Phone systems for law firms in Australia, compared
A buyer's guide for Australian law firms choosing a phone system. Nine options, with each one's published price and what it writes to the matter in Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep, taken from the practice management vendors' own documentation.
Two systems on this page were built for lawyers, VXT and EzyBiz LEX. The rest are general business phone systems with a connector of varying depth.
We make one of the products on this page
EzyBiz LEX is ours, and it appears below. Statements about the other systems come from their own websites and from Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep as at 3 October 2026, with the sources listed at the foot of the page.
- LEAP and Actionstep firms: VXT is the legal phone system with published integrations for both. LEAP firms can also look at CallSmart from Boab IT.
- Smokeball firms: Smokeball documents ten phone integrations. VXT and EzyBiz LEX file each call to the matter, and the others range from contact sync to a task with the call time.
- Clio firms: VXT, RingCentral and Dialpad each log calls to Clio. EzyBiz LEX's Clio filing is in development.
- The unanswered call: a phone system records the calls a lawyer takes. EzyBiz LEX also answers the ones nobody took and files the intake to the matter.
The comparison table
| System | What it is | Published Australian price | Smokeball | LEAP | Clio | Actionstep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EzyBiz LEX | A business phone app for each lawyer, with an answering service on the same line | A$79.99 a lawyer a month, GST included | A completed task with the file note for every call, plus leads, callback tasks and calendar | No | In development | No |
| VXT | A cloud phone system and AI notetaker for lawyers | A$90 a user a month billed monthly, before tax, plus $5 a number | A task for every call with notes and transcript, and contact sync | Time entries and matter notes. Listed on the LEAP Marketplace | Time entries and communication records | Time entries and matter notes |
| RingCentral | A general cloud phone, messaging and video platform | On request | Click to call, and a task with the call time for each call | Not listed | Calls and time logged through a Chrome extension | Not listed |
| 3CX, through a partner | Phone system software licensed per system per year and installed by a partner | Set by the partner | Cloudchat syncs contacts. Aatrox syncs contacts and logs calls | Ask the partner | Ask the partner | Ask the partner |
| LegalVoice by Boab IT | A hosted phone system sold to law firms | Not published | Through CallSmart | Through CallSmart, which logs calls and time to the matter | Not listed | Not listed |
| Microsoft Teams Phone | Calling added to Microsoft Teams | AU$32.90 a user a month with domestic calling, paid yearly, before GST | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dialpad | A general cloud phone system with AI transcription | On request | Not listed | Not listed | Calls and SMS logged through a connector built by Ion8 | Not listed |
| Zoom Phone | Calling added to Zoom | Published by plan, in US dollars | Call contacts from Smokeball where Zoom Phone is on the plan | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Yestech VoIP | A VoIP link to practice management software | Not published | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Call logging, transcription and time entries, per Actionstep's directory |
As published on 3 October 2026. Integration descriptions are from the practice management vendor's own documentation where it exists, and otherwise from the phone provider. "Not listed" means no integration was found in either place.
Phone systems built for lawyers
VXT
VXT is a cloud phone system and AI notetaker for lawyers, from New Zealand, with integrations across Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep. It records calls, transcribes them and saves notes and time to the matter. On Smokeball's own documentation each call appears with its details, the notes recorded in VXT and the transcript. Its price is A$90 a user a month billed monthly or A$67.50 billed annually, before tax, plus $5 a month for each number, with no minimum number of users. It is the natural choice for a firm on LEAP or Actionstep whose lawyers take their calls at a desk. The full comparison is here.
EzyBiz LEX
EzyBiz LEX is a business phone app for each lawyer with an automated answering service on the same line. Calls ring the lawyer directly when they are free, with the matter on screen, and the service answers in the firm's name when they are not. Every call is written up and filed to the Smokeball matter or to SharePoint, including the calls the service took, and Clio filing is in development. It does not file into LEAP or Actionstep, it does not supply desk handsets, and it keeps a transcript and no audio recording. The price is A$79.99 a lawyer a month with GST included. The full comparison is here.
LegalVoice and CallSmart, from Boab IT
Boab IT sells LegalVoice, a hosted phone system for law firms with desk phones, softphones and a mobile app, on a fixed monthly fee that it does not publish. It connects to LEAP and Smokeball through CallSmart, which logs calls and time to the matter and uploads recordings with transcripts. LEAP names Boab IT as the distributor of CallSmart. It suits a firm that wants handsets and a managed service from an Australian IT provider.
General business phone systems
RingCentral
A large general platform for calls, messaging and video. Smokeball's support article says its integration gives click to call and creates a task with the call time for calls made or received in the RingCentral app, and Clio's directory lists RingCentral for Clio in Australia, working through a Chrome extension. Its Australian plans page shows no prices and asks firms to request a quote.
3CX, through a partner
3CX is phone system software licensed per system each year and sold through partners, who add the lines and the installation. Smokeball documents two partner integrations: Cloudchat, which syncs Smokeball contacts into 3CX, and Aatrox Communications, which syncs contacts and logs calls. Ask the partner what is written to the matter and what the whole service costs each month.
