AI receptionist for law firms
An AI receptionist for a law firm answers every call in the firm’s name, tells new enquirers from existing clients, takes a structured message for the right solicitor and, on the Professional plan, books consultations. It gives no legal advice and says so. Plans start at $299 per month plus GST, with 500 minutes included.
What the receptionist does with each type of call
Most calls to a small or mid-size firm fall into a handful of types. The receptionist is set up to recognise each one from what the caller says and to follow the handling rule your firm writes for it.
| Call type | What the AI receptionist does |
|---|---|
| New matter enquiry | Collects name, contact details, area of law, a short description, the other party’s name and urgency, then books a consultation or sends the details to intake staff |
| Existing client about their matter | Asks who is calling and which solicitor they deal with, takes a message, and does not discuss the matter’s content |
| Other side’s lawyer, barrister’s clerk or court registry | Takes the caller’s name, organisation, matter reference and request, and sends it to the solicitor with conduct of the file |
| Request for legal advice | Explains that it is an AI receptionist and cannot give advice, then offers a consultation or a call back |
| Urgent matter (client in custody, family violence, a hearing tomorrow) | Follows the firm’s urgent rule: a live transfer to a nominated person, or an SMS alert and a clear call back time for the caller |
| Billing or trust account question | Takes a message for the accounts person; it does not quote balances or confirm payment details |
| Sales calls and spam | Takes a brief message or ends the call politely, so nobody is interrupted |
The table is a starting point. A conveyancing practice may add a rule for settlement day calls, and a wills and estates firm may add one for executors calling after a death.
How a call flows, step by step
- The receptionist answers in the firm’s name with an Australian voice, says it is an AI assistant, and gives the recording notice your firm has approved.
- It asks how it can help and decides from the answer whether this is a new enquiry, an existing client, another professional, or something urgent.
- For an existing client it asks for their name and the solicitor or matter reference. It is configured not to confirm or discuss the details of any matter, because it cannot verify identity the way a person can.
- For a new enquiry it works through your intake questions (see AI client intake for law firms), including the names of other parties so a person at the firm can run the conflict check.
- On the Professional plan it can offer consultation times from the calendar you connect (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) and confirm the slot. On Starter it takes the preferred times and a person confirms.
- Urgent calls are transferred live to the person your rules name. If nobody answers, the caller is told a message has been taken and when to expect a call back.
- Every call ends with a summary sent to the nominated email address, and by SMS on the Professional plan, so the solicitor sees who called, why, and what was promised.
Confidentiality: what is recorded and who sees it
Solicitors owe clients a duty of confidentiality under rule 9 of the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules, and the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner notes that inappropriate disclosure can cost a client legal privilege. A receptionist that hears client details on every call has to be set up with that duty in mind. Our guide to AI and solicitors’ professional obligations covers the rules in more detail.
What is kept depends on the plan:
| Plan | What a call produces |
|---|---|
| Starter | A message summary and voicemail transcription, sent by email |
| Professional | The Starter outputs, plus SMS notifications and appointment booking |
| Custom | Full call recording and transcripts, if your firm wants them |
Decisions your firm should make before go-live:
- Who receives call summaries. A shared intake mailbox is easier to supervise than summaries sent to each solicitor’s own inbox.
- Whether full recordings are needed at all. A structured message is often enough, and keeping less client information means less to protect.
- What the greeting says about AI and recording. Telling callers at the start that they are speaking with an AI agent fits the OAIC’s AI guidance for businesses, which expects an organisation to label its customer-facing AI as AI and to describe its use of AI in the privacy policy.
- Where call audio, transcripts and summaries are processed and stored, and which subprocessors handle them. Ask Yes AI for this in writing and keep it on your AI register. The joint statement on AI in Australian legal practice asks lawyers using commercial tools to review the contractual terms with care.
The Privacy Act duties guide covers transparency, overseas disclosure and security for firms the Privacy Act 1988 applies to.
What you configure
Setup is a written brief that the firm approves before the number goes live. It usually covers:
- Greeting and disclosure. The firm name, the AI statement and the recording notice.
- Practice areas. Which matters you take, which you refer elsewhere, and the wording used when you cannot help. For callers you cannot assist, some firms point to Victoria Legal Aid’s Legal Help line on 1300 792 387, which the Victoria Legal Aid contact page lists as open weekdays from 8am to 6pm.
- People and routing. Solicitors, paralegals and the accounts contact, with who takes which call type.
- Booking rules. Consultation length, which solicitors take first appointments, buffer time around court days.
- Fee information. Only what your firm writes word for word, such as a fixed fee for a first consultation. The receptionist will not estimate costs for a matter.
- Urgent triggers. The words and situations that mean urgent at your firm, and the transfer numbers for each.
What it does not do
The limits, stated plainly:
- It does not give legal advice, assess prospects or say whether a deadline has passed.
- It does not accept a matter or confirm that the firm acts. That decision stays with a solicitor.
- It does not run the conflict check. It collects names so a person can.
- It handles distressed callers less well than an experienced person. Your rules should send those calls to a human quickly, and a caller in danger is told to hang up and ring 000.
- It does not replace supervision. Rule 37 of the conduct rules requires reasonable supervision of the people delivering legal services on a matter, so someone at the firm should read call summaries daily and review the call handling rules each quarter.
Who it suits
The receptionist fits firms where the phone competes with other work: a sole practitioner who is in court most mornings, a family law or wills practice that takes many first calls from people who have never used a lawyer, or a firm whose receptionist also does the bookkeeping and the trust reconciliations. Larger firms can start with overflow, so the AI takes calls only when the front desk is busy, then add after hours answering once the call rules have settled.
Cost and next steps
The Starter plan is $299 per month plus a one-off $499 setup fee and covers business hours. The Professional plan, at $599 per month with $999 for setup, adds after hours and weekend coverage, SMS notifications and booking. All plans are month to month with 30 days notice to cancel. The breakdown, and how it compares with an in-house receptionist, is on what a virtual receptionist costs a law firm. If you are weighing a human legal answering service instead, read AI receptionist vs a legal answering service.
To hear the receptionist handle your own call types, request a demo and quote. The general product is described on ai-reception.au and plan details are on the Yes AI pricing page.