An AI receptionist for law firms, accountants and professional services
Every call you miss could be a new client who phones someone else. Ceres builds an AI receptionist that handles first-contact intake, books consultations and routes callers to the right person, without interrupting your billable work.
Updated November 6, 2026 · Ceres Intelligence, Ontario, Canada
The phone interrupts work that is billed by the hour
In a small firm, the person answering the phone is often the person doing the work. A prospective client who reaches voicemail may leave a message, or may call the next firm on the list. After hours, intake simply stops.
An AI receptionist gives every caller a consistent first conversation: who they are, what they need, how urgent it is, and when they can speak to someone. Your team gets a clear summary instead of a missed call.
What it handles for a professional practice
First-contact details
Name, contact details, type of matter and urgency, collected the same way every time.
Consultations
Offers real times from your calendar and books the consultation.
The right person
Sends callers to the right lawyer, accountant or department using rules you set.
After-hours calls
Captures the details and urgency so the next morning starts with a clear list.
Process and logistics
Office hours, location, how consultations work and what to bring, from information you approve.
Anything advisory
It does not give legal, tax or financial advice. Those questions go to a professional.
What a call sounds like
A first-contact intake call for a small firm, showing what the receptionist will and will not do.
Illustrative example written by Ceres. It is not a recording of a real customer, and your own receptionist is scripted to your business.
Practice-management, CRM and scheduling tools firms use
Professional-services firms often run Clio for matters, Calendly for scheduling, HubSpot for leads and QuickBooks for billing. Google Calendar and Microsoft 365 calendars are common across every firm. Each publishes developer documentation, which lets the receptionist book consultations and log new leads where your plan allows.
| System | Developer access | What we found | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clio | Public API | Public API for matters, contacts and calendar. | Vendor docs |
| Calendly | Public API | API for event types, availability and scheduled events. | Vendor docs |
| HubSpot | Public API | CRM objects API for contacts, deals and notes. | Vendor docs |
| QuickBooks Online | Public API | Accounting API for customers, invoices and payments. | Vendor docs |
| Jobber | Public API | Public GraphQL API for clients, jobs and requests. | Vendor docs |
Developer-access status reflects what each vendor publishes (reviewed November 6, 2026). It shows whether a developer interface exists, not that Ceres has already built a connector for it. Access, plan level and data permissions vary by vendor and by account, and are confirmed with each business during discovery. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Ceres Intelligence is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any vendor named here.
From first meeting to live calls
Every Ceres project starts with a two to three week pilot, so you can hear it, test it and judge it before you commit to a full rollout.
Learn
We map your matter types, intake questions, routing rules and approved answers.
Connect
We link your phone number, calendar, CRM or matter system and text alerts.
Test together
You call it as a new client would. We tune it until it sounds like your firm.
Go live
Then a monthly review of calls, bookings and hand-offs.
Where this stands. Ceres built its first complete AI receptionist for dental clinics across the GTA, and it is now in pilot. The same voice, scheduling and hand-off engine is configured for each new business and industry, with your own scripts, rules and systems. Example calls on this site are illustrative, not recordings of real customers.
Questions people ask
Can an AI receptionist give legal or tax advice?
No, and Ceres designs it not to. The receptionist handles intake, scheduling and routing. Anything advisory is passed to a professional, and you control exactly what it is allowed to say.
How is client confidentiality protected?
It collects only the details you tell it to collect, introduces itself as an AI assistant, and logs each call for your review. Retention and access rules are agreed with each firm before launch. Your firm remains responsible for its own professional and regulatory obligations.
Can it add new enquiries to my CRM or matter system?
Where your system publishes an API, such as Clio or HubSpot, the receptionist can create a contact or note from the call. Access and plan requirements are confirmed during discovery.
Can it route calls to different people?
Yes. You set rules by matter type, language, urgency or availability, and the receptionist directs the caller and sends the right person a summary.
How is an AI receptionist priced?
Ceres charges a one-time setup fee for planning, building, customizing and integrating the receptionist for your business, then pay-as-you-go pricing based on minutes of call time, with no monthly fee. The setup fee depends on your systems and call flows, so we quote it after discovery.
Use the savings estimator to model your own call volume and see what it could be worth before you talk to anyone.
How long does it take to get live?
Ceres starts with a pilot of two to three weeks. In that time we learn your business, connect your systems, test calls together and tune the answers, then go live with a monthly review of calls and outcomes.
Never lose a prospective client to voicemail.
Start with a pilot. Hear how it handles intake for your firm before you commit.