Live Chat for Law Firms: 10 Best Apps

What is live chat for law firms and should lawyers like you pay attention to it?  These days, a firm’s website is the new storefront. Instead of being greeted by a receptionist upon arrival, a firm can extend a virtual handshake to a potential new client via live chat through their website. This can provide potential new clients with immediate responses to commonly asked questions, support with their cases, and internal or external resources. 

Oftentimes, chatbots for lawyers are responsible for securing leads from “window shoppers” since the potential client can instantly engage with the firm in real-time. As the 2020 Legal Trends Report highlights, when potential new clients were asked to rank what factors were most important to them when speaking with a law firm, responsiveness was ranked highest overall.

Clients are also more likely to reach out to more than one firm when experiencing a legal problem—according to the 2019 Legal Trends Report, more than half of clients shop around when experiencing a legal problem. With this in mind, it’s important to be the first to respond to potential clients. This is because having quick responses helps your law firm make a better impression to clients and stand out from your competitors. 

Since 79% of potential new clients expect a response within 24 hours of reaching out to a lawyer, live chat for law firms has become increasingly essential in client communications. Using tools like lawyer live chats can provide potential new clients with a better client-centered experience with instant responses. Below are 10 of the best live chat services being offered for attorneys.

1. Ruby

Ruby is a service that works with Clio’s practice management system—Clio Manage—and provides firms with virtual receptionists and online chat specialists that operate 24/7, 365 days a year. In our highly digital world, this is extremely important as it means your potential clients can get responses from your law firm anytime. Starting at $199/month, Ruby answers incoming calls from potential, new, and existing clients. This frees up your office’s phone lines while tracking all the important information. Calls, voicemails, and messages received through Ruby automatically sync with your Clio system to ensure your time is tracked for accurate client billing.

Learn more about how Ruby works with Clio.

2. LawDroid

LawDroid does the chatting for you with automated conversations using a chatbot on your law firm’s website. Also, LawDroid can be used with several systems to optimize its performance such as Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, WordPress, Infusionsoft (now Keap), and Clio Grow. With automated tasks and conversations, you can be sure all of the right questions are asked and recorded for every interaction. LawDroid also populates data into Clio to eliminate duplicate data entry.

Learn more about how LawDroid works with Clio.

3. Client Chat Live

Does your firm require more of a personalized touch to your website’s live chat? Client Chat Live provides operators 24/7 who speak both English and Spanish. With great data capture and powerful integration, all data exchanged in the chat is automatically synced with Clio for both potential and current clients. Potential clients can also interact with Client Chat Live via text for information that is convenient to them. Client Chat Live also features flat-rate monthly pricing, so you know what you’re going to pay each month with predictable pricing. 

Learn more about how Client Chat Live works with Clio.

4. Smith.ai 

Smith.ai Live Chat is a great live chat for law firms. By combining the personable touch of live receptionists with the fast and automated benefits of chatbots, Smith.ai determines if potential new clients have qualifying cases and schedule them for consults directly on your law firm’s website. If a potential client does not qualify, Smith.ai can automatically refer them to other firms on your recommended list. Beyond the chat box, Smith.ai features text messaging and chat-to-call for your website’s visitors. 

Learn more about how Smith.ai works with Clio.

5. Apex Chat

Apex Chat offers live, receptionists available 24/7 to potential and existing clients. Combined with their software, Apex Chat will automatically capture your firm’s leads and sync them with Clio. Apex Chat also offers pay-for-performance pricing for those who are looking to try something new without committing to being all-in.

Learn more about how Apex Chat works with Clio.

6. LexReception

LexReception is a live receptionist service that answers all of your firm’s incoming phone calls. Also, LexReception’s live chat for attorneys transfers and screens phone calls, relay messages, answers questions about your firm, and book your appointments and meetings. Available 24/7, LexReception ensures that you answer and account for every call.

Learn more about how LexReception works with Clio.

7. Ngage

Ngage Live Chat allows your website’s visitors to interact with highly trained live operators that create a relationship with your legal practice. Also, Ngage provides chat-to-call with instant callback as well as text-to-chat. To reach potential clients beyond your website, Ngage also handles the live chat with visitors to your firm’s Facebook page. In addition, Ngage’s live chat for law firms provides Spanish-language chat and 24/7/365 chat services.

Learn more about how Ngage works with Clio.

8. Intaker

Intaker approaches your website’s live chat from a different perspective and looks to increase your law firm’s advertising ROI. With ultra-responsive chatbots, your firm can qualify your leads on autopilot. Intaker also offers callbacks and instant calls in both English and Spanish and offers easily customizable conversations. You can also receive instant notifications when a new client is qualified by Intaker. With Intaker’s live chat for law firms, you can customize it to become a true extension on your firm by changing conversion settings based on the campaigns you are running at the time.

Learn more about how Intaker works with Clio.

9. Gideon

Gideon allows your firm to replace your outdated intake forms with real conversation powered by artificial intelligence. By using your website, directory profiles, and social media platforms, Gideon interacts with potential and existing clients. At the same time, Gideon provides real-time analytics and reports. If you’re a skeptic about letting a robot handle client acquisition, Gideon allows you to follow the live engagement and jump into the conversation at any time. Also, Gideon links with data from Clio to provide you with accurate predictions of case results.

Learn more about how Gideon works with Clio.

10. Podium

With Podium, potential clients spend very little time on your website’s live chat and become almost immediately mobile with text chatting. Your potential client isn’t tied to your website and your office can answer questions, book appointments, and qualify leads conveniently. If a visitor interacts with your live chat after business hours, they can still be reached with an autoresponder and have their common questions answered with smart responses.

Learn more about how Podium integrates with Clio.

What to look for with live chat for law firms

Outline the critical features your live chat app should have

Not all live chats are created equal. When considering a live chat option for your firm, there is a lot to compare, such as price and offerings. Some of the most important features to consider when choosing your live chat service include:

1. 24/7 access. This ensures that every visitor that interacts with the live chat on your website is a true potential client, and interaction creates a relationship.
2. Potential for live operator interaction. Sometimes a potential client needs more interaction than a chatbot can offer before they hire your firm. A personal touch to your live chat can turn a lead into a client.
3. Chat-to-call. Chat boxes aren’t an attractive interaction option for everyone, so the inclusion of a call option is very helpful for many firms.
4. Data and analytics integration. Your live chat needs to track who is interacting with your website, and when and how your firm can help them so that you never miss out on a lead.

Live chat for law firms is becoming an essential part of lawyering 

In a world that’s getting increasingly accustomed to instant responses, modern law firms can’t afford to neglect potential new clients. Law firms must also recognize that potential clients can quickly get the answers to their inquiries from other law firms. This is especially if they do not make an effort to offer instant or quick responses to potential clients’ inquiries. According to the 2019 Legal Trends Report, 64% of potential new clients said they contacted a law firm that never responded which contributed to the reason they didn’t hire that firm. If you’re considering improving your law firm’s response time and client acquisition, you should consider implementing a live chat box on your website.

We published this blog post in February 2021. Last updated: October 4, 2021.

Categorized in: Technology