The short answer
An AI receptionist for personal injury lawyers built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.34 per answered call, or $117 a month for 350 calls averaging 5 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 140 of those calls (40%) 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
Gather basic incident details
Ask the date, type of incident, state, whether the caller received medical care and whether they already have a lawyer, then stop until conflicts are cleared.
Check urgency
Ask whether the caller is still in the hospital or has received any court papers or deadlines, and flag those for same-day contact by an attorney.
Explain the fee model generally
Explain in general terms that the firm works on a contingency fee set out in a written agreement, and leave percentages and case costs to staff.
Book the consultation
After clearance, send the booking link or book a call with the intake attorney, and text the caller what to have ready, such as the police report number.
What to send to a person
- Any question about what the case is worth
- Advice about adjusters, recorded statements or signing releases
- Callers describing catastrophic injuries or a death
- Existing clients with settlement questions
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 personal injury firm: 350 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 | $119.00 | $20.39 | $139 | $0.40 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $154.00 | $20.39 | $174 | $0.50 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $350.00 | $20.39 | $370 | $1.06 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $20.39 | $117 | $0.34 |
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 personal injury firm.
Compared with staff time
Those 350 calls take about 29 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 $533, 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 Mercer Injury Law. I'm the firm's virtual assistant. I can't give legal advice, and this call doesn't create an attorney-client relationship, but I can get your information to our intake team. Are you calling about an injury?
CALLERYes, I was rear-ended on Tuesday and my neck is killing me.
AI AGENTI'm sorry. Are you somewhere safe now, and have you been seen by a doctor?
CALLERI went to urgent care. I'm home now.
AI AGENTThank you. Which state did the accident happen in, and do you already have a lawyer for it?
CALLERGeorgia, and no lawyer.
AI AGENTUnderstood. For our conflict check, could I have your name and the other driver's name if you know it?
CALLERI'm Tasha Reed. The police report says the other driver is Mark Bowen.
AI AGENTThank you, Tasha. An intake specialist will call you today after a quick check. Please keep your police report number handy for that call.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Give the agent one approved answer to 'what is my case worth': an attorney evaluates each case, and no one can predict a result on an intake call.
- Tip 2Write a compassionate opening for injured callers and have the agent check safety and medical care before any intake question.
- Tip 3Keep the intake list to date, incident type, state, treatment and existing counsel, because detailed facts belong in the attorney's conversation after conflicts clear.
Rules to watch
Solicitation limits. Model Rule 7.3 bars soliciting employment through live person-to-person contact, which includes live phone calls and other real-time conversation, when the motive is pecuniary gain, with narrow exceptions. State versions differ, so check your bar's rule. Use outbound AI calls only with people who contacted the firm first, and have an attorney approve every script.
No promises about results. Model Rule 7.1 prohibits false or misleading statements about a lawyer's services, and its comments warn against statements likely to create unjustified expectations. The AI must never estimate case value, predict outcomes or repeat past settlements, and any results it mentions must be approved language with the disclaimers your state requires.
Written fee agreements and confidential details. Under Model Rule 1.5, a contingency fee agreement must be in writing, signed by the client, and explain the percentages and how expenses are handled. Injury and medical details shared at intake are protected under Rule 1.18 even if the firm declines, so limit who can see transcripts.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
Can an AI receptionist sign up personal injury clients?
Can the AI make outbound calls to accident victims?
What does an AI receptionist cost a personal injury firm?
What should the AI say when a caller asks what their case is worth?
Sources
- HighLevel pricing
- HighLevel help: AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel help: AI product pricing
- ABA Model Rule 7.3: Solicitation of Clients
- ABA Model Rule 7.1: Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services
- ABA Model Rule 1.5: Fees
- ABA Model Rule 1.18: Duties to Prospective Client
- FCC: TCPA applies to AI technologies that generate human voices
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)