It screens the first enquiry
It asks what it is about, which area of law it fits and since when. If the firm doesn't handle that kind of matter, it says so politely instead of making you waste an appointment.
Voice agents · a service for law firms
Your law firm's phone, always answered.
An AI voice agent that acts as a virtual receptionist: it picks up your firm's calls, understands why they are calling, collects the details of the matter and puts the appointment in your calendar. In Spanish and at any hour.
- Connects to your current number
- Data processor agreement (GDPR)
- Pilot on a test number before touching anything
Agent
0:02Martínez y Asociados law firm, good evening. You are speaking to the firm's virtual assistant; this call is recorded. How can I help you?
Client
0:11I was told today that I've been dismissed and I don't know what to do.
Agent
0:16We handle that. I can't assess your case over the phone, but I'll book you an appointment with an employment lawyer. Were you given a letter?
Client
0:31Yes, today.
Agent
0:34Please bring it. I have a slot tomorrow at 10:00 or on Thursday at 17:30.
On hanging up · new record
- Name
- Carmen R.
- Phone
- 6•• ••• 412
- Matter
- Employment · dismissal
- Notified
- Today, by letter
- Appointment
- Tomorrow, 10:00
- Attachment
- Transcript and summary
Illustrative example, with a made-up firm and client: each firm decides what the agent asks and what it doesn't. Nobody had to pick up the phone at nine at night.
The call you don't pick up is the client who calls the firm next door
In a small or medium-sized firm, the phone rings while you are in a hearing, in a meeting or drafting.
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New clients
The first one to answer gets the case
Someone looking for a lawyer calls several and stays with the one who answers and gives them an appointment. A voicemail is a way out.
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Interruptions
Many calls are not from new clients
“How is my case going?”, “What time was the appointment?”. They are necessary and they pull you away from what you were doing.
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Hours
Emergencies don't watch the clock
An arrest, a dismissal notified on a Friday afternoon, an eviction with a date set. Out of hours, either someone is there or the answering machine is.
What it does for your firm
It acts as an AI virtual receptionist, set up with your areas of law, your hours and your way of working. It is not a “press 1 for civil law” menu.
It books the appointment
It checks the firm's real calendar, offers slots and books the appointment with the name, the phone number and the reason. Then it sends the confirmation.
It takes the details of the matter
The basics before the first visit: parties, dates, whether a deadline is running and what documents there are. You arrive at the meeting with the record already filled in.
It looks after the clients you already have
It answers the repetitive questions (address, opening hours, what to bring, when the appointment is) and only passes you what needs judgement.
It calls to remind
It confirms appointments and gives notice of a court appearance or of missing documents. Fewer missed visits and fewer emails nobody opens.
It passes you the call with context
When a person is needed, it transfers the call with what it has already collected. The client doesn't tell their story twice.
It connects to what you already have
You don't change your number, your phone operator or your case management software.
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Connection
Call forwarding, SIP trunk or its own number. It can pick up only the calls you don't answer.
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Conversation
It understands what it is told in natural language, with the context of your areas of law and your hours.
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Action
It checks the calendar, books, creates the contact's record and notifies whoever needs to know.
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Logging
It leaves the transcript, the summary and the reason wherever you work: email, spreadsheet or case management software.
Where we draw the line
A law firm cannot afford a machine that improvises on someone else's matter. These rules are not optional.
- It does not give legal advice.
- It does not assess the case, predict outcomes, confirm deadlines or commit to fees. It answers, collects and refers: the judgement belongs to the lawyer.
- It identifies itself as a virtual assistant.
- At the start of the call, always. And it says that the call is recorded.
- It collects the bare minimum.
- Just enough to book an appointment and refer the matter to the right lawyer. The client tells the full story to a person.
- Data processor agreement.
- The firm is the data controller; we sign as processor (article 28 of the GDPR), with the list of sub-processors in writing.
- It escalates as soon as it is unsure.
- If the conversation goes off script or the caller asks to speak to a person, it transfers the call with the context already collected. It doesn't insist.
- You decide when it steps in.
- Only out of hours, only when the line is busy, or always. And it switches off in one click.
The two halves of a lawyer's day
The calls coming in and the text going out. Both made by the same team.
Voice agent · what comes in
A service we set up on the firm's phone system. It answers, screens, books and passes you what matters. It is set up with us, in weeks, through NAXIA Legal, which also automates the firm's case files and documents. How it connects to the calendar and the case management software, and what the regulations say, in the NAXIA Legal voice agent (in Spanish).
ablalo · what goes out
The dictation app you can download today: briefs, claims, reports and emails by speaking in Spanish, in any program. It also transcribes hearings and meetings in Spanish, on your own computer. See ablalo.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is an AI voice agent?
A system that holds phone conversations in natural language on behalf of the firm: it answers the call, understands why they are calling, collects the basic details of the matter, checks the calendar and books the appointment. When the conversation goes beyond what was planned, it transfers to a person with the context already collected. It is not a “press 1” menu, nor an answering machine.
Can it give legal advice?
No, and it shouldn't. It is set up not to assess the case, not to give deadlines or legal opinions and not to commit to fees. Its job is to answer, identify the matter, collect the details and put the call in front of the right lawyer. Legal judgement remains with the lawyer registered with the Bar.
How is professional secrecy protected?
With two design decisions: callers are told at the start of the call that they are speaking to a virtual assistant and that the call is recorded, and only the minimum data needed to book and refer is collected, so the client tells the story of the matter to a person. The firm is the data controller and signs a processor agreement (article 28 of the GDPR) with the list of sub-processors. It is the same logic we apply in the dictation app, which you can read about in client confidentiality and the GDPR when using AI.
Can you tell it is not a person?
It identifies itself as a virtual assistant at the start, because hiding it would be a legal and trust problem. That said, the voice is natural, it responds in under a second and you can interrupt it mid-sentence, so the conversation flows like a normal call rather than like an answering machine.
Do we have to change our number or phone system?
No. It connects to the firm's current number through call forwarding, a SIP trunk or a cloud telephony provider. It can be switched on only out of hours, only when the line is busy, or for all calls.
What languages does it answer in?
Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician, English and French. It detects the caller's language and can switch within the same call, which is usually what firms with foreign clients value most.
How long does it take to set up?
Between 4 and 8 weeks, starting with a pilot on a test number: first the conversation and the referral tree by area of law are designed, then it is integrated with the calendar and the case management software, and finally it is tested with real calls before touching the main number.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the areas of law it covers, the call volume and the integrations. That is why there is no price on this page: we look at it in the first call with your specific case and send you a fixed proposal before we start.
How is it different from the dictation app?
You download the dictation app to write by speaking. The voice agent is a service we set up on your firm's phone system to answer incoming calls. Both are made by the same team: one saves you drafting time and the other, interruptions.
Hear your future voice agent
Tell us which calls are slipping through and we will build a demo with your firm's real case. Fifteen minutes, no commitment.
Prefer to write? hola@ablalo.com
You may also be interested in: the guide to voice agents for law firms · how to dictate a legal brief · client confidentiality and the GDPR with AI