Verify Lawyer Payment Details Before Paying an Invoice

01 / Practical step

Set up the verification channel early

When engaging the practice, ask how payment instructions will be provided and how you should verify them. Keep an independently established telephone number or other agreed channel. Do not rely solely on a number supplied in a later email announcing a change. If someone else will pay on your behalf, agree how that person receives verified instructions and how the practice will identify them. A clear process agreed before payment is easier to follow than an urgent check at the last minute.

02 / Practical step

Check the invoice and the purpose of the payment

Match the practice name, matter reference, invoice number and description with the work or transaction you recognise. Ask whether the request concerns billed fees, money in advance or another payment connected to the matter. These distinctions help you identify what the request is for; they do not by themselves prove the account is genuine. If the amount or purpose is unfamiliar, pause and ask the practice to explain it through the established contact channel.

03 / Practical step

Treat changed bank details as a fresh verification task

Do not authenticate changed instructions by replying to the same message or calling only the number inside it. Contact the practice through the independently established channel and ask an appropriate staff member to confirm the request. Verify the payment instructions you intend to use, not just that an invoice exists. A familiar email thread, logo or signature does not establish that a message is trustworthy. If you cannot complete the check, explain the problem to the practice before proceeding.

• What payment is being requested and for which matter?
• Has the practice actually issued these instructions?
• Who confirmed the details, through which channel and on what date?
• Does the amount and reference match the verified request?
• Have I avoided sharing credentials, passwords or security codes?

04 / Practical step

Plan verification around settlement or another critical event

If a payment relates to a scheduled transaction, discuss the verification process early with the responsible professional. Ask who coordinates the payment, what timing they require and how an unexpected change should be handled. Do not interpret this general checklist as instructions to delay or redirect a particular transaction. If something appears inconsistent close to the event, tell the responsible professional immediately through a verified channel and obtain specific instructions about the next step.

05 / Practical step

Worked example: the last-minute replacement invoice

Illustrative example: an email in an existing conversation says the practice has changed banks and attaches a replacement invoice. The client locates the contact number recorded at engagement rather than using the new attachment. They ask the office to confirm the invoice, payment purpose and account instructions. The value of the check is its independence from the potentially compromised message. A correctly spelt sender name or a previously genuine conversation would not have completed that verification.

06 / Practical step

If you have already sent a suspicious payment

Contact your bank immediately if you think money or financial information has gone to a scammer; this is the ACCC's recommended first response. Contact the real practice through an independent channel and explain what happened. Preserve the invoice, messages, payment receipt and a dated record of the calls. Report the scam through Scamwatch and follow the relevant official reporting guidance. Do not assume a recovery is assured or pay a stranger promising to retrieve the money.

07 / Practical step

Keep a minimal verification record

Record the invoice reference, date checked, trusted channel used, person spoken to and whether a question remains unresolved. Store any sensitive documents securely with the matter records. You do not need to upload account numbers, identification or payment receipts to a comparison website to shortlist a firm. This directory can help you locate a possible provider; it does not verify the bank account in a message sent to you.