A residential conveyancing team at a law firm in Manchester, five fee earners and two assistants, was running around three hundred live files, and the assistants spent most of each day answering calls from buyers, sellers and estate agents asking whether there was any news. Usually there was not, because the local authority search was still out or the other side had not replied to enquiries, and every call to say so took a fee earner's attention away from the file that might actually complete that week.
The businesses in this article are illustrative examples, not named StartAutomate clients.
Key takeaways
- Progress chasing makes up a large share of calls to a conveyancing team, and most of the answers already sit in the case management system.
- AI call answering can tell verified clients and agents where a matter stands, take new enquiries, and book initial consultations.
- It does not give legal advice or comment on a matter's merits, and SRA rules on confidentiality shape what it can say to whom.
Progress calls on conveyancing files
Buyers and sellers ring because moving house is stressful and the chain feels invisible. Estate agents ring because their fee depends on completion. Neither group is being unreasonable, and between them they can take up most of an assistant's day.
An AI call answering agent connected to the firm's case management system, whether that is Proclaim, LEAP, Actionstep or another, can confirm the caller is the client or the agent on the file, read the current milestone, and explain in plain English what the firm is waiting for, such as searches, mortgage offer, replies to enquiries or the signed contract.
New client enquiries
New enquiries arrive at all hours, often from people who have just had an offer accepted or received a letter they do not understand. The agent asks what kind of matter it is, collects the names of the other parties so the firm can run a conflict check, and books an initial call with the right team.
For conveyancing it can take the property address, the price, whether there is a mortgage, and whether the property is leasehold, then send the firm's standard quote if the firm publishes fixed fees, which the SRA transparency rules already require for residential conveyancing.
Legal advice stays with solicitors
The agent will not advise on a contract, say whether a search result is a problem, estimate a completion date, or comment on the strength of anybody's case. It says at the start that it is an assistant and cannot give legal advice, and it hands any legal question to a fee earner.
Firms occasionally ask whether it could just reassure a nervous buyer that a particular search result is normal, and the answer is that the buyer's solicitor should say that, with the file open.
Confidentiality and verification
A solicitor's duty of confidentiality means the agent must know who it is talking to before it says anything about a matter. It verifies clients with the details the firm chooses, and it gives estate agents and brokers only the information the client has agreed they can have.
Recordings and transcripts are kept in UK-hosted systems the firm controls, and call data is handled under the firm's existing UK GDPR policies.
Common questions
Can AI answer calls for a law firm?
Yes. It can take new enquiries, collect conflict check details, book consultations, and give verified clients progress updates from your case management system. It does not give legal advice.
Does it work with Proclaim or LEAP?
We connect to common UK legal case management systems including Proclaim, LEAP, and Actionstep, depending on the access each allows.
How does it protect client confidentiality?
It verifies the caller before discussing any matter, shares only what the client has authorised, and keeps recordings in UK-hosted systems under the firm's control.