Overview
Pay by Bank is a payment method within Legl Pay that allows clients to pay directly from their bank account using open banking technology. It provides a faster, lower-cost alternative to card payments for both law firms and their clients. Pay by Bank is available to firms using Legl Pay in the UK and is powered by Volt, an FCA-authorised open banking payments provider.
What you can use Pay by Bank for
When enabled, Pay by Bank can be offered as an additional payment method alongside card payments. Firms can use it to:
Offer clients a simple, secure way to pay directly from their bank account
Reduce payment processing costs compared to card transactions
Speed up the time it takes clients to complete payment
Provide a flexible payment experience, particularly for higher-value transactions where card fees may be significant
How Pay by Bank works
When a client receives a Pay Request and Pay by Bank is enabled by the firm, they will see the option to pay directly from their bank account alongside the standard card payment option.
The client flow is as follows:
The client selects Pay by Bank on the payment page.
They are taken to a secure Volt-branded screen where they review the terms and conditions and select Continue.
They find and select their bank from the list.
They review the payment summary — including the account, reference, and total amount — and confirm the details are correct.
They complete authentication within their banking app or browser.
A payment success message appears and they are returned to the Legl checkout page with a confirmation.
Pay by Bank payments are processed separately from card payments. Funds are transferred directly to the firm's registered bank account.
ℹ️ Important
Pay by Bank payments are processed via Volt and are separate from card payments, which are processed via Adyen. The two payment types use different systems and are settled independently.
Pay by Bank refunds
Pay by Bank refunds cannot be processed through Legl in the same way as card refunds. If a client has paid using Pay by Bank and a refund is required, this must be arranged directly with the client.
Contact [email protected] if you need guidance.
Permissions and access
Pay by Bank is enabled or disabled at firm level by a Legl admin. Individual users cannot control this setting.
ℹ️ To enable Pay by Bank, your firm must first complete the Volt onboarding process. This is a regulatory requirement.
For guidance on this, see Legl x Volt: Pay by Bank Onboarding Guide.
Important information
Pay by Bank is only available if your firm has completed Volt onboarding and enabled the feature in Pay Settings.
The processing fee for Pay by Bank is 1% per transaction, capped at £20. This is typically lower than standard card processing fees. Some firms may have different pricing — check with your account manager if you are unsure.
Pay by Bank consistently completes in roughly half the time of a standard card Pay Request, and around 3–4 times faster than Engage Payments.
Cardholder name and billing address fields are not captured for Pay by Bank transactions. Only the destination account and payment method are recorded.