Top 11 Best Law Firm Virtual Receptionists

Even with technological advancements in the legal industry, certain key functions like reception remain important for retaining and attracting clients. While attorneys can answer phone calls themselves, they’re often busy which can lead to missed opportunities and a negative impression of their practice.

Small law firms, in particular, often lack dedicated reception due to budget constraints. However, with a legal answering service, these firms can enjoy the benefits of having a professional receptionist without the need for an in-house employee. This not only prevents the loss of potential clients but also allows attorneys to focus on their billable hours and core legal work.

In this article, we explore 11 top virtual receptionist providers and what sets them apart. We also discuss important factors to consider, like features, reliability, and cost. You can learn more about the topic on our recent Grow Law Firm episode, where Maddy Martin and host, Sasha Berson, discuss boosting case flow with virtual services.

When to Look for Virtual Receptionist Services

The legal virtual assistants are by no means a new concept. However, with technology becoming cheaper and better, more law firms of all sizes are considering going virtual with their receptionist services, particularly when they are looking to:

• Become more flexible by being able to operate outside regular business hours without notice
• Reduce costs by avoiding many of the expenses required for bringing on a staff receptionist
• Expand their services by being able to manage more clients

If your firm has any of these goals, you will likely benefit from an attorney virtual receptionist. When a client calls, the impression they receive can significantly impact the success of your law firm.

Top 11 Virtual Receptionist Service Providers for Lawyers

Many companies provide phone answering and website services for a law firms who need a low-cost yet highly functioning receptionist.

With that being said, not all virtual legal assistants for attorneys are created equal. Some have features that others do not. Additionally, you may find that one particular attorney phone answering service jives better with your operation than all the others.

For help deciding which is the best virtual receptionist service for you, read these reviews of 11 of the best companies around.

1. Abby Connect

Abby Connect is one of the best virtual receptionist services available as it works to connect clients and businesses, leading to business expansion and increased revenue. Law firms that work with Abby Connect get highly-trained receptionists offering services in English and Spanish. Firms can take advantage of an array of services in either the live-receptionist category or the live chat category.

These services include:

• Custom answering hours
• Bilingual receptionists
• Call announcement and call routing
• Message management
• Chat-to-call services
• 24/7 support
• Converting calls to clients

Pricing for Abby Connect is reasonable and cheaper the more minutes of service you purchase.

2. Alert Communications

Alert Communications has been working in the legal field since 1965. It has helped thousands of law firms and lawyers over the years by providing them with quality customer service in the area of firm administration.

Additionally, the virtual receptionists at Alert Communications are highly trained in legal terminology and subjects, so they can interact with attorneys and clients in a language they understand. They also offer various business services that small and large law firms find helpful, such as document delivery, retainer processing, and consultation scheduling.

And of course, these virtual receptionists offer the following standard services:

• Call answering and routing
• Message management
• Scheduling appointments
• 24/7 availability
• Bilingual receptionists (Spanish and English)

Exact pricing information can be learned by calling Alert Communications directly. Month-to-month contracts are available.   

3. Answering Legal

Answering Legal works exclusively within the legal field, so you can rely on their knowledge of important considerations when working with law firms. Law firms that choose Answering Legal benefit from the exceptional customer service provided by well-trained staff to answer their clients' needs.

One great feature offered by Answering Legal's dedicated team gives its clients the ability to receive phone calls before they reach the legal virtual receptionist service. If a client does not answer after a specified number of rings, the call will then be routed to the appropriate virtual receptionist. This feature gives you a refreshing degree of flexibility while ensuring that you miss no incoming calls and only take those you want.

Answering Legal offers the following services:

• Call answering and call routing
• Message management
• Appointment scheduling
• Upgraded call forwarding
• Outbound calling

Pricing for Answering Legal is easy on the budget. The company even offers a free trial program for new clients. Additionally, firms with high volumes of legal clients have access to custom pricing.

4. Back Office Betties

Back Office Betties is one of the best virtual receptionist services available for law firms. On top of call answering services, Back Office Betties can also handle some of the day-to-day business duties law firms must engage in, such as processing payments from clients, setting up and managing appointments, and scheduling and managing calls with clients and other law firms.

