Virtual receptionist for solicitors: key facts
- In England and Wales, paragraph 6.3 of the SRA Code of Conduct requires you to keep the affairs of current and former clients confidential, unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents.
- SRA guidance says all staff of a regulated firm, including support staff, owe a duty of confidentiality, and firms need appropriate arrangements to meet their confidentiality obligations.
- SRA guidance suggests firms consider limiting the confidential information taken from a prospective client until a conflict check shows the firm can act. That should shape your receptionist's new-enquiry script.
- Under SRA Code 3.1 you only act on instructions from the client or someone properly authorised to give them. A receptionist takes a message; it is not an instruction.
- A virtual receptionist takes messages and follows your instructions. They never give legal advice, estimate outcomes or quote fees you haven't approved.
- An outsourced call answering service handling callers' details is normally a processor, so UK GDPR Article 28 requires a written contract with the required terms.
- SRA rules apply in England and Wales. Solicitors in Scotland are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland and in Northern Ireland by the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
Who calls a law firm, and what do they need from the first voice they hear?
Calls to a law firm come from existing clients chasing progress, new enquirers, the other side's solicitors, estate agents, courts, police stations and suppliers. Each needs something different, so a receptionist needs to work out who is calling before deciding what to say and where the call goes.
A typical high street firm gets:
- Existing clients asking for an update, returning a form or wanting to speak to their fee earner.
- New enquirers who may be upset, anxious or in a hurry: someone recently bereaved, someone whose relationship has just ended, someone who has lost their job.
- Other professionals: the other side's solicitor, estate agents in a property chain, barristers' clerks.
- Courts, tribunals and police stations, sometimes with a time-sensitive message.
- Family members or friends calling about someone else's matter. This is where confidentiality and authority to instruct really matter (see below).
A virtual receptionist can help take these calls off fee earners, whether for every call, overflow when your team is busy, holiday cover or evenings.
Does a virtual receptionist have to keep client matters confidential?
Yes. Paragraph 6.3 of the SRA Code of Conduct requires firms to keep client affairs confidential, and SRA guidance says all staff, including support staff, owe that duty. If someone outside the firm answers your phone, you need arrangements that make sure they protect client information too.
SRA guidance says confidentiality covers all information about a client's affairs, whatever its source. If an outside service answers your calls, it becomes part of how you meet that duty in practice.
What this means on the phone
- Don't confirm someone is a client to a caller who hasn't shown they are entitled to know. Even saying "yes, we act for her" can disclose something.
- Don't discuss the matter. The receptionist takes a message and passes it on; they don't read out notes, dates or progress.
- Keep messages to what's needed: name, number, which matter or fee earner, and a short reason for calling.
- Send messages securely and only to the people you've named, not to a general inbox several people can read unless that's what you've chosen.
- Ask whether it's safe to leave a message before calling back. A detailed voicemail on a shared phone can itself disclose too much.
What should a receptionist ask a new enquirer before a conflict check?
Only enough to run a conflict check and route the enquiry: the caller's name and contact details, the names of the other parties, the type of matter and how urgent it is. SRA guidance suggests firms consider limiting the confidential information they take from a prospective client until they know they can act.
There is a practical reason for this. If a new enquirer tells your receptionist everything about their divorce, and it turns out you already act for their spouse, your firm now holds confidential information from someone it can't act for. SRA Code 6.2 bars acting where there is a conflict, or a significant risk of one, except in limited circumstances, and 6.5 restricts acting against a current or former client whose material confidential information you hold. Keeping the first call short reduces that risk.
A conflict-check-friendly first call
- Who is calling: full name, phone number, email and the best time to call back.
- Who else is involved: the names of the other parties (the other spouse, the seller, the employer, the other driver). This is what your conflict check needs.
- What type of matter: a short label, not the story, such as "buying a house", "divorce", "unfair dismissal".
- Any deadline: a hearing date, completion date or time limit the caller has been told about.
- Close the call: tell them who will call back and roughly when, and that nobody has agreed to act yet.
Example wording only: agree your own script with your provider.
"Thank you for calling [Firm name]. So that the right person can help, could I take your name and a phone number?"
