Answering service for criminal defense lawyers
For a criminal defense firm, LexFlo's receptionist asks every caller whether anyone is in custody and whether there is a court date, marks arrests and detention as urgent in the attorney's email, and books the consultation on the call. $199 a month with 300 call minutes included, then $0.35 a minute, up to a monthly cap you set. No setup fee.
What Sara asks on a criminal defense call
- The caller's first and last name.
- The best callback number, read back to the caller to confirm.
- What is going on, in the caller's own words.
- An email address for the confirmation, spelled back once.
- Whether anyone is in custody right now.
- Whether there is a court date or deadline coming up.
Then Sara offers one open time on the firm's calendar and books it. For firms using our guarded booking setup, callers whose details don't match the contact on file are referred to the office for scheduling. The caller gets a confirmation email when a booking succeeds, and the attorney gets the summary and transcript after every call.
When a call is marked urgent
A call is marked urgent when someone is in jail or detention right now (ICE detention counts), was arrested today, has a court date within 48 hours, or the caller says it is an emergency. The attorney's email for that call is marked URGENT.
What she leaves to the attorney
- Charges, bail amounts, arrest details and prior lawyers: those are for the attorney.
- Sentencing exposure and penalties: never estimated.
- Whether the caller should hire the firm: never advised.
Questions
A family member calls about someone who was arrested tonight. What happens?
Sara gets the caller's name and callback number, tells them she is flagging it for the attorney, takes the message, finishes the intake and books the first open consultation. The attorney's email for the call is marked URGENT.
Will it book on the day of the court date?
No. It books the soonest open time before the court date if that is within a few days, otherwise the next day after.
What does it cost?
$199 a month with 300 call minutes included, then $0.35 a minute, up to a monthly cap you set. No setup fee.
What goes to the office instead of being booked?
For firms using our guarded booking setup, callers whose details don't match the contact on file are referred to the office for scheduling. Changes to an existing consultation, callers using someone else's phone, and matters the firm doesn't take go to the office.
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Other practice areas
Common questions
- How do law firms answer calls after hours?
- How do solo law firms stop missing calls?
- Can an answering service book consultations on my calendar?
- Do I need a new phone number for an answering service?
Last updated 2026-10-21. This page describes LexFlo's own receptionist and is not legal advice.