Law firm call statistics
Law firm call statistics: how firms answer, and what clients expect
In Clio’s 2024 secret-shopper study, 40% of the law firms called answered the phone, down from 56% in 2019. 52% either answered or called back.
$149 a month, flat. First month free. Every answered call included. Cancel any time. About 8 hours of a receptionist’s pay (US median, BLS May 2025).
Call the number we give you from your own phone and hear the agent take an intake — up to 15 minutes of test calls, before you add a card. First month free: a 30-day free trial, every answered call included, one trial per firm. Card on file, nothing charged before day 31. No setup fee. Month to month.
Updated
The figures, each with its source
Every line names who measured it, in which year, and links to their own report.
- 40% of the law firms Clio’s secret shoppers called in 2024 answered the phone, down from 56% in 2019. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2024)
- 52% of the firms called in 2024 either answered or called back. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2024)
- 33% of the law firms Clio’s secret shoppers emailed in 2024 responded, down from 40% in 2019. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2024)
- 84% of the firms that responded to the 2024 emails did so within eight hours. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2024)
- 79% of consumers in Clio’s 2019 survey expected a response within 24 hours: 10% within an hour, 24% within a few hours and 45% within 24 hours. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2019)
- 64% of consumers in Clio’s 2019 survey said they had contacted a law firm, by phone or email, that never responded. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2019)
- 42% of consumers in Clio’s 2019 survey said that if they liked the first lawyer they spoke with, they would not speak with any others. (Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2019)
- 30.2% of attorneys in the ABA’s 2024 survey said their offices were using AI-based technology tools. (American Bar Association, 2024 Artificial Intelligence TechReport, 2024)
Figures from answering-service vendors are left out. Each study measured its own sample in its own year; the reports linked above describe how.
Only if you want it to. It answers whenever you route calls to it: only after hours, only when you don’t answer, or all the time. Forwarding only after hours means you keep answering in the day and your agent takes nights and weekends. (how the AI receptionist works)
Questions
What firms ask about these numbers.
How many law firms answer the phone?
In Clio’s 2024 secret-shopper study, 40% of the law firms called answered the phone, down from 56% in 2019. 52% either answered or called back.
How many law firms answer an email from a new client?
In the same 2024 study, 33% of the firms emailed responded, down from 40% in 2019; 84% of those that responded did so within eight hours.
How quickly do clients expect a law firm to respond?
In Clio’s 2019 consumer survey, 79% expected a response within 24 hours, and 10% within an hour.
How many law firms use AI tools?
In the ABA’s 2024 Artificial Intelligence TechReport, 30.2% of attorneys said their offices were using AI-based technology tools.
Where do these numbers come from?
From Clio’s 2019 and 2024 Legal Trends Reports and the ABA’s 2024 Artificial Intelligence TechReport, each linked above. Figures published only by answering-service vendors are left out.
First month free, then $149 a month
- Confirm your email: we send a link that signs you in, no password.
- Set up your agent: tell us about your firm, then call your number and hear it.
- Forward your calls to your number and add a card at checkout; the first month is free.
Try it on your own line
One plan, $149 a month, every answered call included. First month free: a 30-day free trial, every answered call included, one trial per firm. Card on file, nothing charged before day 31.