Professional services
AI receptionist for law firms
The short answer
Last updated
For law firms
People call a lawyer on their worst day. Voicemail isn't good enough.
New clients call during a separation, an arrest, a dismissal or a death. They want to talk to someone now, but your lawyers are in court, in meetings or doing billable work.
- Distressed callers want to speak to a lawyer straight away
- You need the other parties' names for a conflict check before anyone gives advice
- Callers push for "what should I do?", which only a lawyer can answer
- Existing clients call for updates and interrupt billable work
How FirstVoice fixes it
FirstVoice answers with care, takes what you need for a conflict check and gets urgent matters to a lawyer. It never gives legal advice.
- Asks the type of matter and any hearing, settlement or deadline date
- Takes the names of all other parties for your conflict check
- Asks for a safe way to contact the caller, which matters in family violence cases
- Tells callers about someone held by Police that they can ask for the free Police Detention Legal Assistance lawyer, and transfers them to your on-call lawyer if you have one
- Tells anyone in danger to ring 111, and never gives legal advice
Calls we handle
Calls law firms get, answered.
Answered day or night, with the caller's details sent straight to you.
- New matter enquiries (property and conveyancing, family, employment, wills and estates, criminal, business)
- Existing clients asking for their lawyer or a matter update
- Settlement-day conveyancing questions
- Fee estimates
- Court date and time queries
- Referrals from real estate agents and accountants
Urgent calls
Escalated to you.
These don't wait for the end-of-call summary. You're told straight away.
- Someone arrested or in police custody
- Protection orders and family violence
- Court or filing deadlines today
- Settlement failures
- Urgent injunctions
- The AI takes conflict-check details (other party names) before any substantive discussion
Software
Works with Clio, Actionstep, Smokeball, LEAP.
Clio
Books directlyYes. FirstVoice connects straight to Clio, checks your calendar, books consultations and adds new contacts and file notes from every call.
How it connects to ClioActionstep
Partner accessFirstVoice can connect straight to Actionstep to book appointments, add contacts and create file notes. Actionstep approves the connection first.
How it connects to ActionstepSmokeball
Partner accessSmokeball users can be looked up by phone directly via Smokeball's public API, once Smokeball's partner programme and security review approve access.
How it connects to SmokeballLEAP
Works alongsideNo confirmed integration route for LEAP yet - dominant brand worth pursuing as a direct partnership.
How it connects to LEAP
What a missed call is worth
Typical prices for law firms in NZ.
Rules we script around
Regulations for law firms.
General information, not legal advice.
- Rules of Conduct and Client Care, rule 3.4 — in advance, lawyers must give clients written information on the basis of fees, professional indemnity arrangements, Lawyers' Fidelity Fund coverage, and complaints procedures and the Law Society complaints service.Source
- NZLS Generative AI guidance for lawyers exists.Source
FAQ
Law firms: questions.
Should a small law firm use an AI receptionist or a human answering service?
It depends on your callers. A human answering service handles distressed callers better, while an AI receptionist answers instantly, handles several calls at once and books consultations into your calendar. Many small firms use AI for after-hours and overflow calls and transfer anything sensitive to a person.
Is it safe to let an AI receptionist take calls for a law firm?
It takes contact details and the reason for the call, books a consultation or passes on a message, and never gives legal advice or discusses a matter. Urgent calls, like someone in police custody, are flagged to a lawyer straight away. Every call is recorded and transcribed, and conflict checks stay with your team.
What does FirstVoice do with urgent calls for law firms?
It follows the urgent-call rules you set and flags those calls to you straight away, or transfers them live on Growth and Scale. For law firms that usually means calls like someone arrested or in police custody, protection orders and family violence and court or filing deadlines today. Life-threatening emergencies are directed to 111.
Does FirstVoice work with Clio?
Yes. FirstVoice connects straight to Clio, checks your calendar, books consultations and adds new contacts and file notes from every call. It also works with Actionstep, Smokeball and LEAP.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for law firms?
Connecting Clio is included from Growth at $597 a month. Starter is $297 a month with calendar booking.
Free 2-week trial for law firms
Try it free for two weeks, on your real calls.
We set everything up for you and connect it to your calendar and the tools you already use. Then it answers your real customers for two weeks. No credit card, nothing to pay. If it's not for you, walk away.
- 01We build it for youYour greeting, your questions, your prices and your booking rules. You don't touch a thing.
- 02Connected to your systemBookings go into your calendar or job system, and summaries come to you by text or email.
- 03Live on your real callsForward your number and it answers your customers for real, day and night, for two weeks.
- 04No card, no costYou don't pay anything for the trial. Keep it after that from $297 a month, month to month, or walk away.