Every call answered.
Every new client captured.
Live, dedicated legal receptionists answer in your firm's name, screen the matter, and complete new-client intake while you're in court — so the next person trying to hire you reaches a professional, not a voicemail.
From $23/month with annual prepay · $29/month month-to-month · No long-term contracts
What is a legal receptionist service? A live, dedicated reception team that answers your calls in your firm's name, screens new matters, and completes client intake — trained on your practice area, matter types, and intake questions, so every caller is handled like a prospective client, not a voicemail.
Amata has handled live reception and intake for Chicago attorneys since 2002. We're a Chicago Bar Association member-benefit provider, answering roughly 10,000 calls a week for firms across Chicagoland.
The call you miss
is the client you lose.
A person with a legal problem doesn't leave a voicemail and wait. They call the next firm on the list. The attorney who answers live — by a real person who sounds like a professional front desk — is usually the one who gets hired. You trained to practice law, not to run a front desk. But a missed call never shows up on a report. It just rings somewhere else.
- 78%of clients hire the first firm that responds — not the most experienced, the fastest.1
- 40%of law firms answered the phone in a 2024 study. Just 33% replied to a prospective client's email.2
- 21×more likely to convert — leads contacted within five minutes vs. 30 minutes later.3
- 2002Amata has handled live legal reception for Chicago attorneys since 2002 — a Chicago Bar Association member-benefit provider.
Why every firm needs a dedicated intake team.
The first conversation is where the client decides whether to hire you. Not the consultation, not the engagement letter — the very first call.
Intake isn't clerical work. It's the front edge of every case the firm takes on. Amata's receptionists are trained on your practice, your matter types, and your screening criteria before you go live — so the right questions get asked every time.
- 01Custom intake, before you go liveYour intake form and matter-screening are built around your practice area before day one.
- 02Captured while you're in courtCaller name, matter type, intake details, and follow-up notes land in your inbox — structured and ready to act on.
- 38%The utilization problem4The average lawyer spends only 38% of the day on billable work. At $349/hr, every hour spent screening calls is revenue left behind.
- 03A small firm that sounds like a big oneDone well, intake captures the right matters, screens out the wrong ones, and makes your firm feel established from the first ring.
Your calls, handled professionally.
From the moment a client calls to the summary in your inbox.
The client calls your firm
Your dedicated Amata receptionist answers with your custom greeting. Callers believe they've reached your in-house front desk — not an answering service.
Intake & screening
The receptionist screens the call, identifies the matter type, and completes your custom intake form — while you're in court or with another client.
Summary delivered to you
A concise summary arrives by email or text — caller name, matter type, intake details, and follow-up notes. Respond when you're ready, fully informed.
Live Reception & Phone —
the complete program.
A complete business phone system plus live receptionists answering in your firm's name. Month-to-month or annual prepay — no long-term contract either way. All plans include Amata networking events, Preferred Partner Program access, and discounted parking.
- Unlimited domestic calling
- Live reception Mon–Fri 7am–6pm
- Custom greetings & call facilitation
- Personalized caller intake & custom forms
- Call screening & warm transfers
- Business phone line & voicemail
- Amata app — your work number on any device
- Captions, transcriptions & call summaries
- Business phone tree set-up
- Core reporting & insights
- AI receptionist (optional add-on)
The questions attorneys ask first.
Common questions about live reception, client intake, and how the service works.
Ask Us DirectlyAmata's live, dedicated receptionists answer calls Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm, excluding major holidays. Outside those hours, calls route to your voicemail with transcription and email delivery.
Amata uses live, dedicated legal receptionists trained on your firm before you go live — your greeting, your matter types, and your intake flow. They answer in your firm's name so callers believe they've reached your in-house front desk.
A generic answering service takes a message. Amata's receptionists complete new-client intake — screening the matter, asking your practice-specific questions, capturing the details on your custom form, and delivering a structured summary you can act on.
Yes. Amata's receptionists answer with your custom greeting, in your firm's name, following the call flow you approve. Most clients never realize the firm is a solo or small practice.
Live reception runs Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm. Outside those hours, calls route to your voicemail with transcription and email delivery. Firms that want extended coverage can add the optional AI receptionist.
A virtual receptionist for a law firm is a remotely based, professionally trained receptionist who answers the firm's calls, screens new matters, and completes client intake — without sitting in the firm's office.
Minutes are billed in per-second increments at $3.83/min. The 100-minute block is +$320/month (overage $3.20/min); the 300-minute block is +$849/month (overage $2.83/min). Pre-purchased minutes do not roll over.
Yes — this is the core of the service. Amata sets up your custom intake form and personalized caller flow before you go live. Receptionists are trained on your greetings, matter types, and screening criteria, then capture and route the intake to you by email or text.
Yes. An AI receptionist is available as an optional add-on. Many firms use it for after-hours coverage while keeping live receptionists for new-client intake.
No long-term leases or contracts required. The plan is available month-to-month, or with annual prepay for a lower monthly rate.
Sources: 1. FindLaw legal-consumer survey. 2. Clio Legal Trends Report 2024 secret shopper study. 3. Lead Response Management Study. 4. Clio Legal Trends Report (lawyer utilization ~38%; average billing rate $349/hr). Figures are industry benchmarks; individual results vary.
Your reception desk.
Always staffed.
We'll walk you through the plan, set up your custom greeting and intake form, and have your reception desk answering — typically within 24 hours.
Talk to an Amata Account Executive
Tell us about your practice — call volume, practice area, how you want intake handled — and we'll set up your custom greeting and live reception within 24 hours.
Request Live Reception & Phone
We'll reach out to discuss the right plan for your firm.
Amata Law Office Suites is not a law firm and does not provide legal services. © 2026 Amata Law Office Suites · 312.924.0200 · [email protected] · amatacorp.com