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Triage every call and transfer urgent matters live, 24/7

Criminal defense firms

Arrests don’t stop when your office closes, but not every 3am call needs an attorney on the line. Smith.ai answers every call, screens for urgent matters, and routes leads, law enforcement, and court staff to the right path—so the most urgent matters are handled in the moment, and the rest are ready for attention at the right time.

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Review scores: Clutch 4.8, G2 4.9, Capterra 4.8, Trustpilot 4.3.

A missed court date matters more than a missed call.

Criminal defense callers can’t always describe their matter clearly on the first try; the ones who can are often calling about something that can’t wait. Generic answering services aren’t built to tell the difference.

What you’re up against
Right now With Smith.ai
Callers can’t always explain their situation clearly Full intake captures the facts your team needs, even when a caller isn’t sure how to describe their charge
A generic answering service just takes a message Calls transfer live to your team the moment a matter is flagged urgent—no callback, no re-explaining
Court dates and arraignments don’t wait Qualification is built around jurisdiction, charge type, arrest status, and court timing
Calls from CPS, DMV, or a private investigator get lumped in with “law enforcement” Caller-type routing configured to your firm’s actual callers, not generic categories
Spanish-speaking callers hit a language wall Full English and Spanish fluency on every call, for continuity from first conversation to attorney consult
Court staff and judge’s chambers calls get stuck in a general queue These calls follow a dedicated transfer path—sequential fallback or call-blast, configured your way

The Smith.ai difference

Your firm’s 24/7 virtual intake team.

With Smith.ai, your callers can always reach a human. Our network of 500+ North America-based live agents—many of whom are former paralegals or court staff—are professionally vetted, trained on criminal defense context, and ready to act as an extension of your team.

Even on AI-first plans, our Live Agent Network is available around the clock for escalations and any matter that requires a human touch without an attorney on the line.

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Your rules

Built for criminal defense firms. Tailored to your practice.

Smith.ai is configured to match your firm’s intake process, not replace it.

Features

Everything your intake needs, fewer interruptions for your team.

Well-connected

Your practice management system stays your system of record.

Smith.ai integrates with 7,000+ systems to sync data and push call outcomes into the tools your firm already runs. No re-entry, no second system for your team to check.

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Attorneys love us

Real criminal defense firms. Real outcomes.

Smith.ai is responsive, professional, and so incredible for my law firm! I’m so glad I compared the top services and selected Smith.ai!

Jalal Dallo, Dallo Law

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Smith.ai has elevated our client interactions. Their dedication to quality and customer service is unmatched, making them an extension of our team.

Alfredo Garcia, George McCranie Law

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I’ve listened to many of the recordings, and it’s always very impressive how the clients call in upset… and the AI can de-escalate the situation.

Paulina Quiñones, Maria Jones Law Firm

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Ready to stop losing time on calls that don’t need your attention—and losing ground on the ones that do?

Tell us about your firm and we’ll show you exactly how Smith.ai qualifies and escalates criminal-defense calls.

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Can your receptionists give legal advice?

No. They collect information, qualify calls against your criteria, and route or schedule based on your instructions — the same way a trained intake coordinator would.

Are the calls handled by a person or AI?

Either, or both. AI Receptionist, Virtual Receptionist, and Hybrid are all available, so you can decide how much of your criminal defense intake runs on AI versus live agents.

How does your virtual receptionist service benefit my criminal defense firm?

Criminal defense calls aren’t one kind of call — some need a full intake before your team knows what they’re dealing with, others need an attorney on the line right now. Smith.ai runs both modes at once: full fact-gathering when there’s time, live transfer the moment a matter is flagged urgent.

How do you handle a call that needs an attorney right now, like one tied to an upcoming court date?

These calls are qualified on urgency first — charge type, arrest status, and court timing — and transferred live to your team the moment they’re flagged, rather than following the standard intake queue.

What happens when court staff or a judge’s chambers calls?

These calls follow whichever attorney-transfer pattern your firm sets up — either a sequential fallback (one attorney, then a second, then paralegal backups, tried in order) or a call blast (every configured line rings at once, first to answer connects) — so the call reaches someone immediately, with no hold and no voicemail.

How do you qualify a criminal defense call?

Qualification follows the sequence that actually determines what happens next: charge type, arrest or investigation status, court date and timing, state versus federal jurisdiction, and any prior statements to law enforcement — configured to your firm’s exact process during onboarding, not a generic script.

Do you handle calls from CPS, DMV, or a private investigator?

Yes — caller-type routing is configured to your firm’s actual callers during onboarding, not limited to a fixed “law enforcement” category.

Can you accept collect calls from jail or a detention facility?

Yes, through our Virtual Receptionist service — live agents accept and handle jail and detention-facility collect calls without issue. Our AI Receptionist doesn’t accept collect calls natively today; for firms where jail calls are frequent, we typically recommend Virtual Receptionist or a Hybrid setup so those calls are always covered.

Does the AI disclose that it’s AI if a caller asks?

Yes — Smith.ai discloses AI status consistent with your firm’s bar rules and disclosure preferences. It never claims to be a human when directly asked.

Can you send retainer or fee agreements automatically for criminal defense cases?

Availability for criminal defense is on request rather than a default — ask your onboarding team to confirm current setup for your firm. This is fully validated for personal injury and SSI/SSDI today, with criminal defense firms able to request it during onboarding.

Do you integrate with Clio, MyCase, or Lawmatics?

We connect to most practice management systems through native integrations and Zapier’s 7,000+ app connections. Connection depth varies by system, so ask your onboarding team about the right setup for your stack.

Do you handle Spanish-speaking callers?

Yes — full conversational fluency in English and Spanish on every call.

What if a caller’s matter is outside our practice areas?

Smith.ai identifies out-of-practice-area callers during screening and can optionally refer them to a bar association or another firm, per your instructions.

Is there a contract, or can I cancel anytime?

Self-serve plans are month-to-month with no contract. Enterprise and Hybrid plans are tailored to your call volume.

Is this going to replace my intake staff?

No — most firms use Smith.ai as the always-on layer around their existing team, not a replacement for it. AI handles first response and routine qualification; your team, plus Smith.ai’s 500+ live agents, handles everything that needs judgment. You choose fully AI, fully human, or a mix.

Give every call the response its urgency deserves.

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