AI receptionists for law firms: what to check before you buy

A missed call can be a missed case. That is why so many firms now look at AI receptionists, live answering services, or a mix. This guide shows how these services really charge, what happens to your callers' information, and which contract lines to read twice.

General information, not legal advice. Every fact links to the vendor's own page, checked Oct 19, 2026.

Step 1: Know the three ways they charge

Services price in very different ways, so the "cheapest" plan depends on how your calls look.

Service	How it charges	Starting point
Smith.ai (AI)	Per call	Free for 25 calls, then $3 per call; Pro from $150 for 75 calls (Smith.ai AI pricing)
Smith.ai (live)	Per call	$300 for 30 calls (Smith.ai receptionist pricing)
Ruby (live)	Per minute	$250 for 50 minutes (Ruby pricing)
Posh (live or AI plus live)	Per minute	$65 plan with no minutes included, $2.30 a minute (Posh pricing); AI minutes cost less on AI plans (Posh AI)
Abby Connect (live plus AI)	Per "Abby Minute"	$164 for 50 Abby Minutes; an AI minute counts as half (Abby pricing)
Clio Grow AI	Per hired matter	Billed when a lead Grow AI helped is marked hired (Clio help); LawSites reported $25 each (LawSites)

(All checked Oct 19, 2026.)

Our tip: pull last month's call log. Count calls and average length. Short calls favor per minute plans. Long intake calls favor per call plans.

Step 2: Find out what a "minute" really is

Per minute services count more than talk time.

Ruby: rounds each call up to the next 60 seconds and counts hold time and the receptionist's after call note time (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
Posh: rounds up to 60 seconds and counts after call message time. AI agent time is billed too (Posh terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
Abby Connect: counts ring, talk, and transfer time, rounded up to 30 seconds, but not hold time (Abby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Step 3: Know when a human is actually there

Abby Connect's standard live hours are 5am to 9pm Pacific on weekdays and 6am to 6pm Pacific on weekends, with AI covering 24/7, unless you set up 24/7 live answering (Abby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
Smith.ai's AI plans can hand a call to a live agent for $3 extra (Smith.ai home page, checked Oct 19, 2026).
Posh's AI can transfer to a live receptionist for complex or sensitive needs (Posh AI, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Step 4: Ask what happens to caller data

Callers tell receptionists very private things. Here is what each service publishes.

Question	Smith.ai	Ruby	Posh	Abby Connect
AI training stated?	Not published; may use data for "improving our Services" (terms)	Not addressed; may use data "to build or improve the quality of its services" (DPA)	Not addressed (terms)	Not published; transcripts go to an unnamed AI provider for summaries (privacy)
Recording kept	About 3 months (home page)	Not published	Up to 90 days (terms)	Not published
Liability cap	What you paid in the 24 months before a claim (terms)	Lesser of 15 days' fees or $500 (DPA)	Lesser of 15 days' fees or $500 (terms)	What you paid in the prior 12 months, or $100 if greater (terms)
SOC 2 published	No	No	No	No

(All checked Oct 19, 2026. "No" means we did not find it on the vendor's public site.)

None of these four publishes a SOC 2 report on its website. That does not mean they lack one. It means you should ask.

The ABA's Formal Opinion 512 says lawyers should check whether a vendor is "configured to preserve the confidentiality and security of information" and should look at "limitations on the [the tool's] liability" (ABA Formal Opinion 512, checked Oct 19, 2026). A receptionist service is an outside vendor handling client information, so these checks apply.

Many services record calls. Some states require every person on a call to agree to recording. The Digital Media Law Project's guide lists California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington as "two-party consent" states, with notes on Illinois, Hawaii, and Massachusetts (DMLP guide, checked Oct 19, 2026). That guide may not be fully current, so check your own state's law.

Some contracts put this on you. Abby Connect's terms say that if you turn on recording, you are solely responsible for making sure it follows the law (Abby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026). Ask every vendor: what does the greeting say, and who is responsible if it is not enough?

Step 6: Read the exit terms before you sign

Service	Contract	Getting out
Smith.ai	Month to month; no refunds or proration for unused time (terms)	Billed through the end of the monthly cycle (pricing FAQ)
Ruby	Renews every 30 days; downgrades need three billing periods on a level (terms)	Number can be released 3 months after you leave if not ported (terms)
Posh	Renews monthly; no refunds for early termination (terms)	All data deleted when the account ends (terms)
Abby Connect	After the first 30 days, 30 days' notice to cancel (terms)	Content may be deleted right away if access ends (terms)

(All checked Oct 19, 2026.)

Our tip: before you sign up, make sure you control your main phone number and can forward it away in minutes. Before you cancel, export every message and recording you need.

Step 7: The 12 questions to send every vendor

Copy these into an email.

Do you use my callers' information to train any AI model? Please answer in writing.
Which outside companies, including AI providers, process my calls?
Where is call data stored, by country?
How long do you keep recordings, transcripts, and messages?
Can I get a full export when I leave? In what format?
Do you have a SOC 2 report or similar audit I can read?
Will you sign a BAA if I handle health information?
What is your liability cap, and will you raise it?
How fast will you tell me about a breach?
How is a "minute" or "call" counted? Do ring, hold, and wrap up time count?
What does the recording notice say to callers?
How do conflict checks work, and does your system read my contact list?

Our take

This is our opinion, based on the sourced facts above. Pick on fit first: per call or per minute, live or AI, and which case software it feeds. Then let the data answers break the tie. A service that answers the 12 questions clearly in writing is usually a safer bet than one with a lower price and vague terms.

See our listings for full Data Trail cards: Smith.ai, Ruby, Posh, Abby Connect, and Clio Grow AI.

Last checked: Oct 19, 2026. Published by the team behind The Small Firm Stack, who also build phone and intake systems for law firms. See our About page for the full disclosure. We never list, rank, or review ourselves. No vendor paid for this page and it has no affiliate links. Not legal advice.