AI intake for law firms: real examples and how to set it up

Updated 2026-10-23 · Based on 7 real use cases on this site, each linked to its source.

AI intake is an AI agent that handles a law firm's first contact with a possible client. It answers the phone (or chat), asks your screening questions, decides if the case fits your practice, and then books a consultation, live-transfers the caller to an attorney, or takes a detailed message. It does not give legal advice.

For a small firm, the problem is simple: you're in court or with a client, the phone rings, and the person calls the next firm on Google. Below are real personal injury, criminal defense and general practice firms that put AI on intake, what they used, and the steps you can copy.

On this page: Real examples · How to set one up · FAQ

What AI intake does for a small firm

Answers every call, including nights, weekends and when staff are on another line.
Asks the same screening questions every time, so good cases aren't missed because of who picked up.
Scores the lead against your rules and tells you which callers to call back first.
Live-transfers good cases to an attorney while the caller is still on the line.
Creates the lead or matter in your CRM, with a summary and recording.
Turns away cases outside your practice areas and filters spam and sales calls.

What it should not do

Give legal advice or tell a caller whether they have a case. Have it say an attorney will review.
Promise a result, a fee or a deadline it hasn't been told about.
Pretend to be a person. Decide how it says it's AI, and give callers a way to reach staff.

AI intake vs. a legal answering service

A typical answering service takes a message. In our examples, a Boston firm found that just leaving a message with its old service could take three minutes.
AI intake can screen the case during the call and send good ones straight to a person. One injury firm's agent puts qualified callers on hold, calls staff, gives a short summary and connects them.
It can create the matter in your CRM when the call ends. A Charlotte traffic and criminal firm has its AI create matters in Lawmatics.
It can answer many calls at once, so nobody waits on hold.

Real examples by type of firm

Every result below is what the linked source reports. Company case studies are written by the tool maker, so read them with that in mind.

Personal injury firms

Answer law firm intake calls and pass hot cases to staff. Tool: Eve (legal AI intake). Missed or unanswered intake calls went from about 20% to zero, and the firm saves about 15 hours a week on intake. In the first week it signed 3 of 5 transferred callers, and its first warm-transfer client within a day.
Let a solo injury lawyer's AI handle intake and score leads 24/7. Tool: Law Practice AI intake. Month 1 to month 3: leads 42, 60, 78; signed cases 6, 8, 11; missed-call rate 27%, 10%, 3%. The vendor reports a 21x yearly return. No intake staff were hired.
Let an AI receptionist do new client intake for an injury law firm. Tool: Smith.ai AI Receptionist. The attorney says every call with new business now gets answered, and the AI's intake details often remove the need for follow-up calls. No numbers given.

Criminal defense and traffic firms

Replace a legal answering service with an AI that screens traffic and criminal cases. Tool: Retell AI voice receptionist + Lawmatics. 108 qualified matters, 57 quoted (52.8%), and 14 new clients signed (about 26% of quoted prospects). In the best week, with fast follow-up, 5 of 7 quoted prospects signed.
Send new client calls straight to a criminal defense lawyer. Tool: Upfirst (AI receptionist). He calls the difference 'night and day' and says live transfers mean he reaches possible new clients while they are still on the line. No numbers given.

Small general practice firms

Replace a costly answering service at a two-person law firm. Tool: Upfirst (AI receptionist). He had been paying $1,000 to $2,500 a month for his old answering service and now has a reliable backup for the first time, he says.
Replace a slow after-hours answering service at a small law firm. Tool: Upfirst (AI receptionist). Messages and summaries land in his inbox with full transcripts, and the firm says it cut costs compared with the old answering service. No numbers given.

How to set up AI intake at your law firm, step by step

Check how many calls you miss. Look at your phone records for a few weeks, during the day and after hours. In our examples, a solo injury lawyer was missing 27% of calls in the first month, and another injury firm about 20%.
Write down what makes a good case. List your practice areas and the facts you need. An injury firm in our list screens for negligence, an injury and someone to sue. A traffic and criminal firm asks for the case type, court date and county.
Decide what happens to each kind of caller. Good new case: book a consult or live-transfer. Outside your practice area: politely refer them on. Existing client: take a message. Spam: end the call.
Connect it to your calendar and CRM. Have it book consults into your calendar and log every lead, including the 2 a.m. calls, in your CRM or case software.
Start with overflow and after hours. Two firms in our list send only rollover or after-hours calls to the AI. Widen it once you trust it.
Call back fast. AI intake catches the lead, but you still have to sign the client. The Charlotte firm's best week came when follow-up calls were quick.
Listen to calls every week. Review a few recordings and fix the questions where it went wrong. The Charlotte firm improved its script week by week.

Frequently asked questions

What is AI intake for a law firm?

An AI agent that answers a firm's calls or chats from possible new clients, asks screening questions, checks if the case fits the firm, and then books a consult, transfers the caller to staff, or takes a message. It logs everything for the attorney to review.

Can AI intake give legal advice?

It shouldn't. Every example on this page tells the AI not to give legal advice. Its job is to collect facts and route the caller, and an attorney decides what to do.

Can it transfer good cases to an attorney?

Yes. A San Antonio criminal defense firm has its AI live-transfer possible new clients to the lawyer or staff, and a personal injury firm's AI puts qualified callers on hold, briefs staff and connects the call.

Does it work with legal CRMs?

Some do. A Charlotte traffic and criminal firm's AI creates new matters in Lawmatics when the call ends, and a solo injury lawyer's AI logs every lead in the CRM. Check that the tool connects to the software you already use.

Is it worth it for a solo or two-person firm?

Several examples are tiny firms: a solo injury lawyer in Phoenix, a two-person firm in Louisiana, and a small Boston firm. For them the main win is not missing new clients while in court, without hiring intake staff.

What results have law firms reported?

As reported by each source: a solo injury lawyer's missed calls went from 27% to 3% and signed cases from 6 to 11 a month over three months; an injury firm went from missing about 20% of intake calls to zero and saves about 15 hours a week; a Charlotte firm's AI created 108 qualified matters and 14 signed in about three months. Most are case studies written by the tool maker.

How is it different from a legal answering service?

An answering service mostly takes messages. AI intake can screen the case, score it, transfer it and log it in your CRM during the call. A two-person Louisiana firm had been paying $1,000 to $2,500 a month for an answering service before switching to an AI receptionist.

Using AI for intake at your law firm? Share your results.