For Australian law firms
An AI receptionist for law firms that records each enquiry and sets what happens next
The workflow collects the information your firm approves. It sets the next step and gives your team a record to review.
Each enquiry gets one next step. Your firm approves the route.
What happens after the call
A legal answering service can record a call. Your team still needs to know what to do next.
Law firms consider an AI receptionist or virtual receptionist when staff cannot answer every new enquiry. They may also compare legal answering services. Each option needs a clear plan for information that does not fit the intake categories.
Before an Australian firm uses the workflow, it should define the approved questions and the person who owns the next step. It should also show when staff or lawyers must review the enquiry.
“Both are maxed out… We’re even missing some calls during business hours now.”
Reddit community context · r/LawFirm (directional US practitioner language)
How the workflow handles an enquiry
See how the workflow prepares information for staff review.
Your firm chooses the questions and rules. The workflow uses them to collect information and set the next step. It does not make legal decisions.
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The enquiry arrives
The enquiry comes from a phone call, chat, or form. The record keeps its source.
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Approved questions
Your firm chooses the questions. The workflow asks only those questions.
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Information is organised
The workflow records what the caller says. It does not give legal advice or assess the case.
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The next step is set
Rules name the person who owns the enquiry and the next action.
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The workflow sets one next step
- Booked
- Follow-up
- Escalated
- Declined
- Staff review
Human review. Staff or lawyers review the information before the firm decides what to do. The workflow does not create a matter or clear a conflict. It does not promise representation.
Example only. This is not a client record.
Give your team a record with a clear next step.
The record shows what the caller said and what information is missing. It names the next route and the person who reviews it. Staff can see what still needs an answer.
“Most services are fine at collecting name and number but fall apart when a caller describes a situation that does not fit cleanly into your intake categories.”
Reddit community context · r/LawFirm (directional practitioner language)
Example intake record
| Channel | Phone call outside business hours |
|---|---|
| Practice area | Family law, selected by caller |
| Missing information | Details about the other party are missing |
| Next step | Staff review on the next business day |
| Status | Waiting for staff review |
This is an example. It is not a client record. It does not qualify a matter. It does not decide a conflict. It does not promise representation.
What changes after the call
Compare what your team receives after the call.
A traditional legal answering service and an AI intake workflow can both support a firm's phone coverage. The table compares what each approach can give your team after a call. It does not make claims about cost or results.
| What happens | Traditional answering service | AI intake workflow for the firm |
|---|---|---|
| Message capture | A caller's message and contact details | The fields your firm approves, with the enquiry source |
| Qualification | A script may collect more information. Staff may review it later. | Approved questions show what information is missing |
| Booking and follow-up | A callback or booking arranged with the firm | The firm sets the next step |
| Exceptions | The team receives the caller's details | A rule can send an unclear enquiry to staff review |
| Staff record | A message or record the firm agrees to use | A record that follows the firm's approved fields and next step |
“The receptionist… calls people back, confirms appointments, chases prospects who are sitting on the fence.”
Reddit community context · r/LawFirm (directional practitioner language)
Legal safeguards
People make legal and conflict decisions.
The workflow collects approved information and prepares it for review. Your staff or lawyers decide what it means and what the firm should do.
- It does not give legal advice or assess a case.
- It does not promise representation or decide whether a conflict exists.
- It collects information for staff or lawyers to review during a conflict check.
- Urgent enquiries follow the instructions your firm sets. This is not an emergency service. It does not guarantee an immediate response.
Set up the workflow for your firm
Connect each next step to a system your team has checked.
Each system may need different fields and permissions. Your firm must check how each system receives information and what happens when the connection fails. The connection is ready only after your firm completes that check.
- CalendarCheck the available times. Name the booking owner. Define how the firm confirms or cancels an appointment.
- CRM or matter systemCheck the fields and permissions. Decide what information the system should receive. Create a review task if the connection fails.
- Smokeball or another systemCheck the firm's setup before naming Smokeball as a destination.
- Calls, SMS, or chatSet the consent and storage rules. Then define routing and escalation for each channel.
Who acts after first contact
Your team needs a named owner after each enquiry.
Follow-up needs a clear owner. The review should set a time, a person, and the record they use. It should not promise lower staffing costs or more conversions.
- BookedThe appointment confirmation and the person responsible for it.
- Follow-upA task with a due time. The task names the person responsible for the next contact.
- EscalatedThe reason for escalation and the staff member or lawyer who reviews it.
- DeclinedThe route your firm uses for an enquiry it cannot take.
- Human reviewA queue for information that needs staff or lawyer review.
“An AI answering service acting as a stopgap… more like a band-aid than a long-term fix.”
Reddit community context · r/LawFirm (directional practitioner language)
Questions before you change intake
Decide what the workflow should and should not do.
Can it give legal advice?
No. It collects approved information and sends it to staff or lawyers for review. It does not assess a case or advise a caller.
Is this a virtual receptionist or a legal answering service?
It can handle the first response and collect information, depending on the firm's setup. The firm chooses the questions and the next route. Staff review the record.
What happens when a caller does not fit the intake categories?
The workflow can record what the caller provides and send the enquiry to staff review. It shows what information is missing. It does not guess.
Can it connect to Smokeball or other firm systems?
That depends on the firm's setup. Check the fields and permissions. Confirm how the system receives information and what happens when the connection fails.
Start with your current workflow
Find where your team loses information.
Request an intake workflow review. We will document what the workflow should collect and where each enquiry should go. We will identify who reviews it.
Read our legal intake services page or our AI for lawyers guide.