AI Receptionist for Law Firms & Solicitors
Bar-Compliant Client Intake While You're in Court

A prospect with a £3K to £10K matter rarely leaves a voicemail; they just call the next firm. DeskCaller answers, takes the details and runs a conflict check, then books the consultation. It never crosses into giving legal advice.

80%Hang up at voicemail
£3K-£10KPer retainer value
24/7Client intake coverage
Hear Real Call Example →

Why Law Firms Miss Client Calls

In court, depositions, client meetings—while £3K-£10K retainer inquiries ring unanswered.

The retainers slip while you're in court

You're in a hearing or with a client and the phone keeps ringing with new matters. Most callers won't leave a voicemail; they ring the next solicitor on Google and instruct whoever answered. By the time you call back after six, the case is already someone else's.

The urgent night and weekend cases go elsewhere

Friday evening brings the DUI arrest and the emergency custody call, and those are the cases worth the most. If your line says 'call back Monday,' they instruct the firm that picked up and booked them in that night, and a £5K to £15K retainer walks out the door.

Intake calls eat your billable hours

A 'can you help with my divorce?' call runs twenty minutes on process, costs, and a conflict check before you've booked anything. At £200 to £300 an hour, a dozen of those a week is time you can't bill and won't get back.

How DeskCaller Handles Your Law Firm Calls

Practice-area intake, conflict checks, emergency routing, and consultation booking, 24/7, without ever giving legal advice.

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Practice Area Intake & Case Type Qualification

Identify practice area: personal injury, family law, criminal defense, employment, estate planning, business law. Capture case specifics: car accident details, divorce grounds, criminal charges, employment dispute type. Pre-qualify urgency (statute of limitations, court deadlines, custody emergencies). Route to specialist attorney—PI to PI team, family to family law partner. Books consultations only for matters within your practice areas.

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Conflict Check & Existing Client Routing

Ask: 'Are you a current client, or is this a new matter?' Check opposing party names against client database for conflicts. Route existing clients to their assigned attorney or paralegal—no duplicate intake. Flag potential conflicts for manual review before booking consultation. Protects attorney-client privilege, prevents ethical violations, ensures bar compliance from first contact.

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24/7 Emergency & After-Hours Intake

Answer urgent DUI arrests, custody emergencies, PI accidents, criminal charges 24/7. Capture time-sensitive details: arrest time, bail amount, court date, accident scene, opposing party. Send immediate SMS to on-call attorney for true emergencies (48-hour bail hearings, emergency custody). Book next-available consultation for non-urgent after-hours calls. Criminal and PI firms capture £5K-£15K emergency retainers competitors miss.

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Consultation Scheduling & Calendar Sync

Book initial consultations directly into attorney calendars (Clio, MyCase, Calendly, Google Cal). Offer in-person, phone, or video consultation options. Capture client contact info, case summary, urgency level, preferred times. Send confirmation email/SMS with office address, parking, documents to bring. Reduce no-shows from 30% to under 10% with automated reminders 24 hours before.

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Bar-Compliant Responses & Legal Advice Boundaries

AI clearly identifies as automated assistant, never provides legal advice or case outcomes. Explains: 'I can't give legal advice, but I can schedule a consultation with a solicitor who can help.' Escalates complex questions to attorney callback. Maintains attorney-client privilege for existing clients, confidentiality for prospects. Complies with SRA ethics rules, data protection regulations, professional conduct standards.

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Retainer Fee & Payment Discussion

Explain fee structures: hourly rates (£200-£400/hour), flat fees (£1,500-£5,000 for uncontested divorce), contingency (33-40% PI), retainers (£3K-£10K upfront). Discuss payment plans, legal aid eligibility, free consultations. Capture budget constraints, payment preferences. Pre-qualifies ability to pay—routes high-value cases to partners, budget-conscious to junior associates, legal aid to pro bono coordinator.

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Clio, MyCase & PracticePanther Integration

Bidirectional sync with Clio Manage, MyCase, PracticePanther, Smokeball, Filevine. Auto-create lead/matter records with case type, urgency, opposing party, contact info, intake notes. Sync consultation appointments, conflict checks, retainer agreements. Update case status (consultation scheduled, retained, declined, referred out). Export call recordings, intake transcripts. One source of truth—no duplicate data entry between AI and case management system.

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Referral Out & Co-Counsel Coordination

Client needs practice area you don't handle? AI explains: 'We specialize in family law, but I can refer you to a trusted colleague for criminal defense.' Capture referral request, send to your referral network. Track referral fees (typically 25-33% of retained cases). For co-counsel opportunities (class actions, complex litigation), flag high-value cases requiring multiple firms. Build referral reputation, earn passive income.