Microsoft Teams Phone
Calling inside Microsoft Teams. Microsoft lists Teams Phone Standard at AU$15 a user a month and Teams Phone with domestic calling at AU$32.90, paid yearly and before GST, on top of a Teams licence. It does not list a legal practice management integration, so it suits a firm that wants calls in Teams and is content to write its own file notes.
Dialpad
A general cloud phone system with AI transcription, sold in Australia directly and through resellers such as Untangled. A Call Connector for Clio, built by Ion8, logs calls and texts to Clio. No Smokeball, LEAP or Actionstep integration was found.
Zoom Phone
Calling added to a Zoom account. Smokeball's Zoom integration creates meetings and lets a user call contacts through Zoom Phone where the plan includes it. Its documentation does not say calls are logged to the matter automatically.
By practice management system
VXT and EzyBiz LEX both put each call on the matter. VXT suits lawyers who take calls at a desk and want time recorded. EzyBiz LEX suits firms that also want unanswered calls answered and filed, with new enquiries opened as leads. RingCentral gives a task with the call time. How EzyBiz LEX works with Smokeball.
VXT, listed on the LEAP Marketplace, or CallSmart from Boab IT with a compatible phone system. EzyBiz LEX does not file into LEAP. What EzyBiz LEX does for a LEAP firm.
VXT, RingCentral for Clio, or Dialpad with the Call Connector. EzyBiz LEX's Clio filing is in development. The Clio integration page has the status.
VXT, or Yestech VoIP, which Actionstep's directory lists with call logging, transcription and time entries. EzyBiz LEX does not file into Actionstep. What EzyBiz LEX does for an Actionstep firm.
What a legal phone system has to do, whichever one a firm chooses, is set out on the law firm phone system page, and the cost of a plain line is in VoIP for law firms.
Questions about choosing a phone system
Start from the practice management system. For a firm on LEAP or Actionstep, VXT is the specialist legal phone system with published integrations for both. For a firm on Smokeball, VXT and EzyBiz LEX both file calls to the matter, and they differ in what they do with a call nobody answers: VXT sends it to voicemail and saves the voicemail, and EzyBiz LEX answers it and files the intake. A firm that only needs calling inside Microsoft 365 can use Teams Phone, which has no legal integration listed.
Smokeball's support hub documents integrations with VXT, RingCentral, RingCentral by Captivo Labs, Cloudchat 3CX, Aatrox Communications, Bubble by Red Cactus, CloudCTI, Heya, Vodia and Zoom as at 3 October 2026, and EzyBiz LEX is listed on the Smokeball marketplace. What each creates differs: a contact sync and click to call at one end, and a task or file note on the matter for every call at the other.
VXT is listed on the LEAP Marketplace and says it creates time entries and matter notes for every call. LEAP names Boab IT as the distributor of CallSmart, a LEAP phone add-in that logs calls to the matter, which Boab IT pairs with its LegalVoice phone system. EzyBiz LEX does not file into LEAP.
A plain business VoIP line is $10 to $33 a user a month. Legal phone systems cost more because they write to the matter: VXT publishes A$90 a user a month billed monthly, before tax, plus $5 a number, and EzyBiz LEX is A$79.99 a lawyer a month with GST and the answering service included. RingCentral, Dialpad, 3CX partners and Boab IT quote on request.
Fewer do. Every system on this page runs on a mobile app or a laptop, and many small firms now take most client calls on a mobile. A firm with a reception desk usually keeps handsets there and runs the lawyers on apps.
No. EzyBiz LEX is our product and it is on the list. Everything said about the other systems comes from their own websites or from Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep, as linked in the sources, and where something could not be confirmed the page says so.
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.
- VXT llms.txt and price notice, VXT. A$90 a user a month billed monthly or A$67.50 billed annually, and $5 a number, tax exclusive.
- Smokeball Support Hub: VXT integration, Smokeball.
- Smokeball Support Hub: RingCentral integration, Smokeball. Also lists the other phone integrations Smokeball documents.
- Smokeball Support Hub: Cloudchat 3CX integration, Smokeball.
- Smokeball Support Hub: Aatrox Communications integration, Smokeball.
- Smokeball Support Hub: Zoom integration, Smokeball.
- LEAP Marketplace: VXT, LEAP.
- LEAP IT partners, LEAP. Names Boab IT as the distributor of CallSmart.
- Boab IT: LegalVoice and CallSmart for LEAP, Boab IT.
- Clio App Directory: RingCentral for Clio, Clio.
- Dialpad app marketplace: Call Connector for Clio, Dialpad. The connector is built by Ion8.
- Actionstep integrations: VXT and Yestech VoIP, Actionstep.
- Microsoft Teams Phone pricing, Australia, Microsoft. Prices exclude GST and need a separate Teams licence.
- RingCentral plans and pricing, Australia, RingCentral. The page shows no prices and asks firms to request a quote.
- Dialpad pricing, Australia, Dialpad. The page shows no per-user plan prices and directs firms to its sales team.
- Zoom Phone pricing, Zoom. Prices are shown by plan in US dollars.
- 3CX pricing, 3CX. Licensed per system per year and sold through partners.
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