Answering Service for Law Firms

Running a law practice means long stretches when you cannot pick up the phone: hearings, client meetings, depositions, and focused drafting time. During those stretches, calls roll to voicemail, and a caller who needed an answer today may simply move on to the next firm they were going to call. An answering service exists to fill that gap, so callers reach a helpful voice instead of a beep.

AllDayDesk answers your line around the clock using an AI receptionist. It greets the caller, answers questions it can answer from your saved business details, takes detailed messages, and can book consultation requests. You review calls in the dashboard, including the transcript and a short summary, so nothing depends on a handwritten note.

The service is honest about its limits. It does not provide legal advice, run conflict checks, or discuss case details. For anything that needs your judgment, it collects the caller's name, callback number, and the reason for the call, and passes the message to you.

• Answers calls 24/7 with an AI receptionist working from your saved business details
• Answers routine questions such as office hours, practice areas, and your fees policy
• Takes clear messages with caller name, callback number, and reason for calling
• Books consultation requests on your calendar once services and availability are configured
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in your dashboard
• Takes a message whenever an answer or price is unknown instead of guessing

You decide when calls reach AllDayDesk by choosing how you forward your number. Forwarding all calls sends every ring to the service, which suits solo attorneys who are rarely free to pick up. Conditional forwarding sends calls only when your line is busy or unanswered, which keeps you as the first voice callers hear and uses the service as backup.

Around-the-clock availability means the service is available to answer at any hour; it is not a guarantee that every single call connects. Transfers to you require you to configure a destination and rules, and a fast pickup is never guaranteed. Separately, the service takes ordinary messages for anything that needs your personal attention, such as a callback request or a question it cannot answer from your saved details.

If you want a deeper look at after-hours decisions, including which business facts are safe to share outside office hours, the 24/7 planning guide covers that in detail.

• Forward all calls for full coverage, or forward only on busy or no-answer for backup coverage
• Availability runs 24/7; connection depends on your phone service and forwarding setup
• Transfers need a configured destination and rules from you, and immediate pickup is not guaranteed
• Ordinary message taking covers callback requests and questions beyond your saved details

You do not change your published number. You forward it to AllDayDesk, and the exact steps depend on your phone provider. For example, Verizon business landline service uses *72 to activate forwarding and *73 to turn it off, and AT&T Phone for Business uses *72 plus the destination and # for all calls, with separate codes for no-answer and busy forwarding. Other providers use account portals or different codes, so identify your exact service before following any instructions.

One common setup to know about: Google Voice explicitly does not support forwarding its calls to an automated system, so a Google Voice number is not a suitable line to forward to AllDayDesk. A standard carrier or VoIP business line works with the provider's own forwarding feature.

Setup overall is simple: choose your business or enter its website, check the details AllDayDesk pulled together, listen to a personalized sample call, and then choose your phone setup. The sample is a demonstration only and creates no real booking.

• Keep your existing firm number and forward it to the service
• Forwarding steps vary by provider and product; verify your exact service first
• Google Voice numbers are not supported for forwarding to automated systems
• Setup: add your business details, hear a sample, then configure forwarding

Human answering services staff real people who answer your calls. Published starting prices for well-known providers include Ruby at $245 per month and Smith.ai's human receptionist service, which uses per-call pricing. Those services can handle judgment-heavy conversations, but their plans vary in included minutes, hours, and contract terms, so you need a current quote to compare fairly.

AllDayDesk is an AI receptionist. It answers consistently from your saved details and works around the clock. AllDayDesk plans are monthly with included minutes and a per-minute overage rate, and current figures are shown on the pricing display. Because pricing structures differ across providers, compare current quotes and included allowances rather than assuming any plan is automatically cheaper. The tradeoff is real: an AI cannot exercise legal judgment, reassure a distressed caller the way a person can, or handle a nuanced conflict question. It handles routine calls well and takes messages for the rest.

A balanced way to decide: if most of your missed calls are scheduling requests, hours questions, and new-prospect inquiries, AI coverage is usually enough. If your practice depends on delicate conversations happening on the first call, a human service or an in-house receptionist may fit better. Our comparison page walks through where each option wins.

• Human services: judgment and empathy, with published starting prices like Ruby's $245/month and Smith.ai's per-call model
• AI receptionist: consistent 24/7 answers from your saved details, with no legal judgment
• Both approaches take messages for anything that needs the attorney
• Compare current quotes on included minutes, overage rates, and contract terms before deciding

New appointments are booked on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability. If you already run your schedule in Google Calendar, you can optionally connect and authorize your Google account in Settings, and bookings will use that calendar. Other calendar systems and industry software are not supported connections.

For new prospects, the service collects the basics: who is calling, how to reach them, the broad practice area, and what they need. It does not collect case facts, documents, payment details, or sensitive information, and it does not confirm changes to existing appointments; those come to you as requests to approve. The dedicated intake page breaks down the full new-prospect workflow.

• Bookings default to the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar
• Optional Google Calendar connection in Settings after you authorize your account
• Only name, callback number, broad practice area, and request are collected from prospects
• Changes to existing appointments arrive as requests, not confirmed changes

AllDayDesk plans are monthly with a set allowance of included minutes and a per-minute rate for time beyond that. Current pricing is shown on the pricing display for this site, so check there for the exact figures rather than relying on this page.

When comparing providers, look past the headline price. Ask what the included allowance covers, what the overage rate is, whether hours are limited, and whether there is a contract. A cheap plan with a small allowance can cost more than a larger plan if your call minutes run over. Our cost guide walks through the math with worked examples.

• Monthly plans with included minutes and a per-minute overage rate
• See the on-site pricing display for current AllDayDesk figures
• Compare included allowance, overage rate, hours, and contract terms across providers
• Match plan size to your actual call volume before committing