Written in 2026. Most law firms I speak to have the same problem at the front door: enquiries arrive at all hours, in every format, and the ones worth a call back sit in an inbox next to the ones the firm cannot take. AI can help with that, if it is given a narrow job and a solicitor stays in charge.
What the system does
It reads each new enquiry — web form, email, a transcribed voicemail — and produces a short, structured summary for a person to review: the practice area it appears to fall under, the key dates mentioned, the other parties named, anything that looks urgent, and the questions a fee earner would need answered on the first call.
It flags, it does not decide. Something that may be close to a limitation date goes to the top. A matter the firm does not handle is marked as such, with a suggested polite reply. Names of other parties are listed so the conflict check can start straight away.
What it must never do
Give legal advice to the enquirer. Tell someone they have a good case, or a bad one. Promise a call back at a time nobody has agreed. Send anything to a client without a person reading it first.
The line is simple: the system may draft and sort; only a person at the firm may advise, accept or decline. Build that into the software, not just the policy.
Where the solicitor stays in charge
Every summary lands in a review queue. The reviewer sees the original message beside the summary, can correct the practice area and urgency, and approves or edits any reply before it goes. Their corrections are recorded, which is how you find out whether the system is getting better or just getting trusted.
Accountability does not move. The SRA's standards on competence, client care and confidentiality apply to the firm however the work is done. A reviewer who approves a reply is responsible for it, exactly as if they had written it.
Confidentiality and data
Enquiries contain personal and often sensitive information from people who are not yet clients. Before building anything: know where the data is processed and stored, make sure the provider does not train on it, set a retention period for enquiries that never become matters, and update the privacy notice so it says what happens. Most of this is ordinary UK GDPR practice; it just has to be done before, not after.
How to start
One practice area, one channel, a few weeks of running alongside the existing process without replying to anyone. Compare the system's triage with what the team actually did. When the reviewers stop correcting it often, let it draft replies — still reviewed. Measure the one number that matters to the firm: how quickly a good enquiry gets a call from a person.
