Legal reception service launches in Canada – and gives lawyers more time

What’s the benefit of a legal reception service?

Many lawyers can feel like work never stops. This is especially true for solo and general practitioners, who have few employees to help them balance marketing, intake, retention, casework, as well as the many small tasks that keep a practice running.

For example, phone calls during office hours can be a serious distraction, causing legal professionals to drop their casework. Even a five-minute call costs precious time, when you factor in typing up notes, entering them to your practice management system, and shifting your attention back. But the risk of missing the next potential client means that dropping one call can be an expensive mistake. By answering every call, day or night, LEX Reception gives lawyers more time.

Maximize billable hours

The Canadian Bar Association found that lawyers work, on average, 50 hours a week. However, Clio’s 2022 study found that only 13 of those hours are billable, meaning most lawyers are spending three quarters of their week on tasks that don’t directly generate revenue.

These non-billable tasks like client intake, data entry, free consultations, and chasing signatures or payments can be handled by a legal reception service. LEX receptionists can perform client intake, book consultations, sync new contacts to your practice management system, take payment over the phone, and call out to clients to follow up with contracts. By handing some of these tasks over to a trusted partner, lawyers find they have more time in the day to take on new cases, or just finish early on a Friday.

Switch off when your work is done

Work-life balance is increasingly important for all of us. Most lawyers prefer to work a traditional workday, but 86% work outside of typical working hours, and 73% work during weekends, according to a recent Clio Legal Trends Report. These unfriendly hours are normally caused by after-hours calls, whether a current client or potential new client needing personal service.

Choosing a career is law doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your home life in the name of client service. Your clients want to speak to a real person who listens to their issue – that doesn’t have to be you. A LEX receptionist will listen to them, take detailed notes, and pass it all onto you to pick up within office hours.

“Every lawyer has a life outside of their practice, but too often, work gets in the way,” says Bre Swanson, LEX Reception’s Operations Director. “We believe that, not only do lawyers deserve a great work-life balance, but that this is completely achievable. With LEX, they can reclaim flexibility for themselves, whether that means attending their kid’s first game or taking an uninterrupted vacation.”

Giving time

What could you do with more time? More time allows us all to support our clients, build relationships with the people we care about, and matter more.

Thanks to their clients, LEX Reception donates 1% to global wildlife non-profits to give more time to animals at risk of extinction. They have supported some of the most threatened animals in the world, including the vaquita porpoise, the red wolf, and the mountain gorilla. Species close to home need just as much support, and their donations have helped to conserve Red Knots, bumblebees, and polar bears.

LEX Reception is a dedicated legal reception service. Their virtual receptionists give time for your practice, time for yourself, and time for species at risk of extinction. With almost 10 years of legal experience, they match their tone, scripts and service to your needs. Every month, they give back to endangered species.