AI Receptionist for Law Firms: 24/7 Client Intake
An AI receptionist for a law firm answers intake calls 24/7, asks qualifying questions about the case type and timeline, schedules the consultation in the GoHighLevel calendar, and routes urgent matters to an attorney directly. Deployed white label through a GoHighLevel agency it costs from 9 cents a minute all-in with rebilling built in.
A law firm’s phone is its intake funnel. A prospective client calling after a car accident or an arrest is calling several firms in the same hour — the firm that answers first and books the consultation usually wins the client, regardless of reputation.
What legal intake calls need
Legal intake is a qualification conversation before it’s a booking conversation. The assistant needs to gather enough facts — case type, rough timeline, whether the caller has already retained another attorney — to let the firm prioritize, without giving legal advice.
What the assistant handles on a call
- Answers 24/7, including nights and weekends when many incidents happen.
- Asks intake questions specific to the firm’s practice area (personal injury, family law, criminal defense).
- Captures the case type, incident date and urgency.
- Checks live availability and books the consultation in the GoHighLevel calendar.
- Writes intake details to the GHL contact so the attorney walks into the consult prepared.
- Tags the lead by case type and urgency for pipeline routing.
- Transfers live to an attorney or intake specialist for time-sensitive matters — a statute of limitations concern, an active custody dispute.
- Follows up by text with a consultation link if the caller didn’t book on the call.
What the assistant explicitly does not do
It does not give legal advice, evaluate the merits of a case, or quote a fee beyond what the firm has provided in the knowledge base. Scope the prompt tightly here — intake and scheduling only — both because it’s the right sell and because overpromising legal judgment is where a badly configured assistant creates real risk for the firm.
Practice area differences
| Practice area | Typical qualifying question | Urgency signal |
|---|---|---|
| Personal injury | When did the incident happen, is there an insurance claim open | Statute of limitations approaching |
| Family law | Is there an active court date, is this a new filing or a modification | Emergency custody or protective order |
| Criminal defense | Has an arrest already happened, is there a court date | Upcoming arraignment or bail hearing |
Each practice area needs its own intake script, which is why the knowledge base is built per client rather than reused generically.
Setup
- Connect the platform to the firm’s GHL sub-account.
- Build the intake script from the firm’s practice areas and standard qualifying questions.
- Assign a number or route the firm’s existing line, with 24/7 coverage since incidents don’t happen on business hours.
- Add the two GoHighLevel workflows for call routing and transcript logging.
- Connect the consultation calendar.
- Test one urgent-flagged call and one standard intake call before go-live.
What it costs
Voice is from 9¢ per minute all-in. A firm fielding 400 intake minutes a month costs around $36 at base rate — against the value of a single retained client, which for many practice areas is worth thousands in fees. Rebilling is built into every plan; see how to rebill AI voice minutes to clients for the maths.
Frequently asked
Can it give legal advice? No, and it shouldn’t be configured to try — its job is intake, qualification and scheduling, not case evaluation.
Does it work outside business hours? Yes, 24/7 coverage is one of the main reasons law firms deploy this, since incidents and arrests happen at any hour.
Can urgent matters skip straight to an attorney? Yes, configure keyword triggers (active custody dispute, upcoming court date) to route straight to a live transfer instead of standard booking.
Is client information kept confidential? All information is stored securely on US servers; see the privacy policy for details. Attorney-client privilege considerations for the intake conversation itself are a matter for the firm’s own compliance review.
Read compliance requirements for AI calling in AI calling compliance and consent, see the full booking flow in the appointment setter guide, or book a demo call.
