Safe callback
The question comes before everything else: may we text you, may we leave a message on this number? Until that is confirmed, nothing goes out. The caller can also give another number, or an hour when she will be alone.
Family law
Someone calls about a separation from a shared phone. Before the account of events, reception checks how to call them back safely and collects the parties’ names. Your firm receives those instructions with the enquiry, then decides on a meeting and whether to accept the matter.
$49 CAD / month · 50 Standard calls · 1 local number
For the requests you receive
Party names before the story
She announces the step instead of enduring it: your full name, then the name of the other person, for the firm's check. Only then the broad outline. It is the one interruption she allows herself, and she explains it.
Mediation and remote meetings
A video meeting is often preferred: the person does not want to be seen walking into a law office, or has no childcare. She offers the format you opened, and keeps it distinct from a mediation session in your calendar.
Other requests you can delegate
Immediate danger
If the situation is unfolding right now, she directs the person to 911. In domestic violence, she names SOS violence conjugale, 1 800 363-9010, reachable around the clock. She questions nobody on the facts, leaves no trace when the channel is unsafe, and alerts the lawyer on call.
Separation, custody, support
She records the status — married, common-law partners, children — without using the word divorce when the person was not married. She says « your situation », not « your fight ». She takes no position on anyone's rights.
Legal aid
The question is asked early, without judgement, and the answer is passed on as given. If your firm does not take those mandates, she says so honestly and points to the legal-aid office for the region, following the instruction you wrote.
A family law enquiry with safe callback instructions
The lawyer opens the intake at 7:40 a.m.: both names, common-law partners with two children, no proceeding served, callback limited to the work number in the morning, and a note that no mandate has been accepted. She runs her conflict check, then calls at 9 — on the right number.
Read the full conversation
Thursday, 8:50 p.m. The office is closed. A woman calls from her car, engine off, outside her own house.
ReceptionistGood evening, law office. Let me take your name and a number to reach you. First of all: is it safe to text you or leave a message on this number?
CallerIsabelle Ross. No, please do not text, he sees my phone. I can talk right now, I am in the car. I do not even know where to start.
ReceptionistI am recording that: no text, no voicemail. Is there another number, or an hour when you are alone? And before you tell me about your situation, I have to note two things for the firm's check: your full name, and the name of the other person involved.
CallerYou can reach me at work in the morning. His name is Marc Rivard. We were not married, we have two children. Am I allowed to stay in the house?
ReceptionistThat is exactly what the lawyer will work through with you; my part is to record your situation and your dates. I am flagging your call as a priority and leaving the work number as the only channel. If at any point you do not feel safe, call 911; SOS violence conjugale also answers around the clock at 1 800 363-9010.
What she does for your family-law firm
What she takes on between an evening call from a parked car and a separation that has just started, then the line she does not cross. Every line is a call your firm gets outside ordinary hours.
Secure the channel, verify the parties, listen — in that order
She asks first whether it is safe to text you or leave a message on this number.
The default stays conservative until the person confirms it.
She records another number or a time window where the person can speak freely, when the first channel is not safe.
That instruction follows the file until your callback.
She takes your full name, then the other person’s, for the firm’s check, before the story.
It is the only interruption she allows herself, and she explains it.
Danger comes before the story
A situation unfolding right now sends her to direct the caller to 911, with no questions asked about the facts.
No advice is given while the danger is immediate.
In domestic violence, she names SOS violence conjugale and alerts the on-call lawyer without delay.
The line stays reachable at all times.
She leaves no trace — no text, no message — until the channel is confirmed safe.
An unconfirmed channel stays treated as unsafe by default.
The status recorded, without being assessed
She records the status of the relationship — married, common-law, children — without using the word divorce when the person was not married.
The vocabulary follows the reality of the situation, not a habit of speech.
She says your situation, not your fight, and takes no position on anyone’s rights.
The tone stays calm and shows no curiosity about the details of the story.
