FAQ & Chat Assistant for Law Firms
Answer your most common customer questions instantly — 24/7, without staff involvement.
Why this matters for Law Firms
Most of the questions on a law firm's website never need an attorney to answer them: what's your consultation fee, do you take this kind of case, what documents should I bring, do you handle cases in my county, what's the statute of limitations on my claim. A properly scoped FAQ chat assistant handles those without ever creating an attorney-client relationship or giving legal advice — and it hands off to a human the moment the question crosses into matter-specific territory. The key is careful prompt design: the assistant answers only pre-approved questions from a curated knowledge base, and for anything else it collects contact info and hands off to intake. Done right, this deflects 50–65% of low-value inbound while still capturing the high-intent leads for your intake team.
Real examples from Law Firms
An estate planning firm in Minneapolis runs a chat that answers questions about will vs. trust, probate timelines, and document prep fees — deflecting 58% of inbound chats while booking 22 consults per month from the rest. A DUI defense practice in San Diego uses chat to answer 'do you handle cases in [county]?' and 'what are your fees for a first offense?' — freeing the intake paralegal from repetitive calls. An employment law firm in Chicago deflects HR-policy questions (not representable matters) while routing wrongful-termination inquiries into a paid consultation funnel.
Workflow Steps
Collect your top 20 questions
Ask your front desk or customer service team: what are the 20 questions they answer every single week? Document the exact answers you want given.
Choose your channel
Decide where the bot will live: website chat widget, SMS, Google Business Chat, or Facebook Messenger. For most SMBs, SMS is highest engagement.
Build the knowledge base
Input your Q&A pairs into your chosen platform (GHL, Tidio, Intercom, or a custom GPT). Include hours, pricing ranges, service area, policies, and booking instructions.
Set escalation rules
If the bot can't answer, or if a user asks to 'speak to a person,' route the conversation to a human immediately. Never trap users in an AI loop.
Test with real questions
Have team members test it with actual questions customers ask. Refine answers that are confusing or incomplete.
Monitor and improve
Review unanswered questions weekly for the first month. Every gap is a training opportunity.
Copy-paste templates
Tuned for Law Firms. Use as-is or adapt to your voice.
You are a receptionist chatbot for [Firm Name], a [practice area] firm in [jurisdiction]. You ONLY answer the following approved questions: - Consultation fees and what's included - Practice areas and case types we handle - Counties and states where we're licensed - Office hours and location - What documents to bring to a consultation - Payment options (flat fee, hourly, contingency) You NEVER: give legal advice, predict case outcomes, discuss specific facts of a matter, quote statute of limitations for a specific situation, or confirm we'll take a case. If the user asks anything outside the approved list, respond: 'That's a great question for one of our attorneys. I can schedule a paid consultation — what's the best phone number to reach you?' Always end with: 'This chat does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not legal advice.'
Immediately hand off to human intake (with transcript) if the user says any of: - 'I was just arrested' / 'I have a hearing' - 'the other side just' / 'my ex just' - 'I was served' - 'statute of limitations' - 'can you take my case' - 'what should I do' - mentions a specific court date within 14 days - mentions a dollar amount in dispute Hand-off message: 'This needs an attorney's attention. Let me get you on a call with our intake team right now — what's a good number?'
Q: What is your consultation fee? A: Our consultation is $[amount] for 30 minutes. If you engage us, the consultation fee is credited toward your retainer. Q: What practice areas do you handle? A: We handle [list: family law, estate planning, personal injury]. We do not handle [list: criminal, immigration, tax]. Q: What counties are you licensed in? A: [Attorney] is licensed in [state] and regularly practices in [county list]. Q: What should I bring to my consultation? A: For [matter type], please bring: [document list]. If you don't have all of these, come anyway — we can discuss what's needed.
Hi! You've reached [Business Name]. I'm an AI assistant — I can answer questions about our services, hours, and pricing. What would you like to know? (Reply HUMAN any time to talk to our team.)
Our hours are [Hours]. We're closed on [Days]. For after-hours emergencies, call [Emergency Number]. Would you like to schedule an appointment?
Our [service] starts at [price range]. Final pricing depends on [factors]. Would you like a free quote? I can connect you with our team right now.
When NOT to use this
Don't deploy a bot for high-stakes first contacts where trust is critical (e.g., someone calling about a legal emergency or dental pain). The bot should feel helpful, not like a barrier. Always make it easy to reach a human.
Weekly workflow ideas for Law Firms
One practical AI tip per week. No fluff.
Ready to implement this in your law firms business?
Get the full guide with niche templates and workflow imports.