Statute of Limitations & Deadline Urgency Flagging

Personal injury: 'When did the accident happen?' (3-year limitation in UK for PI claims). Employment: 'Date of dismissal?' (3 months minus one day for tribunal). Criminal: 'Court date?' Family: 'Urgent custody issue?' AI flags time-sensitive cases with countdown alerts. Routes immediate-action cases to attorneys instantly. Prevents missed deadlines, protects clients, avoids malpractice claims.

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Multilingual Intake for Diverse Clients

Serve clients in 70+ languages: Spanish, Polish, Urdu, Mandarin, Arabic, Portuguese, Romanian. Critical for immigration, family law, employment firms with diverse client bases. AI detects language preference, conducts entire intake in native tongue, delivers English summary to attorney. Expands addressable market, builds community trust, captures underserved demographics competitors can't reach.

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Lead Source Tracking & Marketing ROI

Capture: 'How did you hear about us?' Google search, referral, ad (PPC, Facebook), directory (Avvo, Justia), word-of-mouth, past client. Track which marketing channels convert highest: if Google Ads cost £50/lead but convert 15%, while Avvo costs £30/lead but converts 5%, shift budget. Identifies best referral sources (other attorneys, accountants, estate agents). Optimize £2K-£10K monthly marketing spend toward highest-ROI channels.

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Existing Client Service & Case Updates

Current client calls: 'I have a question about my case.' AI routes to assigned attorney/paralegal with case number, matter type, urgency. Answers common questions: 'When is my court date? Did you receive my documents?' without lawyer time. Prevents intake duplication, improves client satisfaction. Frees attorneys to focus on casework, not administrative status updates.

Works With Your Legal Software

Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, Smokeball, Filevine—seamless integration with tools you already use.

ServiceTitan
JJobber
Housecall Pro
Calendly
Zapier
HubSpot
Salesforce
GGoHighLevel
Webhooks
REST API

Real Call: Personal Injury Consultation Booking

Listen to how DeskCaller handles PI intake, explains no-win-no-fee, and books consultation while you're in court.

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Potential Client

Hi, I need a solicitor for a car accident case. I was rear-ended three weeks ago, the other driver's insurance is low-balling my claim, and I have medical bills piling up. Can you help, and how much do you charge?

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DeskCaller AI

I'm sorry to hear about your accident—we can absolutely help with personal injury claims. We work on a no-win-no-fee basis, which means you don't pay anything upfront. If we win your case, our fee is 25% of your compensation, plus we recover our legal costs from the other side. A few quick questions: Are you still receiving medical treatment? Have you accepted any settlement offers yet? And do you have a copy of the police report or the other driver's insurance details?

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Potential Client

Still in physio, haven't accepted anything yet. I have the police report and their insurance info. How soon can I speak with a solicitor?

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DeskCaller AI

Perfect—it's great that you haven't accepted any offers yet, as early settlements often undervalue claims. I can book you a free consultation with one of our personal injury solicitors. We have availability tomorrow (Thursday) at 2 PM, or Friday at 10 AM. The consultation is about 30 minutes, we'll review your medical records, police report, and discuss the strength of your case. Which time works better for you?

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Potential Client

Friday at 10 AM works. Do I need to bring anything?

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DeskCaller AI

Great, you're booked for Friday, March 15th at 10 AM for a free personal injury consultation. Please bring: the police report, medical records and bills, photos of vehicle damage and injuries, the other driver's insurance details, and any correspondence from their insurer. I'm texting you a confirmation now with our office address, parking instructions, and a checklist of documents. Our solicitor will review everything and explain your options. Anything else I can help with today?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this bar-compliant? Can AI give legal advice or does it violate ethics rules?

The AI never gives legal advice, opinions, or case outcomes, which is what keeps it within SRA rules. It identifies itself as an automated assistant, handles administrative intake only (case details, scheduling, explaining fee structures), and routes anything substantive or confidential to a qualified solicitor. UK regulatory guidance permits AI for intake and scheduling on exactly this basis: it does not provide legal advice.

Does it integrate with Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther for case management?

Yes—bidirectional sync with Clio Manage, MyCase, PracticePanther, Smokeball, Filevine, and Lawmatics. AI auto-creates lead/matter records with case type, urgency, opposing party names, contact info, intake notes, call recordings. Syncs consultation appointments to attorney calendars, updates case status (consultation booked, retained, declined, referred out). Runs conflict checks against existing client database. Exports intake transcripts and call summaries to case files. One source of truth—no duplicate data entry between AI and your practice management system. Setup takes under 30 minutes via API or Zapier.

How does it handle conflict checks and existing client routing?