Back Office Betties does not offer 24/7 answering services. Instead, its receptionists are available Monday through Friday from 5 am to 5 pm. This is a limiting factor that may not work for some.

Services offered by Back Office Betties include:

• Call answering and routing services
• Spanish-English bilingual virtual receptionists
• Appointment scheduling
• Message management
• Outbound call management
• Payment processing

Pricing for the company's services runs a range, with higher-priced plans at the top of the range for the industry.

5. Smith.ai

Smith.ai is a top virtual receptionist service provider that goes beyond typical call-answering services to cater specifically to the needs of lawyers and legal professionals. With Smith.ai, you can benefit from their prequalification process, which helps filter potential clients and increase your closing rate. This saves you time and money by focusing your efforts on qualified leads who are more likely to convert into clients.

Smith.ai also offers various follow-up methods, ensuring that potential clients receive timely and effective communication, enhancing the overall client experience. By delegating these frontline communications to Smith.ai, lawyers can focus on their practice and build a more successful law firm. 

Leveraging intelligent technology, Smith.ai prioritizes calls, handles appointment scheduling, facilitates payment collection, and even assists with secretarial tasks like making outbound calls. Their services include:

• Round-the-clock legal virtual receptionist
• English-Spanish bilingual receptionist services
• Appointment and call scheduling
• Outbound call service
• Payment collection and management
• Client filtering
• Service customization

Pricing for Smith.ai's standard plans is competitive. They also have custom plans if you don't find what you need among their available options. However, custom plans may be pricier.

6. Ruby

Ruby is one of the best virtual receptionist services and can be relied on to provide assistance to growing law firms trying to conserve resources. Ruby offers legal answering services 24/7, and you can customize how your virtual receptionist answering calls, taking messages or transferring to specific lines.

You get your personal business number with a local area code and can even use it on different lines. Ruby has Spanish-speaking virtual receptionists to help you translate and communicate better with your Spanish-speaking clients.

The Ruby mobile app is a plus too, allowing you to manage most of the service aspect through your smartphone. Moreover, Ruby continuously improves its operations by working with solutions-based groups like Clio, ultimately benefiting its legal industry clients.

When you choose Ruby, you get the following services:

• Call answering and routing
• Message management
• Outbound calls
• Access to its mobile app
• Bilingual Spanish-English services

Ruby has various pricing plans available. How much you ultimately end up paying depends on your law firm's needs.

7. LEX Reception

LEX Reception exclusively serves the legal industry, providing specialized care for law firm clients with their virtual receptionist services, even in Spanish. LEX Reception also offers a range of secretarial and commercial services for law firms, such as legal scheduling and appointment setting, lead generation and vetting, and legal intake available 24/7.

Working with a virtual receptionist service that can help grow your business is a smart option for growing and small law firms and can save you time and money and improve efficiency. Choosing LEX Reception gives you access to the following services:

• Virtual receptionist service and call routing
• Message management
• Client intake process
• Bilingual virtual receptionists
• Lead qualifying
• Appointment scheduling
• 24/7 technical help

As far as pricing is concerned, you can't really beat LEX Reception for all of the services they offer.

8. Posh Virtual Receptionists

Posh Virtual Receptionists puts you in charge and lets you determine how much or how little you want its virtual receptionists handling your calls. The company offers more than just telephone attorney virtual receptionist. Clients have the ability to choose from various features that will help them expand their law firm's reach, including:

• Scheduling appointments and conference calls
• Managing messages
• After-hours call handling and routing
• Bilingual virtual receptionist services

Pricing starts under $100 for monthly service plans, with the highest value plans coming in at under $1,000.

9. Legal Intake Professionals

Legal Intake Professionals (LIP) offers specialized virtual receptionist services for lawyers, focusing on client intake and call handling. Their team is trained to understand the nuances of legal terminology and client service, ensuring that every interaction is handled with professionalism and confidentiality. LIP's services are available 24/7, making sure that law practices never miss a call. They provide detailed client intake processes, screen calls, and schedule appointments efficiently, integrating seamlessly with legal software to streamline operations. Key features include:

• 24/7 live answering
• Detailed client intake processes
• Call screening
• Appointment scheduling
• Integration with legal software
• Confidential and professional call handling

Legal Intake Professionals offers customized pricing based on the specific needs of the law practice, with plans typically starting at $150 per month.