She books the consultation in the format you have opened — at the office, by phone or by video — and tells it apart from a mediation session.
The format chosen often depends on what the person can do without being seen.
What else you can hand to her
- Add-on
With Documents and deadlines, the document list goes out by mandate and follow-up stops as soon as a statement or a return arrives.
A family file lives on documents a client easily forgets. Documents and deadlines
- Add-on
With Deposits and payments, she states the amount of a paid consultation before booking, and follow-up stops on receipt.
Your cancellation or exception rules pass to whoever owns them instead of being improvised. Deposits and payments
On the site, and with the firm’s software
- Channel
She offers a discreet callback request on the site, with a chosen contact and no detail of family events.
The site’s discretion follows the same rule as the safe channel on the phone.
- Software
With Clio, a file’s complete history still has to be completed by a log as long as attribution is not proven.
No authenticated trial has been run on a family file specifically. Clio
What does not leave her mouth
- She takes no position on custody, parenting time, support, or who is right.
- She does not say whether someone should leave home, or what to do with the children tonight.
- She does not say whether a legal regime applies to the caller’s situation: that is an opinion, and it belongs to the lawyer.
- She calculates and states no procedural deadline: she records the date, the lawyer counts.
- She determines no eligibility for legal aid: she asks the question and passes it on.
- She does not run your conflict check: she captures the names, the firm decides.
- A call creates no mandate: the intake is taken, accepting it belongs to the firm.
What you can ask her yourself
She answers from the calls and files of your firm you are allowed to access. A question about an option only applies once you have switched it on.
The questionHow did this person authorise us to call them back?
She retrieves the recorded number, time window and messaging permissions. She does not contact a relative instead.
Which documents are missing for an ongoing separation file?
Add-onWith Documents and deadlines: the list by mandate and its owner. Without the add-on she reports the request without tracking its documents.
Which initial consultations are still to be confirmed as paid?
Add-onWith Deposits and payments: the link sent and its real status. Without the add-on she states no amount to book.
Which legal-aid requests were asked this week?
She rereads the questions asked and the answers passed on as given. She determines no eligibility.
What happens to the request
You write your instructions once
The safe-callback default, the words you do not want used on the phone, whether legal-aid mandates are accepted, who to alert in a crisis, your consultation windows in office, by phone or by video, and whether the initial consultation is paid. You can change all of it at any time from the app.
Make it safe, check, then listen — in that order
Name and number, then the channel question. Then both names, before the story. Then the status of the relationship, the children, any proceeding or court date already set, and the legal-aid question. She does not ask what happened; she asks what the person needs.
You get a dated intake, not five voicemails
A written record with the parties, the status, the dates and the callback channel allowed. A crisis triggers an alert to the person you designated. You decide on accepting; the consultation is booked into your windows, with confirmation and reminder sent only through the permitted channel.
What the Legal and accounting base covers
A receptionist who answers in both languages at the hours your office is shut, secures the channel before anything is said, and sends you a written intake. No setup fee, and you keep your number.
- Calls answered in French and in English, following the caller
- The safe-callback question asked first, and the channel respected afterwards
- The redirection to 911 and to SOS violence conjugale when the situation calls for it
- Party names taken before the story, for your conflict check
- A steady tone with no curiosity: what the person needs, not what happened
- The consultation booked into windows you open, in office or by video
- A written summary after every call, readable in the app, and the option to ask her what happened
She sends no text and leaves no voicemail until the caller has confirmed it is safe.
Decisions that stay with you
- She gives no legal advice and does not say whether a caller has a good case.
- She takes no position on custody, on parenting time, on support, or on who is right.
- She does not say whether to leave the home, or what to do about the children tonight.
- She does not say whether a legal regime applies to the caller's situation: that is advice, and it belongs to the lawyer.
- She calculates and states no procedural deadline: she records the date, the lawyer counts.
- She does not determine eligibility for legal aid: she asks the question and passes it on.
