Don’t Automate the Human Connection with Clients

By Julie Bays, OBA Management Assistance Program Director

A new survey caught my attention last week. According to research commissioned by LEX Reception and conducted by OnePoll, 89% of consumers said they would rather speak with a real person than AI when contacting a law firm. One-third said they would hang up if connected to AI. https://www.lawnext.com/2026/09/legal-clients-still-want-a-real-person-on-the-phone-new-survey-finds.htm

A word of caution about those numbers: LEX Reception provides human receptionist services to law firms, so it obviously has an interest in the subject. Still, the survey included 6,000 respondents, and I think the larger point is worth considering.

Sometimes people just need to talk to another human being.

Think about someone making that first call to a lawyer. They may have been served with divorce papers, arrested, injured, lost a job or a parent, or received a letter they do not understand. They may feel frightened, embarrassed, angry or overwhelmed. That first conversation is not merely an intake transaction.

The same principle applies after someone becomes a client. Technology can make communication more efficient. Appointment reminders, online scheduling, client portals, automated status notifications and electronic forms can all make a law practice easier for both the lawyer and the client.

There are times when the best thing a lawyer or staff member can do is pick up the phone, listen and let the client explain what is worrying them. A two-minute conversation may resolve something that would otherwise generate six emails. More importantly, it may reassure a client who simply needed to know that someone was paying attention.

Your staff matters here, too. The receptionist, legal assistant or paralegal who answers the telephone may create a client’s first impression of the entire firm. Courtesy, patience and empathy are not just nice qualities. They are part of good client service.

Law firms should use technology for the repetitive administrative work it handles well: sending appointment reminders, collecting routine information and scheduling meetings.

Then use the time it saves for the things people still do better. Listen. Explain. Reassure. Ask another question. Pay attention to what the client is really trying to tell you.

Those human interactions strengthen the lawyer-client relationship and can improve the quality of the legal services we provide.

The goal is not less technology, but more time for clients.