10. Conversational

Conversational provides high-quality virtual receptionist services tailored for law firms. Their experienced team of virtual receptionists is trained to answer calls, screen calls, and schedule appointments with a focus on enhancing client service. Conversational ensures that each interaction reflects the law practice's professionalism and standards. Available 24/7, they guarantee that client calls are never missed. They also offer integration with legal software, making it easier for law firms to manage client communications and appointments seamlessly. Key features are:

• 24/7 live answering
• Call screening
• Appointment scheduling
• Integration with legal software
• Professional and confidential call handling
• Customizable call scripts

Conversational's plans start at $129 per month, with various tiers available depending on the call volume and additional services required.

11. Answering365

Answering365 specializes in providing virtual receptionist services for lawyers, offering a comprehensive suite of services including many intake-related processes, call answering, and appointment scheduling. Their team of virtual receptionists is available 24/7 to ensure that no client call goes unanswered. Answering365 integrates with legal software, allowing seamless management of client information and appointments. They focus on delivering professional and confidential service, enhancing the overall client experience for law practices. Answering365's key features are:

• 24/7 live answering
• Client intake services
• Call screening
• Appointment scheduling
• Integration with legal software
• Professional and confidential service

Answering365 offers flexible pricing plans starting at $95 per month, with options to accommodate different call volumes and specific needs of the law practice.

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Explore the Versatile Features of Smith.ai Virtual Assistant with Maddy Martin

In the podcast episode, Maddy discusses how Smith.ai can act as a law firm's assistant by handling all frontline communication and qualifying leads through pre-screening questions. She explores how Smith.ai can increase business by ensuring every potential client is responded to on the same day. Maddy also outlines its features like text and web chat support, outbound call campaigns, and follow-up methods using videos and emails to continue engaging leads.

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Maddy Martin

Senior Vice President of Growth at Smith.ai

Maddy Martin is the SVP of Growth at Smith.ai, a leading virtual communication provider for small businesses. With over 15 years of experience, she has developed deep expertise in key areas that drive growth for startups such as digital marketing, lead conversion, email campaigns, partnerships, search engine optimization, and event marketing.

Prior to Smith.ai, Maddy held marketing roles at various technology startups across New York and California where she helped scale their businesses through innovative integrated marketing strategies. As the head of Growth, she works to expand Smith.ai's client base and brand nationwide.

How to Choose the Right Virtual Receptionist for Your Law Firm

Selecting the ideal virtual receptionist is essential for maintaining smooth operations and enhancing client satisfaction. Here are key points to consider:

• Phone Call Handling: Ensure the service efficiently manages phone calls to avoid missed calls, which is vital for both potential and existing clients.
• Answering Service: Look for a comprehensive answering service that provides a toll-free phone number, improving your firm's accessibility.
• Online Access: Opt for services offering online access to monitor and manage calls in real-time, even remotely.
• Software Integrations: Choose a virtual receptionist that integrates seamlessly with your existing software, such as calendar systems and client management tools.

With focus on these fundamental aspects, you can select a virtual receptionist service that meets and exceeds your law firm's needs, ensuring a professional and efficient client experience.

Optimize Your Law Firm's Communication with Top Virtual Receptionists for Lawyers

Client communication is a pillar of a successful law firm. And it begins with that first phone call. However, some firms may not have the luxury of employing a dedicated phone person. Fortunately, there is a way to ensure that every call to your office receives the professional attention it deserves.

With virtual receptionist for lawyers handling your calls, you can focus your energies on your existing clients instead of worrying about the phone. And you can significantly cut down on your operating costs.

Grow Law Firm is a premier, high-performance attorney SEO company that offers an array of business services designed to help attorneys like you grow their firm sustainably and effectively. Contact us today and let's talk about your future.