A phone and answering service for family lawyers
A family law line takes calls a general answering service is not built for: a new client in the week they separated, a former partner trying to find out who is acting, and a client ringing from a phone someone else can see. EzyBiz LEX answers in your firm's name when you cannot, says nothing about any matter to a caller it cannot verify, and writes the file note for every call.
Family law clients often ring at the worst moment of their year, and they ring outside business hours because that is when they can talk without being overheard. The person who rings next may be the other party, or a friend of theirs, asking whether the firm acts. The first call is also where the details that decide the matter are given, including the other party's name for the conflict check and the dates that time limits run from. This page sets out how EzyBiz LEX handles those calls, and where a person at first contact is still the better answer.
Who rings a family law firm, and what each caller needs
A new client
They want to be taken seriously and they want a time. The service asks what has happened in their words, the other party's full name, whether there is a date coming up, and the safest number to call them back on, then books a consult or a call back if you allow bookings. In Smokeball the enquiry opens as a lead with the call already on it.
An existing client
They are greeted by name when the number matches the contact, and asked what they need. Nothing about the matter is discussed unless the firm has turned on verified matter conversations and the caller has proved who they are with a one-time code. Otherwise the message is taken and filed to the matter.
The other party and their lawyer
The service confirms nothing, not even whether the firm acts, because the answer has to be the same whether it does or not. It takes the caller's name, who they act for and what they want, and files the message. What is said back is the lawyer's decision, made from the file.
The court, the registry and independent children's lawyers
Taken as a message with the caller's name, their role and any date they mention, and filed to the matter you nominate, with a call back task for the lawyer responsible.
What the answering service does on a family law line
It never confirms who the firm acts for
It never confirms or denies that someone is a client, and nothing about a matter is disclosed, not even whether one exists, until a caller proves who they are with a one-time code sent to the mobile on the contact record. That limit is enforced by the server, so it holds even if the voice model gets something wrong.
It takes the other party's name for the conflict check
A firm cannot open a family law file without checking the other side, and the check needs a full name. The service collects it with the enquiry and files it, and the check itself is done at the firm before anyone is engaged.
It asks about close dates
A hearing next week, a letter giving fourteen days to respond, or a divorce that became final some months ago. Property applications must be made within 12 months of a divorce becoming final, or within two years of a de facto relationship breaking down, so the service asks and a close date is the first line of the summary.
It asks for the right number to call back on
The number someone rings from is not always the one they want you to use, and in family law that matters. The service asks for the number and time that suits the caller, and the summary records both. Before ringing or texting back, the lawyer can check the note for anything the caller said about who else sees their phone.
It sends anyone in danger to 000
Anyone in danger or having a medical emergency is told to call 000 first, and the service then follows your urgent-call rules. In Screen mode a genuine caller is put through to you with a one-line summary, so you decide whether to take the call.
It gives no advice and makes no promises
No legal advice, no view on how a matter might go, and no promises about fees or call back times that your firm's information does not state. A caller with a legal question is told plainly that it is one for the lawyer, and offered a consult.
When a family law practice should keep a person on the phone
An automated service is not the right first contact for every family law practice. A good receptionist reads a distressed caller better, handles the caller who will not speak to a machine, and can judge who the principal would want interrupted. A practice that does a large share of family violence work, or whose callers are often in crisis, may want a person on the line at first contact, and our comparison of AI and human answering sets out where each is stronger.
What EzyBiz LEX replaces is the voicemail box, the missed call at 7pm and the message that nobody wrote up. It introduces itself as your firm's customer service system, never claims to be a person, and says it is automated if anyone asks. A common setup is Screen mode during the day, so genuine callers are put through with a summary, and Unavailable after hours, so every call is answered and on the file by morning.
One setting deserves extra thought in family law. Verified matter conversations let an existing client hear where their matter is up to after entering a one-time code sent to the mobile on their contact record. In a family law matter the other party may know that phone or have had access to it, so many firms will leave the feature off and have every matter question taken as a message.
What it costs
A$79.99 a month per lawyer with GST included, billed through the App Store or Google Play, with no contract, no setup fee and nothing charged per call. The number, the answering service at every hour, the summaries and transcripts, the texts and the filing to Smokeball and SharePoint are in that price, with Clio filing in development. You can keep your current number by porting it in at no charge. The detail is on the pricing page.
Questions family lawyers ask
Nothing about the matter. It does not confirm whether the firm acts for anyone, and it gives the same answer whether the firm does or not. It takes the caller's name, who they are and what they want, and files the message for the lawyer to decide what happens next.
No. It collects the other party's full name with the enquiry, so the conflict check can be done at the firm by a person before the first appointment, but it never runs the check itself and never tells a caller the firm can act.
It asks every new caller whether there is a date coming up, and a close date goes on the first line of the summary. For property matters that includes when a divorce became final or when a de facto relationship ended, which is what the time limits run from. Whether a limit applies is the lawyer's call, not the service's.
Anyone in danger or having a medical emergency is told to call 000 first. The service then follows the urgent-call rules the firm has set, and in Screen mode a genuine caller is put through to the lawyer with a one-line summary.
Think about it before you do. A verified client proves they hold the mobile on the contact record with a one-time code, and in family law the other party may know that phone or have had access to it. Many family firms will be better off leaving the feature off and having every matter question taken as a message.
No. A practice whose callers are often distressed, or who will not speak to an automated service, may be better served by a person at first contact. EzyBiz LEX replaces the voicemail box and the message pad, and it says it is automated if anyone asks.
Primary sources and further reading
Every section reference and figure in this guide traces to one of these. They are listed so you can check the guide rather than take its word for it.
- Finances and property: overview, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, on the time limits for property applications after a divorce and after a de facto relationship ends
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