A law firm answering service picks up your calls when you can't, takes the caller's details and passes the enquiry to you straight away. In the UK, an AI receptionist costs about £39 to £199 a month and a human answering service starts at about £49 a month plus call charges, often with a 90-day minimum term. For a law firm, the price matters less than three things: confidentiality, capturing conflict check details, and making sure no caller ever gets legal advice from a receptionist or a machine.
Key takeaways
- Most small UK firms will pay £39 to £199 a month for AI, or from about £49 a month plus calls for people.
- A legal answering service should take details, book consultations and route urgent matters, never advise.
- Callers should be told when they're speaking to AI. 79% of the public think lawyers should say when they use it.
- Your firm stays responsible under SRA rules, whoever or whatever answers the phone.
- Solo practitioners usually gain the most, because there's no one else to pick up while you're in court.
What a law firm answering service actually does
At its simplest, it answers the phone in your firm's name so no caller hears voicemail. A good legal answering service goes further and handles the first few minutes of every new enquiry for you.
- Answers in your firm's name. During busy periods, at lunch, out of hours, or every call if you prefer.
- Takes structured details. Name, contact details, what the matter is about and how urgent it is.
- Captures conflict check information. The name of the other party, so you can check for conflicts before you call back.
- Books consultations. Straight into your Outlook or Google calendar, with a confirmation to the caller.
- Routes urgent calls. Police station calls, injunctions or completion-day problems go to a person immediately.
- Sends you a summary. By email, text or WhatsApp, within a minute of the call ending.
What it should never do is give legal advice, quote on a matter it doesn't understand, or promise an outcome. That line matters more for a law firm than for almost any other business.
Human, AI or both?
There are three ways to run a legal answering service. Each suits a different kind of firm.
| Type | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human virtual receptionist | A trained receptionist in a call centre answers as your firm and takes a message | Distressed callers and complex conversations | Per-call or per-minute charges, minimum terms, limited out-of-hours cover on cheaper plans |
| AI receptionist | An AI voice answers, asks set questions, books the consultation and sends a summary | Out-of-hours calls, overflow, routine enquiries and booking | Must say it's AI, needs a careful script, and must hand over anything sensitive |
| Hybrid | AI handles routine calls and passes the rest to a person | Firms that want 24/7 cover without losing the human touch | Two systems to set up, so check who owns each step |
For most small firms, AI for out-of-hours and overflow calls, with urgent matters going straight to a solicitor, gives the best cover for the money.
UK legal answering service prices compared
These are published prices we found on each provider's own website in October 2026. None of them is specific to law firms, but all are used by them. Prices change often and usually exclude VAT, so check before you sign.
| Provider | Type | Published price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face for Business | Human (UK PAs) | From £49, £99 or £115 a month | Calls billed by the second on two plans. 90-day minimum, then 30-day rolling |
| Moneypenny | AI, with human backup available | From £49 a month | Quoted per business |
| Jodie | AI | £49, £99 or £199 a month | Unlimited minutes, no setup fee, month to month |
| Fasthosts | AI | £39, £69 or £99 a month | 30 calls, 100 calls or unlimited. Calendar booking from £69 |
Published prices checked 23 and 24 October 2026.
The headline price is rarely the full cost. Check what happens in a busy month, whether booking into your calendar is included, and whether you can leave without a long notice period. Our full guide to AI receptionist costs in the UK breaks this down further.
What law firms need that other businesses don't
A plumber's answering service and a solicitor's answering service are not the same thing. Before you choose, make sure the service can handle these.
- Confidentiality. The SRA warns that putting client information into AI tools can put confidentiality at risk, and expects firms to use only tools with proper safeguards, including not using client data to train the AI (SRA warning notice).
- Honesty about AI. The SRA says it should be made clear to clients when they're dealing with AI (SRA compliance tips). Clients agree: 79% of the public think lawyers should disclose AI use, but only 7% recall being told (Clio, 2026).
- You stay responsible. Using AI or an outsourced receptionist doesn't move responsibility away from the firm. Supervision duties still apply.
- Conflict checks. The intake should capture the other party's name, so you don't call back someone you can't act for.
- Urgent matters. Decide in advance what counts as urgent and make sure those calls reach a person, not a message queue.
