Counsel is the after-hours intake clerk for solo and small law firms. We field the call, run the conflict check, and lay a draft retainer on your desk by 7 a.m.
Solo and small firms (1 to 8 lawyers) in personal injury, criminal defense, family law, and estate work, who handle their own intake today and lose retainers because the phone goes to voicemail after 6 p.m.
The single most valuable intake call of the week often arrives at 11 p.m. on a weeknight. A spouse just got served. A son just got arrested. A mother just got the diagnosis. The client is calling four firms in the next 20 minutes. Whichever firm answers first books the consult and signs the retainer.
The senior partner cannot personally cover after-hours intake. A traditional answering service takes a message, costs $1,400 a month, and converts roughly the same as voicemail. The firm's website chatbot, if there is one, asks for a name and email and goes nowhere.
Discount only for: paid annual (15%), state bar association partners (negotiated rate), or design-partner firms in a new practice area (50% off for 6 months in exchange for a recorded case study). Walk away from anyone trying to negotiate below $497.
Voice and text AI is finally fast enough to triage real intake without the caller noticing. State bars in CA, NY, FL, and TX have published 2025 guidance allowing AI-assisted intake under defined supervision rules. The legal-marketing cost per qualified consult has tripled since 2021. The retainer that used to follow a referral now follows whoever picks up.