- She does not run your conflict check: she captures the names, the firm decides.
- She does not confirm that someone is a client, and reads no file content over the phone.
- A call creates no mandate. She says so to the caller: the intake is taken, accepting it belongs to the firm.
Ask your receptionist, too
This is included in your base plan. She answers using the calls, requests and business information you are allowed to access.
Talk to your receptionistA question you can ask
How did this person authorize us to call them back?
She retrieves the recorded number, time window and messaging permissions. She does not contact a relative instead.
What else you can hand to her
Beyond the base plan. Each one is added on purpose, separately from the base. None is switched on unless you choose it.
When your customers prefer to write
You can add a channel so she can continue the conversation with your customers. Any action she takes follows the same rules and the options you have chosen.
Optional customer channel
Website chat
Offer a discreet website callback request with a chosen contact and no detailed account of family events.
The transactional messages provided by your base plan and your own questions to the receptionist remain included.
Keeping your current software?
Check the actions supported, connection requirements and how to work when your software cannot perform the requested action.
Current matter stages are documented; full history is not, so a separate log is still needed when attribution matters. The app is specific to the account's region, and no authenticated trial has been run yet.
The call comes when your office is shut, and tomorrow is too late
In family law, the first call follows an event, not business hours. It comes in the evening, once the children are home, on a weekend, or from a parking spot because the person cannot speak at home. She is shaken, she does not know the vocabulary, and if she reaches voicemail she is dialling the next firm before she has hung up on yours.
Two things set this call apart from every other call you take. First the channel: the caller sometimes shares a phone with the person concerned, and a confirmation text can put her at risk. Second the story: if she pours out the facts before you hold the name of the other party, and your firm already acts for that person, you are in the position you were meant to avoid.
Your receptionist handles both, in order. She asks first whether it is safe to call back or leave a message on that number, and the default is conservative: no trace until it is confirmed. Then she politely interrupts the story to get both names, explaining why. Then she records the dates, the legal-aid question and what the person says she needs. You read a written intake, calmly, in the morning.
In the same section
The other lines of work in this section run on the same engine, with their own requests and their own rules.
Legal & accountingLegal and notarial practices
Family law — your questions
Why does she ask about a safe callback before anything else?
Because in family law the caller sometimes shares a phone with the person concerned, and a confirmation text can put them at risk. The preset default is conservative: no text and no voicemail until the person confirms. She also offers to take another number or a window when the person is alone, and that instruction follows the file through to your callback.
Does she run conflict checks for me?
No, and claiming otherwise would be false. She captures the caller's name and the other party's name before the story, interrupting politely to get them, and she explains why. The check itself belongs to the firm: you decide whether you can act. What the product adds is that the order of questions is applied on every call, including at 9 p.m.
Can she say what a separation costs?
She says what your firm posts, and nothing more. If the initial consultation is paid, she states it plainly before booking, with the amount and payment method you configured. For the mandate itself she passes the request on: fees follow from what the lawyer agrees to do, and the lawyer confirms them.
What if the person is in danger during the call?
She calmly directs them to 911 if the situation is unfolding right now, and she names SOS violence conjugale, 1 800 363-9010, reachable around the clock. She questions nobody on the facts, gives no advice, leaves no trace when the channel has not been confirmed safe, and alerts the person you designated.
Are calls recorded?
You define recording and retention rules for your practice. The caller receives the required information before collection, and access to calls and transcripts follows authorized permissions. Retention settings and data handling are explained in the security information; they are not inferred from the type of practice alone.
Does she answer evenings and weekends?
Yes, on the hours you define. That is when these calls arrive. You choose what happens outside office hours: a written intake and a summary in the morning, or an immediate alert when the situation matches your priority rule.
Your rules, before the first call
Start your free trial with your email. Your website can help prepare your business information, but it is optional. Confirm the facts, choose a first task and test your receptionist. You can try options too, starting with the ones you need.
Keep my phone numberFamily law