AI asks every caller: 'Are you a current client, or is this a new matter?' For existing clients, routes directly to their assigned attorney or paralegal with case number—no duplicate intake. For new matters, captures opposing party names and cross-references your client database for conflicts of interest. If conflict detected, AI explains you cannot represent them and offers referral. If no conflict, proceeds with intake and books consultation. Critical for ethics compliance—prevents inadvertent conflicts, protects attorney-client privilege, ensures proper screening before engagement.

Can it handle after-hours emergency cases like DUI arrests or custody issues?

Yes—24/7 emergency intake for time-sensitive criminal, family, and PI matters. AI captures urgency signals: DUI arrest (court in 48 hours), emergency custody hearing, serious accident requiring immediate investigation, statute of limitations deadlines. Routes true emergencies to on-call attorney via SMS with case summary and client contact. Non-urgent after-hours calls get consultation booked for next business day. Criminal and PI firms report capturing £5K-£15K emergency retainers they previously lost to voicemail. One firm went from 3-4 after-hours retainers/month to 18+ after implementing AI.

Does it pre-qualify case value and retainer ability to pay?

Yes—AI discusses fee structures appropriate to practice area: hourly rates (£200-£400/hour for general practice), flat fees (£1,500-£5,000 uncontested divorce), contingency (25-40% for PI no-win-no-fee), retainers (£3K-£10K upfront for complex litigation). Asks about budget constraints, payment plan interest, legal aid eligibility. Pre-qualifies ability to pay and case economics. Routes high-value cases (£10K+ retainers, serious PI) to senior partners, mid-tier to associates, budget-conscious to junior solicitors, legal aid to pro bono coordinator. Prevents wasted consultations with prospects who can't afford representation.

Can it identify statute of limitations and deadline urgency?

Yes—AI asks time-sensitive questions per practice area. Personal injury: 'When did the accident happen?' (3-year limitation for UK PI claims). Employment: 'Date of dismissal?' (3 months minus one day for tribunal). Criminal: 'Court date?' Family: 'Urgent custody matter?' Flags cases approaching limitation deadlines with countdown alerts, routes to attorneys immediately for action. Prevents missed deadlines, protects clients from barred claims, reduces malpractice risk. One employment solicitor credited AI with catching 6 cases within days of tribunal deadline that would've been rejected as out-of-time.

Does it track lead sources and marketing ROI?

Yes—AI asks every caller: 'How did you hear about us?' Tracks Google search, Google Ads, Facebook, referrals (attorney, past client, friend), directories (Avvo, Justia, Law Society), word-of-mouth. Reports which channels convert highest: if Google Ads cost £50/lead but convert 15%, while directory listings cost £30/lead but convert 5%, shift budget accordingly. Identifies top referral sources (accountants, estate agents, other solicitors). Optimizes £2K-£10K monthly marketing spend toward best-performing channels. One PI firm cut Facebook ads (5% conversion) and doubled Google Ads (22% conversion), increasing monthly retainers by £18K.

What's pricing—do I pay per call, per retainer, or flat monthly rate?

A flat monthly subscription with no per-call fees, no per-minute charges, and no hidden costs. Pricing is scaled to your call volume and the features you need, and we confirm it on a short call. It covers unlimited call handling, 24/7 coverage, Clio/MyCase integration, conflict checking, consultation booking, and after-hours routing. Most firms cover the cost by capturing a single retainer they would otherwise have lost. Cancel anytime, no long-term contract.

Stop Losing £50K-£150K Annually to Voicemail

Answer every client enquiry 24/7, run conflict checks, route practice areas, and book consultations, all without giving legal advice. 80% hang up at voicemail, which is a lot of lost retainer revenue.

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Pricing

Simple pricing, no surprises

Choose a plan, or just pay for what you use. One flat price, never a surprise charge.

Save 25%
Starter
For solo owner-operators answering their own phone.
£48/mo
billed monthly
 
120 mins/mo · ~40 calls
£0.40 per included minute
Grace: up to 12 extra minutes
Run over and you keep going. Borrowed minutes come off next month's allowance, never a charge.
One flat price
Most Popular
Growth
For small teams that never want to miss a job.
£105/mo
billed monthly
 
300 mins/mo · ~100 calls
£0.35 per included minute
Grace: up to 45 extra minutes
Run over and you keep going. Borrowed minutes come off next month's allowance, never a charge.
One flat price
Pro
For multi-crew operators with high call volume.
£225/mo
billed monthly
 
750 mins/mo · ~250 calls
£0.30 per included minute
Grace: up to 150 extra minutes
Run over and you keep going. Borrowed minutes come off next month's allowance, never a charge.
One flat price
No setup fee·No contract·30-day money-back·Usage alerts at 60 / 80 / 90%