Intake & client communication
Smith.ai
AI and live-agent reception and intake for law firms.
Last observed 42 days ago. Records are treated as awaiting re-check after ninety days.
Only some data-handling statements were found. The checked sources did not contain all three of a confidentiality, training, and data-location statement. That is a gap in what the vendor publishes, not a finding about the product. Ask the vendor directly, or weigh it however your firm sees fit.
Editorial assessment
Reception and intake handled by AI plus live agents, with a published retention period for call recordings.
This section is the CounselAtlas editorial desk’s own reading of the dated facts below. It is not a vendor statement, not a rating, and not a recommendation. Every product fact it rests on is recorded with a source in the record.
What it is
A reception and intake service that combines AI with live agents, built for law firms. The vendor states that call data is encrypted and that call recordings are deleted after three months.
What it is not
It is not a practice-management platform and it is not a case-management system. It answers and qualifies calls, then hands the information to your firm.
Who it tends to fit
- Firms that miss calls when staff are busy or out of hours
- Firms that want intake handled without hiring a full-time receptionist
- Firms that want a stated retention period for call recordings
Who it tends not to fit
- Firms that want every call handled by their own staff
- Firms looking for case management or billing
- Firms that need legal advice given on calls, which an intake service cannot provide
What to ask before you buy
- What is the price, and is it per call, per minute, or a monthly plan?
- What exactly does the AI handle versus a live agent?
- How is call data separated between firms?
- What happens to intake data if I cancel?
Limits in the record
- The vendor does not publish a firm-size scope in the checked source.
- It covers reception and intake, so it does not help with the work that comes after a matter opens.
How it sits in Intake & client communication
Inside intake and client communication, this is the AI-plus-live-agent option. Ruby is the live-reception alternative and Lawmatics is the legal CRM alternative. The difference is how much of the first contact you want handled by a person.
Reading the vendor’s wording
The vendor states that call data is encrypted and stored in the dashboard behind the user's login, and that call recordings are deleted after three months. The stated retention period is more specific than most intake services publish.
How to evaluate it in a trial
- Ask for the price and whether it is per call, per minute, or a monthly plan.
- Ask what the AI handles versus a live agent.
- Ask how call data is separated between firms.
- Ask what happens to intake data if you cancel.
What adopting it costs
It handles first contact rather than matters, so adopting it does not replace a practice-management platform. The switching cost is the phone number and the intake script, not a data migration.
Closest alternative
Ruby — The live-reception alternative. This one mixes AI and agents; that one puts a person on every call.
The record
Everything below is a dated observation from the vendor’s own published material. Each line links to the page it came from so you can confirm it yourself.
What we verified
- Vendor
- Smith.ai. Observed September 21, 2026 · Vendor page ↗
- Price path
- Public price: Vendor publishes a pricing page. Observed September 21, 2026 · Source ↗
- What it does
- General practice. Smith.ai presents reception and intake services for law firms. Observed September 21, 2026 · Source ↗
- Firm-size scope
- Not stated. Observed September 21, 2026 · Checked page ↗
- Connections
- Not stated. Observed September 21, 2026 · Checked page ↗
- Data location
- Not stated. Observed September 21, 2026 · Source ↗