Ruby review: live virtual receptionists for small law firms

What it does: Ruby is a live virtual receptionist service that answers calls 24/7 and can also run website chat. It offers scheduling, lead intake, English and Spanish answering, payment processing, and voicemail and chat transcripts (Ruby home page, Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Who it fits: Firms that want a real person to answer every call and are fine paying by the minute. Ruby's pricing page lists "Attorneys, small firms, and other legal professionals" among the groups it serves (Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Price

Receptionist plans (Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026):

Chat plans start at up to 10 chats for $115 a month (Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026). Ruby says there are no fees for activation, onboarding, or setup. The page also mentions "optional AI enhancements" without full detail (Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026).

How minutes are counted: Minutes are billed in 60 second steps, and each call is rounded up. The count includes hold time and the time a receptionist spends finishing notes after the caller hangs up (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026). Paying by credit card adds a 3.0% surcharge where the law allows (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Where your client data goes

Data Trail card

Question	What Ruby says	Source
Where is caller data stored?	Country or region not published. Ruby's data addendum says stored data is encrypted using Microsoft tools such as BitLocker or Azure encryption.	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
Is it used to train AI?	Not addressed directly. The addendum lets Ruby use customer personal data "for internal use by the Provider to build or improve the quality of its services."	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
How long is it kept?	Call data retention period not published. When you ask in writing, Ruby must return a full copy of your data and delete other copies, unless the law requires keeping it.	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
Can callers get data deleted?	Ruby says it will not delete personal information when a consumer asks, because it acts as a service provider. It also says its records are read only, so a correction becomes a new record and the old one stays.	Privacy policy, checked Oct 19, 2026
Who else touches it?	Ruby may use subprocessors under a general approval. You get 7 days to object to a new one, and you can ask for copies of their agreements. A named list is not published on the pages we read.	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
Encryption	Stored data encrypted; data in transit uses HTTPS (TLS 1.2).	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
Breach notice	Within 72 hours of Ruby learning of a security incident.	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
SOC 2 or other audit	Not published. The addendum mentions "annual certification audits for several services" but does not name them.	Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026
BAA (for health information)	Yes, for customers who opt into Ruby's HIPAA compliant service.	Ruby help center, checked Oct 19, 2026

Integrations

Ruby connects with Clio Manage and Clio Grow. In Clio Manage, Ruby calls, messages, and voicemails show up in the communication logs, and you can add a time entry from the call length. In Clio Grow, calls and messages flow into the matter pipeline (Clio app directory, Ruby help center, checked Oct 19, 2026). Clio matches a call to a contact when the first name, last name, and calling number all match (Ruby help center, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Watch out: Ruby says its Clio Manage integration does not meet the security needs for protected health information and should not be used with its HIPAA compliant service (Ruby help center, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Setup effort and hidden costs

• No setup or activation fees (Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• Minute rounding, hold time, and after call note time all count toward your plan (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• 3.0% surcharge on credit card payments (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Contract traps

• Your plan renews every 30 days unless you cancel (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• New customers get a 90 day window to adjust their plan. Outside that window, a downgrade needs three billing periods on the same level first, and an upgrade applies to the current billing period and at least the next two (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• The money back guarantee ends at 21 days or 500 receptionist minutes, whichever comes first (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• Ruby can release your phone number if you do not port it away within three months after you leave (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• Liability cap: Ruby's total liability is limited to the lesser of 15 days of your monthly fee or $500 (Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• Disputes go to binding arbitration unless you opt out (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Questions to ask Ruby

1. Does "build or improve the quality of its services" include training AI on my callers' words?
2. Where are recordings and messages stored, and for how long?
3. Which outside companies, including AI or transcription providers, process my calls?
4. Do you have a SOC 2 report or similar audit I can read?
5. Will you raise the $500 liability cap for a law firm?

Strengths

• Simple published plans with live people answering 24/7 (Ruby pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• Real Clio Manage and Clio Grow connections, including time entries from call logs (Clio app directory, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• A written data addendum with a 72 hour breach promise and a right to get your data back (Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026).

Limits

• Minute rounding plus hold and note time can make real costs higher than the plan suggests (Ruby terms, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• Very low liability cap (Data Processing Addendum, checked Oct 19, 2026).
• No published security audit, storage location, or retention period (checked Oct 19, 2026).

Our take

This is our opinion, based on the sourced facts above. Ruby is a solid choice if you want people, not bots, on the phone. Its data addendum is more detailed than most receptionist services, which is a plus. The weak spots are the $500 liability cap and the vague "improve its services" wording. Track your real minutes for the first month, because rounding and wrap up time add up.

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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. Vendors can send corrections through our About page.