Enquiries ringing out after six, fee earners at full stretch and partners asking about AI.
Every enquiry answered, every conversation on file
Instructions are rarely lost on advice. They are lost between conversations: the call at ten past six, the update nobody sent, the time written up from memory on Friday. We join up your telephony, intake and case management so every enquiry is answered, routed and on file.
Every call on the matter fileCase management connected
6:10pm call: new conveyancing enquiry booked for 9am
Trusted by teams where every conversation counts
Sound familiar?
What law firms told us before we started
In their own words, from firms we have spoken to this year. Busy people, clients who want to talk, and a healthy caution about AI.
“The more of those calls that we're dropping and we're not responding to quickly, the more risk there is of the client dropping off.”
Director, claimant law firm
“You're drafting... a particulars of claim, or you're dealing with correspondence from landlords, and your phone's going every 5 minutes.”
Director, claimant law firm
“When a solicitor has a Microsoft Teams meeting or a Zoom meeting with a client, they take a paralegal into the room with them with a laptop... I'm saying, why are we doing this?”
IT manager, law firm
“We will not just buy something in for the sake of buying something in, because it's AI. We need to make sure it works, and it fits our business.”
IT lead, 100 user law firm
“When you start putting in an IP phone system, hosted, you've got to make sure that your foundations are absolutely solid.”
IT lead, 100 user law firm
“The partners are typical solicitors and maybe reluctant to change.”
IT manager, law firm
What changes?
One evening enquiry, two very different outcomes
Voicemail until 9am1 enquiry, 1 instruction lost
6:10pm A new client callsReception has gone home. The call rings out to voicemail.
6:14pm Tries another firmLeaves a message there too, and keeps searching.
9:20am Voicemail picked upPassed to a fee earner between other calls.
11:30am Already instructed elsewhereThe firm that answered first won the matter.
Answered at any hour1 call, consultation booked
6:10pm Answered straight awayMatter type, urgency and contact details captured.
6:12pm Consultation bookedInto the right fee earner's diary, with a confirmation text.
9:00am Ready before the callA summary is on the matter, so nobody asks twice.
Illustrative example
Who feels the difference?
A firm that answers well, from reception to the partners' room
Instructions won out of hoursEnquiries answered and booked while competitors are closed.
Utilisation you can seeVolume and responsiveness by team, not by anecdote.
Fewer complaintsClients kept updated, so they stop chasing.
A business case in poundsRecoverable time and lost instructions measured first.
Where does AI fit?
AI that handles the admin, never the advice
Out of hours intakeAnswers, captures matter type and urgency, and books a consultation.
Attendance notes draftedSummaries from calls and meetings written to the matter.
Clear limitsIt never gives legal advice, confirms you can act or quotes a deadline.
Your data stays yoursHeld in the UK, with recording and retention set to your SRA and UK GDPR position.
Live callInbound, 18:10AI agent
CallerWe've had an offer accepted on a house and need a solicitor.
New client capturedName, number and email checked0:18
Matter type foundResidential conveyancing, purchase0:31
Urgency flaggedBuyer wants to exchange within 6 weeksPriority0:40
Consultation bookedWith the right fee earner, summary on the matter0:52
Logged to the audit trail. Illustrative example.
20%shorter calls at Bromcom
100%of calls quality checked at MBS
Client result80%less time lost to admin for fee earners at Ashtons Legal.
We thought we just needed to upgrade our phone system. Fortay helped us see we were thinking way too small. Instead of pushing a solution they helped us understand what was possible.
Ben HallattCOO, Ashtons Legal
More client results
Reducefee earner admin by 80%
Cutsecretarial roles needed by 62%
Record100% of client conversations
Consolidate3 systems into 1
Why they chose us
“The migration was smooth... the phone switched. We've received phone calls, we've made phone calls, there's been no major complaints.”
Luke Hurst, CIO, Ashtons Legal
“With cloud based comms there are fewer points of failure. Previously if we had an outage, we lost calls, which is a major problem for barristers.”
Dan Bunce, IT Systems Project Manager, Garden Court Chambers
“Some people are flying with it... they've changed their processes, they're absolutely steaming ahead.”
Luke Hurst, CIO, Ashtons Legal
Which platform?
Joined to the case management system you already run
We work across the leading communications platforms and connect them to Peppermint, LexisNexis Visualfiles, Proclaim, Clio, LEAP and the rest, so every conversation lands on the matter. If a system cannot connect, we tell you early.
Call history and notes written to the matter
Telephony inside Microsoft Teams or on its own
Recording and retention set to your policy
The true cost, set out before you commit
Communications and contact centre
AI and compliance
Plus your case management system
How does a project run?
A proven approach, shaped by more than 150 projects
01
Review
We measure how enquiries reach you, where they are lost and what it costs, from your own call data.
02
Design
Intake, routing and recording designed around your teams, matter types and SRA position.
03
Build
Telephony, AI and case management joined up, tested fully and switched over in stages.
04
Run
Our own team stays on, reporting on answer rates, recorded time and what AI handled each month.
What do people ask?
Common questions
How does this help us win more instructions?
Every enquiry gets a response at any hour, with the same information captured and a clear next step, so it reaches the right fee earner while the client is still looking.
How do you keep it human?
AI takes the repeatable admin: capture, triage, summaries and routing. People handle judgement and advice, and sensitive calls reach a person quickly with the context attached.
Will it work with our case management system?
In most cases, yes. We connect to Peppermint, Visualfiles, Proclaim, Clio, LEAP and others. If yours exposes nothing usable, we say so early rather than during a build.
What about client confidentiality?
Data stays in the UK, recording consent and retention are set to your SRA and UK GDPR position, and we check in writing that your data is never used to train anyone else's models.
Not sure where to start?
First steps that meet you where you are
Start here
The conversation scorecard
3 minutes, free
Ten questions on how customers reach you, what gets recorded and what you could evidence tomorrow.
Rather talk it through? Mark Taylor, founder, will give you 30 minutes, no sales pitch.Book a call or email us