideally every invoice comes to us when it’s issued. Nothing is sent before it’s due, but nothing gets a chance to quietly age either.
An email in your firm’s name with a copy of the invoice and your payment link. Nothing more than a polite heads-up.
Plenty of clients simply missed the first one. This is often all it takes.
A specialist checks in by phone to ask whether anything is in the way, and how to make paying easier.
A thoughtful mix of email, phone and text. Payment plans only on terms you’ve approved. Disputes flagged to you right away.
Any account still open comes back to your firm with a complete activity log. Referral to a collection agency is available, only if you choose it.
You’ll always know who was contacted, what was said, and what came of it. Here’s an example of the kind of summary you’d get.
Weekly summary
Week of March 16
3 locked matters. No contact made.
Activity log
March statement, $2,450.00
Names, dates and amounts are made up. We set up the format and frequency of your updates with you during onboarding.
Handing billing follow-up to someone else only works if nothing surprises you. So you set the terms, and we stick to them.
Tone, sign-off, templates and the outreach plan are agreed with you before anything is sent.
A high-conflict custody case, a VIP, an active arrangement. Locked means no contact until you say otherwise.
We only offer payment plans you’ve pre-approved. Anything outside those terms comes back to you.
If a client questions the bill, we pause and pass it to you with whatever they told us. We don’t argue a bill.
We talk about the invoice and how to pay it. Never the substance of the matter, and never legal advice.
Clients pay through the link or instructions you already use. Nothing passes through ARCounsel.
Each of these has its place. Here’s an honest look at how they differ.
Already sending automated reminders from your billing system? Keep them. ARCounsel picks up where they stop, with a person.
Use your own numbers. This is a rough estimate built only from what you enter. It isn’t a prediction of what ARCounsel will collect.
Connect your practice management or accounting system, or send us a simple export. No new payment processor, and no new portal for your clients.
Practice management & billing
Practice management & billing
Practice management & billing
Accounting & invoicing
Billing & accounting
Any exportA billing or A/R aging report (CSV or Excel) from almost any systemUsing something else? If your software can export open invoices, we can work with it. Ask us about your setup.
Product names and logos (including Clio, MyCase, Smokeball, QuickBooks, LeanLaw and Microsoft Excel) are trademarks of their respective owners. ARCounsel is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.
Divorce, custody and support matters are emotional and often long. Follow-up has to be patient, discreet and kind, and it still has to get the invoice paid.
Meet us at AAML in Chicago. Stop by the ARCounsel booth and say hello.
One flat monthly fee based on how many clients you bill, on an annual plan billed monthly, plus a one-time $625 setup fee. No contingency, no percentage. Your firm keeps 100% of what’s collected.
1–50 clients a month
$519/month
Annual plan, billed monthly
+ $625 one-time setup fee
51–100 clients a month
$779/month
Annual plan, billed monthly
+ $625 one-time setup fee
101–200 clients a month
$949/month
Annual plan, billed monthly
+ $625 one-time setup fee
201–300 clients a month
$1,199/month
Annual plan, billed monthly
+ $625 one-time setup fee
Billing more than 300 clients a month? Book a consult and we’ll put together a plan. Every plan is a 12-month annual plan, billed monthly, and includes a required one-time $625 setup fee. Prices in USD.
Accounts still open after follow-up can be referred to a collection agency, only if you ask.
No. ARCounsel handles the early, friendly part of getting an invoice paid: reminders and courteous check-ins on your firm’s behalf, for roughly the first 90 days an invoice is past due. We don’t file suits, report to credit bureaus, or use pressure tactics. If you later decide an account needs escalation, we can refer it to a collection agency of your choosing. That step is always your call.
Reminder emails go out in your firm’s name, with replies coming back the way you choose. When a personal touch is needed, an ARCounsel specialist follows up on your firm’s behalf by phone, email or text, working from the scripts and rules you’ve approved. Our specialists are upfront that they’re helping your firm with billing.
It shouldn’t sound like anything you wouldn’t say yourself. We agree on tone, sign-off and what we can and can’t say, and you review the templates and outreach plan before anything goes out. No threats, no deadlines you haven’t set, no talk of credit reports. Every touch is logged so you can see exactly what was sent or said.
Never. ARCounsel is a flat monthly fee. There’s no contingency, no percentage and no success fee, so whatever your clients pay goes to your firm, all of it. Plans are $519 to $1,199 a month depending on how many clients you bill, on an annual plan billed monthly, plus a one-time $625 setup fee.
No. Every reminder points clients to the payment link or instructions your firm already uses, so payments go straight to your account. Money never passes through ARCounsel, which means nothing changes about how you handle your operating or trust accounts.
We work from billing information: client names and contact details, invoice numbers, amounts and due dates. We don’t need case files, notes or documents, and our messages never discuss the substance of a matter. If your firm uses its own confidentiality or vendor agreement, we’ll review it with you before we start.
ARCounsel is not a law firm and doesn’t give legal advice. You know the rules that apply to your practice, and our outreach follows the rules you set: what we say, when we reach out, and which matters are off-limits. We’re happy to walk you, or whoever advises your firm on ethics, through exactly how we work. Decisions about what fits your jurisdiction stay with you, and we’ll adjust to them.
Ideally, no. The best handoff is ongoing: invoices come to us as they’re issued, so a polite reminder goes out as soon as one slips past its due date and follow-up stays gentle. We can also take on older balances you already have, but early, steady reminders are the kinder and easier path for everyone.
Yes. Lock any matter, client or invoice (a VIP, a sensitive custody case, a disputed bill, an active payment arrangement) and it’s excluded from all outreach until you lift the lock.
We pause outreach on that account and flag it to you right away, with whatever context the client shared. We don’t negotiate disputes or offer legal opinions. The relationship and the decision stay with you.
We’re building connections for Clio, MyCase, Smokeball and QuickBooks. If you use something else, that’s fine: a standard billing or A/R aging report export (CSV or Excel) from almost any system, LeanLaw included, is enough to get started.
If an invoice is still open after about 90 days of follow-up, we return the account to you with a complete activity history so you can decide what’s next: write it off, handle it personally, or ask us to refer it to a collection agency. If a client is actively engaging with us at that point, we’ll keep the momentum going with your approval.
Onboarding is designed to be light: one working session to connect your invoice data, agree on tone and rules, and lock any matters you want left alone. Outreach starts only after you approve the templates.
ARCounsel is an annual plan: a 12-month term, billed monthly at your plan’s flat rate, plus the one-time $625 setup fee. After the first year it renews for another year unless either of us gives written notice at least 30 days before the renewal date. It’s all in a written service agreement you’ll see before you sign anything, and we’ll go through it with you on the consult.
Family law is where we’re starting, because the need for a gentle touch is greatest there. But any firm that bills hourly or in installments, and cares about keeping client relationships intact, is a good fit. Book a consult and we’ll talk through your practice.
Tell us a little about your firm. We’ll show you what your clients would receive and how you stay in control.
Prefer email? Write to info@arcounsel.com. We’re based in Chicago, IL.
A few details so we can come prepared.