AI receptionist · Law firms — Every caller gets intake and a consultation time, without legal advice from a machine
An AI receptionist for a law firm works like a legal intake answering service that can also book. It answers when the front desk can't, asks the intake questions for each practice area and offers consultation times. Court dates, deadlines and anything about the merits go to an attorney.
AI receptionist · live call
Sat 9:10 am · office closedAgent: Thanks for calling the firm. I'm its AI assistant. The office opens Monday, but I can help. What kind of matter is this?
Caller: I was rear-ended on Thursday and I'd like to talk to a lawyer.
Agent: I'm sorry to hear that. May I have the crash date and the other driver's name? An attorney will review it with you.
Agent: I can book a free consultation Monday at 10 am. Does that work?
Caller: Yes, Monday at 10 is good.
Not our practice
A caller with a custody hearing Tuesday is added to the intake callback list for Monday, with his number and a summary.
Why it matters
Why law firms add this
People call a lawyer when something has just gone wrong, often in the evening or at the weekend. The first firm that answers and books a consultation usually gets the case, while a voicemail gets a callback the next day.
Virtual receptionists and legal answering services cover the phone but mostly take messages. An AI receptionist can run your intake questions, check the practice area and county, and book a paid or free consultation in your calendar, while staying out of legal advice.
Example · illustrative
A personal injury firm on a Saturday morning
At 9:10 am on Saturday, a woman calls a personal injury firm about a rear-end crash two days earlier. The agent says it's an AI assistant and asks the case type, the crash date and the other driver's name. It doesn't comment on her case and books a free consultation for Monday at 10 am. A second caller says he has a custody hearing on Tuesday, which the firm doesn't handle. The agent takes his number, and the intake coordinator calls him back on Monday.
How it works
Step by step
- Starts whenA call to the firm rings out, comes in after hours, or overflows when every line is busy
- 1Step 1Answer and say it's automatedThe agent greets the caller in the firm's name and says it is an AI assistant.
- 2Step 2Find out what they needIt asks whether they're a current client, the practice area, the county and any court date. It gives no legal advice.
- 3Step 3Book or take a messageNew callers in the firm's practice areas are offered consultation times. Current clients' messages go to their case team.
- A person decidesHand over deadlines and judgment callsCourt dates, arrests, deadlines and questions about the merits go to the on-call attorney or callback list. The attorney decides what happens next.
By hand today
- Calls ring out while the receptionist is on another line.
- Potential clients calling at night or on weekends reach voicemail and call the next firm.
- Voicemails about new cases and court dates wait until Monday morning.
With the automation
- Calls are answered after hours, on weekends and when every line is busy.
- Consultations are booked into the attorney's calendar with the caller's details.
- Callers with a near court date or deadline are flagged for an attorney.
- Intake staff read a short summary of each call instead of a voicemail.
What it handles
What it does alone, and what it hands over
Books on its own
Consultations for your practice areas, with the right fee, length and attorney, from the live calendar.
Asks on its own
Practice area, county, how they heard about you, opposing party for the conflict check, and any court date.
Hands to a person
Court dates in the next days, arrests, missed deadlines, current clients' case questions and anything about the merits.
Out of scope
Callers whose matter the firm doesn't handle get a polite answer and, if you want, a referral list.
What stays with people
- An attorney runs the conflict check and decides whether to take the matter.
- Deadlines and emergencies go straight to the on-call attorney or intake coordinator.
- The firm approves every script, fee and practice area the assistant may mention.
- Callers who ask for a person are transferred when someone is available, or booked for a callback.
Systems it connects to
- Clio
- Clio Grow
- MyCase
- Lawmatics
- RingCentral
- Dialpad
Rules to know. The assistant says it is automated, gives no legal advice and doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. Intake answers stay in the firm's own case management or intake system, and the firm decides what is recorded. In California and other all-party consent states, callers are told if the call is recorded.
Cost
Typical cost for law firms
Typical ranges as of October 2026. Not a quote.
Ready-made tool, set up by us
An existing platform on your own account, configured for your business.
- Setup, one timepaid to Lorryn
- $1,000–$1,500
- Tool subscriptionpaid to the provider
- $50–$200 / month
Fits when your process matches what the platform already does.
Custom build
Built around how you work, with no platform subscription. You own it.
- Build, one timebasic version to full version
- $2,000–$9,000
- Running costshosting and usage, on your accounts
- ~$25–$100 / month
Fits when your systems, rules or exceptions don't match a ready tool.
Optional Automation Care: $125 · $250 · $375 / month
1, 2 or 3 hours of support a month, with monitoring and alerts included. Without it, you run it yourself after handover.
Typically works with Clio, Clio Grow, MyCase, Lawmatics.
Booking into or writing to Clio, Clio Grow adds up to $500 to the ready-made tool (often a built-in feature) and $500–$1,500 to a custom build.
Your price depends on volume, the systems involved and how many exceptions need a person. Our team confirms a fixed price before any work starts.
FAQ
Questions owners ask
A virtual receptionist takes a message and the firm calls back. This runs your intake questions and books the consultation, then passes anything urgent or sensitive to a person.
No. It's set up to collect facts and book, and to hand any question about the merits or strategy to an attorney.
Yes. It can send a booking link that takes payment for paid consultations, so the slot is only held once it's paid.
Intake and case systems like Clio, Lawmatics, Filevine or MyCase, and calendars like Google or Microsoft 365, where they allow it.
Yes. It can run intake in English and Spanish, or other languages your clients use.
It collects the names needed for a conflict check, and an attorney or staff member runs the check before the consultation.
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