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Smith.ai: the intake line that answers when you can't

Our verdict: The most expensive call in a small practice is the one that reaches voicemail: a prospective client with a live matter dials the next firm within minutes. Smith.ai exists for exactly that call, and — rare in this market — publishes its prices: the AI Receptionist from $95/mo (about 50 calls, with live-agent escalation available per call), and the human-answered Virtual Receptionist from $292.50/mo for 30 calls. Both run month to month with no long-term contract, and the product's deepest integrations — Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther — tell you who it was built for. Watch the per-call math: overages and add-ons routinely push real bills 20–30% above sticker.

The short version:

What it is: 24/7 answering and intake for law firms in two flavors — an AI Receptionist with optional live-agent escalation, and a human-staffed Virtual Receptionist line.
What it costs (published): AI Receptionist from $95/mo (~50 calls; higher tiers $270/150 calls and $800/500 calls reported on current rate cards), live-agent transfer ~$3/call. Virtual Receptionist from $292.50/mo for 30 calls. Month to month; confirm current tiers at smith.ai.
The legal tilt: intake questionnaires, conflict-screen questions you configure, and CRM handoffs into Clio and MyCase — most of its receptionist reviews come from law firms.
The bill reality: per-call overages ($2-something on AI plans; ~$9.75–$11.50 on human plans) and add-ons mean real spend runs above the base tier — budget the expected call volume, not the sticker.

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See it explained

Any pricing shown in this video was current when it was recorded — check the vendor’s site for today’s price.

Smith.ai answers a law firm's calls around the clock — an AI Receptionist from a published $95/mo with live-agent escalation, or human receptionists from $292.50/mo — screening, intake, and booking wired into legal CRMs.

What happens to the 9 p.m. prospective client?

The call gets answered. The AI (or a human, on the Virtual plans) greets as your firm, runs the intake questions you configured — matter type, urgency, the conflict-screen basics — screens the solicitors away for free, books the consult on your calendar, and drops the summary into your CRM before you have looked at your phone. You still decide whom to take; what changes is that the decision reaches you instead of dying in voicemail.

The two product lines split on who answers. The AI Receptionist is software-first with per-call escalation to a live agent when it hits its limits; the Virtual Receptionist puts a North America-based human on every call, which is why its per-call economics run several times higher. High-stakes intake practices often start human; volume practices start AI.

What does it really cost per month?

The published anchors: AI Receptionist from $95/mo for roughly 50 included calls, with current rate cards reporting $270 (150 calls) and $800 (500 calls) tiers and about $3 per on-demand live-agent transfer; Virtual Receptionist from $292.50/mo for 30 calls, scaling to $810 (90) and beyond. Both are month to month with 30-day notice, and a money-back window applies for new clients. The honest budgeting note from user reporting: overages ($2-range per call on AI plans, roughly $9.75–$11.50 on human plans) and add-ons like extended intake or CRM connections push typical real bills 20–30% over base. Count your actual monthly calls first. Pricing basis: vendor-published tiers at smith.ai; overage and add-on figures third-party reported. Checked 2026-07-18.

What about confidentiality?

Confidentiality note: matter facts, client identities, and case strategy are protected by Model Rule 1.6 and its state versions. Before any of it reaches a third-party AI, get the vendor's data-handling and model-training terms in writing and check your state bar's guidance — ABA Formal Opinion 512 ties that diligence to the duty of competence. Our ethics and confidentiality guide lists the questions. Nothing here is legal or ethics advice.

Who is it the right call for?

Strong if…

Missed and after-hours calls are visibly costing retained matters.
You want published month-to-month pricing you can cancel, not an answering-service contract.
Your CRM is Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther — the handoff is native.
You are honest about call volume and can pick the tier that avoids overage bleed.

Maybe not if…

Call volume is tiny — a $95 floor for calls that rarely come may lose to a good voicemail-plus-callback discipline.
You require a human on every call and the ~$10/call economics of the Virtual line break the budget — price both lines against a part-time receptionist.
Your intake requires deep legal screening judgment no script captures — keep a human in the loop by design.
The drain is inside the practice (billing, drafting), not on the phones — different tools entirely.

Common questions

How much does Smith.ai cost for a law firm?

Published rates: the AI Receptionist starts at $95/mo for about 50 calls (higher tiers reported at $270 for 150 and $800 for 500), and the human Virtual Receptionist starts at $292.50/mo for 30 calls. Both are month to month. Overage and add-on charges push typical real bills above base — confirm current tiers at smith.ai.

Is Smith.ai's receptionist AI or human?

Both exist as separate products. The AI Receptionist answers with AI and can escalate to a live agent (about $3 per on-demand transfer); the Virtual Receptionist puts a human on every call at a higher per-call price. Firms choose by stakes and volume.

Does Smith.ai integrate with Clio or MyCase?

Yes — its deepest integrations are legal CRMs including Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, and Rocket Matter, with intake summaries and bookings flowing into the case record automatically.

Do intake calls create confidentiality obligations?

Treat them that way. Prospective-client information carries duties under Rule 1.18 even if the caller never retains you, so configure the intake script deliberately, limit what is collected, and get Smith.ai's data-handling terms in writing — see our ethics guide.

Last reviewed: 2026-07-19. Nothing on this page is legal advice, an ethics opinion, or a recommendation to hire any provider.

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