- Data protection. Under UK GDPR, callers must be told how their details are used. Ask where recordings and transcripts are stored and for how long (ICO guidance).
Answering services for solo practitioners
If you're a sole practitioner, every call you miss while in court, at a client meeting or simply working is a potential client going elsewhere. Two in three UK small businesses miss at least one valuable call a day (BT and Censuswide, 2026), and more than half of firms in England and Wales say routine admin is their biggest behind-the-scenes problem (LexisNexis Bellwether, 2026).
For a solo firm, the sweet spot is usually an AI receptionist that answers when you're unavailable, books initial consultations into your diary and sends you a summary, with anything urgent forwarded to your mobile. It costs less than a part-time receptionist and covers evenings and weekends.
Attorney answering services in the US
In the US, the same service is usually called an attorney answering service or legal answering service. Published US prices run from about $200 a month for 100 minutes to over $1,400 a month for 1,000 minutes, according to a 2026 comparison of providers such as Veza Reception and Abby Connect (Lawyer Monthly). US firms also need to follow ABA guidance on AI and their state's rules on call recording consent, which differ from the UK.
10 questions to ask before you sign
- Does it say it's an AI, or a third-party receptionist, at the start of the call?
- Will it ever give advice or quotes? The answer should be no, unless you've approved a fixed fee.
- Does the intake capture conflict check details?
- How are urgent matters handled, and can you set the rules?
- Where is call data stored, who can see it, and for how long?
- Is client data ever used to train AI models?
- Can it book straight into your calendar?
- How fast does the summary reach you, and in what format?
- What's the minimum term and notice period?
- Can you test it as a caller before you pay?
See how it would work for your firm
SAL Digital sets up AI answering services, client intake and booking for UK law firms. It tells callers it's an AI, never gives advice, captures conflict check details and passes urgent calls to you. See the step-by-step example on our law firm page, then ask us for a free demo built around your practice areas.
Sources
- Provider pricing pages linked in the table above, checked 23 and 24 October 2026.
- SRA, warning notice on the use and misuse of AI and SRA compliance tips for solicitors.
- Clio, 2026 UK and Ireland Legal Insights Report (vendor survey of 500+ legal professionals and 500+ members of the public).
- LexisNexis Bellwether Report 2026, via Legal Futures (568 legal professionals in England and Wales).
- BT and Censuswide, September 2026 (BT newsroom).
- ICO, the right to be informed.
- Lawyer Monthly, best legal answering services 2026 (US pricing).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a law firm answering service cost in the UK?
Published UK prices start at about £39 to £199 a month for an AI receptionist and from about £49 a month plus call charges for a human answering service. Human services often have a 90-day minimum term, while most AI services are month to month.
What is a legal answering service?
A legal answering service answers a law firm's phone when staff can't, takes the caller's details, captures information for conflict checks, books consultations and passes urgent matters to a solicitor. It can be run by people, by AI, or by both.
Can an AI receptionist be used by a solicitor?
Yes, for taking enquiry details, booking consultations and handling out-of-hours calls. The SRA says clients should be told when they're dealing with AI and the firm stays responsible, so it should never give legal advice.
Is a law office answering service worth it for a solo practitioner?
Usually, yes. A solo solicitor can't answer the phone in court or in a meeting, and one new client a month often covers the cost of an AI answering service.
What's the difference between a virtual receptionist and an AI receptionist?
A virtual receptionist is a person in a call centre who answers as your firm. An AI receptionist is software that talks to callers, asks set questions and books appointments. Many firms use AI for routine and out-of-hours calls and people for sensitive ones.
Do callers have to be told they're speaking to AI?
They should be. The SRA says it should be made clear to clients when they're dealing with AI, and UK GDPR requires callers to be told how their details are used. A short line at the start of the call covers both.
What is an attorney answering service?
It's the American name for a legal answering service. US providers typically charge by the minute, from about $200 a month for 100 minutes.
Syed Latief
Syed founded SAL Digital to help UK small businesses get found on Google and stop losing enquiries. He holds an MBA, is a CPD-certified digital marketer and a certified systems administrator, holds a cyber security essentials certification, and builds and tests every automation SAL Digital sells.