The short answer
An AI receptionist for bankruptcy lawyers built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.40 per answered call, or $112 a month for 280 calls averaging 5 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 98 of those calls (35%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Spot urgent dates
Ask whether there is a foreclosure sale date, a garnishment start date or a court date, and flag the call for same-day attorney review.
Explain the consultation
Explain how the consultation works, any fee for it and what documents to bring, using approved wording from the knowledge base.
Collect conflict details
Take the caller's name, a spouse's name if they might file jointly, and the main creditors, then pass them to staff before any discussion of the situation.
Describe required courses generally
Say that federal law requires a credit counseling course before filing and a debtor education course afterward, and that the firm explains the details to clients.
What to send to a person
- Whether to file and which chapter fits
- Imminent foreclosure sales or garnishments
- Questions about keeping a house or car
- Calls from creditors or trustees
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical bankruptcy law firm: 280 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 5 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 5 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $95.20 | $16.31 | $112 | $0.40 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $123.20 | $16.31 | $140 | $0.50 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $280.00 | $16.31 | $296 | $1.06 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $16.31 | $113 | $0.40 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a bankruptcy law firm.
Compared with staff time
Those 280 calls take about 23 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $426, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTThank you for calling Summit Debt Relief Law. We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code. I'm the firm's virtual assistant; I can't give legal advice, and this call doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. How can I help?
CALLERMy wages are getting garnished starting next Friday, and I don't know what to do.
AI AGENTI'm sorry you're dealing with that. Because there's a date coming up, I'll flag this for an attorney today. What's your full name, and are you married?
CALLERJasmine Cole. I'm single.
AI AGENTThank you, Jasmine. Who is the garnishment from, so our team can run a conflict check?
CALLERA credit card company, Northstar Bank.
AI AGENTGot it. An attorney or paralegal will call you today. Is this the best number, and is it okay to leave a voicemail?
CALLERYes to both.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Put the approved debt relief agency statement in the greeting if counsel requires it, and keep it word for word.
- Tip 2List the urgent triggers, such as a sale date, garnishment start, repossession or court date, and tell the agent to flag them instead of booking a routine slot.
- Tip 3Forbid the agent from saying whether someone should file, which chapter fits or what they can keep, and give it a calm line that offers the consultation instead.
Rules to watch
Debt relief agency disclosures. Under 11 U.S.C. 528, advertisements for bankruptcy assistance directed to the general public must include a statement such as 'We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.' Put the approved statement in ads, and in any AI greeting or outbound message your counsel says needs it.
Credit counseling and debtor education. The U.S. Trustee Program says individuals must complete credit counseling before filing, with very limited exceptions, or the case could be dismissed, and generally must finish a debtor education course after filing to receive a discharge. The AI can describe this generally but must never tell someone whether to file.
Solicitation and prospective client information. Model Rule 7.3 restricts soliciting clients by live phone contact for pecuniary gain, and Rule 1.18 protects information from prospective clients. Do not point outbound AI calls at lists of people facing foreclosure or lawsuits, and keep intake to what a conflict check needs.
General information, not legal advice.
Price this for a client Try HighLevel
Questions
Can an AI receptionist tell callers whether they qualify for Chapter 7?
Should the AI say the debt relief agency statement?
How does the AI handle a caller facing a foreclosure sale?
What does an AI receptionist cost a bankruptcy firm?
Sources
- HighLevel pricing
- HighLevel help: AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel help: AI product pricing
- 11 U.S.C. 528: Requirements for debt relief agencies (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Trustee Program: Credit counseling and debtor education
- ABA Model Rule 7.3: Solicitation of Clients
- ABA Model Rule 1.18: Duties to Prospective Client
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)