"Before we go into any detail, could you give me the names of the other people involved? We check that against our records first, and one of our team will then call you back."
"There's no need to tell me the full background now. Please keep that for the solicitor. Is there a date coming up, like a court hearing or a completion date, that we should know about?"
"I'm not able to give advice, but I'll pass this to [team] today. Is it all right to leave a message on this number if we miss you?"
How should new enquiries be handled for each practice area?
Each practice area needs slightly different details and has different urgent signs. A good script gives the receptionist a short list of questions per area, tells them which team to route to and flags dates that make a call urgent.
A starting point for briefing a receptionist, not a statement of the law. Your fee earners should decide what goes in your own script.
| Practice area | Useful at first contact | Signs to flag as urgent | Keep off the first call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conveyancing | Buying, selling or remortgaging; property address or area; agent's name; whether an offer has been accepted | A target exchange or completion date the caller mentions; an agent chasing for a solicitor's details | Quoting fees or timescales you haven't approved |
| Family | Names of both parties (and the children's surname, if relevant); type of issue; any court date | A court hearing date; a caller who says they or a child are not safe | The detailed history; anything said in front of the other party if they may be listening |
| Wills and probate | Making a will, or dealing with an estate; name of the person who died, if relevant; caller's relationship | A caller saying someone is very unwell and wants to make or change a will | Who inherits what; disputes between family members in detail |
| Employment | Caller's name and employer's name; whether they're still employed; type of issue | A dismissal or other date the caller mentions, as time limits may apply | Whether they "have a case" |
| Crime | Name of the person involved; where they are (for example a named police station); who is calling and their relationship | Anyone in police custody or due to be interviewed; a court appearance today or tomorrow | What the person is accused of beyond a short label |
| Personal injury | Type of accident; date of accident; names of the other parties or employer | A date the caller has been told is a deadline | How much the claim is worth; whether it will succeed |
Notice that the receptionist doesn't need to know whether a time limit applies; that's a legal judgment. Their job is to ask "is there a date we should know about?", write it down and flag it so a fee earner sees it quickly.
How should a receptionist handle urgent legal calls?
Agree in advance which calls count as urgent, who receives them and how, and what happens if that person doesn't answer. Typical examples are police station calls, imminent court hearings, injunctions and completion-day problems. The receptionist routes them; they don't assess the legal position.
A sensible urgent-call plan covers:
- The triggers: for example, "someone is at a police station", "a hearing is today or tomorrow", "the caller mentions an injunction or a court order", "completion is today and something has gone wrong", "a caller says they are in danger".
- The route: a named duty contact or rota for each type, with a mobile number or a dedicated alert, not just an email.
- The fallback: who to try next, and how long to wait, if the first person doesn't answer.
- What to tell the caller: who will call back, and honestly what the receptionist can't do.
- Emergencies: if someone says they are in immediate danger, the receptionist should tell them to call 999. Your firm can't be the emergency service.
Example wording only.
"I understand this is urgent. I'm going to pass it straight to our [crime / family] team now. Can I confirm the best number to reach you on in the next few minutes?"
"Which police station is he at, and is there a custody reference you've been given?"
"If you're in danger right now, please hang up and call 999. I'll still make sure our team gets your message."
If urgent calls can come in at night or at weekends, see out of hours call answering.
Can a virtual receptionist give callers any legal information?
No. A receptionist takes messages, books appointments and follows your instructions. They shouldn't say whether a caller has a case, how long it will take, what it will cost (unless you've given them approved wording) or what the caller should do next.
Callers often ask exactly these questions, and a friendly receptionist will want to help. The script should give them a polite, firm way of declining and a clear next step. SRA Code 3.5 says where you supervise or manage others providing legal services you remain accountable for their work, so a receptionist straying into advice is a risk for the firm, not just for them.
Questions a receptionist should pass on, not answer
- "Do I have a claim?" or "Will I win?"
- "How much will it cost?" (other than reading approved wording or pointing to the price information on your website)
- "Should I sign this?" or "Do I have to move out?"
- "What's happening with my case?" (unless your firm has chosen to give limited status updates and the caller has been identified)
Example wording only.
"That's a really important question, and it needs one of our solicitors to answer it properly. I'll make sure they have your details today."
If you publish price and service information under the SRA Transparency Rules, a receptionist can point callers to it, using wording you've agreed.
What should a receptionist do when someone calls on a client's behalf?
Take a message, but don't treat it as an instruction or share information. SRA Code 3.1 says you only act on instructions from the client or someone properly authorised to give them, and if you have reason to suspect instructions don't reflect the client's wishes you don't act until you're satisfied they do.
A receptionist can't tell on the phone whether a client's relative or colleague is authorised, so the safe default is:
- Take the caller's name, relationship and number, and the client's name.
- Don't confirm or deny that the firm acts for that person, unless your instructions say this caller is authorised.
- Record exactly what was asked, especially anything that sounds like an instruction ("tell them to accept the offer", "stop the sale").
- Pass it to the fee earner, who decides whether the caller is authorised and how to respond.
The same caution applies to anyone asking for client or payment details. A receptionist shouldn't give out, confirm or accept changes to bank details by phone; your own team should check any such request using a number you already hold.
What should a law firm look for in a virtual receptionist provider?
Look for a written data processing contract that meets UK GDPR Article 28, secure ways of passing messages, receptionists briefed on how law firms work, scripts built around your conflict checks, a clear urgent-call process, and the ability to answer in your firm's name.
When an outside company takes messages containing callers' personal details for you, the ICO says it is normally acting as your processor, and your firm, as controller, must have a written contract with the terms required by UK GDPR Article 28. Ask to see it before you sign.
Questions to ask
- Contract: Is there a data processing agreement covering Article 28? Who are its sub-processors (for example call recording or messaging software)?
- Confidentiality: Do staff sign confidentiality terms? How are they trained, and are they told how the SRA expects support staff to treat client information?
- Message security: How are messages sent to you: secure portal, encrypted email, text? Can you control who receives which messages?
- Recordings and retention: Are calls recorded? Where is data held, for how long, and how is it deleted?
- Scripts: Can they follow a script per practice area that limits what is taken before your conflict check? Can you change it quickly?
- Urgent calls: Can they reach a named duty contact by phone, try a fallback and log what happened?
- Hours: Do the hours you need match theirs, including lunchtimes, evenings, weekends and bank holidays?
Related guides
Virtual receptionist for solicitors: frequently asked questions
Is a virtual receptionist allowed for an SRA-regulated firm?
Firms use outside services for many support tasks, but your regulatory duties stay with you. What matters is that your arrangements protect client confidentiality, that messages and data are handled securely, and that the receptionist doesn't give legal advice or act beyond your instructions. If in doubt, check the SRA guidance on confidentiality.
Do the receptionists have to keep my clients' information confidential?
Yes. SRA guidance says everyone working in a regulated firm, including support staff, owes a duty of confidentiality, and firms need appropriate arrangements to meet it. If an outside service answers your calls, its contract, training and message handling should reflect that.
What details should a receptionist take from a new enquiry?
Enough to run a conflict check and route the call: the caller's name and contact details, the names of the other parties, the type of matter and any deadline. SRA guidance suggests limiting confidential information from a prospective client until you know you can act.
Can a virtual receptionist tell callers if they have a case?
No. A receptionist takes messages and follows your instructions. Whether someone has a claim, what it might cost or what they should do next are questions for a solicitor, so the script should pass them on politely.
What happens if a client's relative calls?
The receptionist should take a message but not confirm that you act for the client or share any information. SRA Code 3.1 says you only act on instructions from the client or someone properly authorised, so the fee earner decides how to respond.
Do I need a data processing contract with a call answering service?
Usually yes. The ICO says a company handling personal data on your behalf is normally a processor, and UK GDPR Article 28 requires a written contract with specific terms between you and them.
Do SRA rules apply to law firms in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. The SRA regulates solicitors in England and Wales. Solicitors in Scotland are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland and in Northern Ireland by the Law Society of Northern Ireland, so check their rules for your firm.
Can calls be answered in my firm's name?
Ask the provider. Many services offer to answer with your firm's name and a greeting you agree. Check this, and how the receptionist will describe themselves if a caller asks, before you start.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 11 November 2026: