# Choosing who receives your firm's calls

> [llms.txt](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/llms.txt)

Plan who takes new intake, billing and existing-client calls during the day and after hours. Set Lighthouse contacts and make a clear callback plan.

URL: https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/learn/law-firm-call-routing

[Learning center](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/learn)

October 9, 2026

## Choosing who receives your firm's calls

Choose who receives each kind of call, when to transfer it, and who follows up if nobody answers.

-   Call routing
-   After-hours intake
-   AI answering

**A call-routing plan answers three questions: who should take this call, are they available now, and who follows up if they cannot answer?**

Lighthouse can answer your firm's calls, ask your intake questions and transfer callers to your staff. Your firm chooses daytime and after-hours contacts for the call categories they handle. A short written plan helps your team make those choices.

This guide focuses on choosing people and responsibilities. For how calls reach Lighthouse through your existing number, see [call forwarding and transfers](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/learn/call-forwarding-vs-call-transfers).

### Choose who takes calls

Start with the reason for the call, rather than sending everyone to the same attorney.

-   **New case inquiry:** An intake specialist gathers the details your firm needs to decide whether to call back.
-   **Existing client:** The person responsible for the client's case handles questions and updates.
-   **Billing question:** A billing contact deals with invoices and payments.
-   **Priority injury inquiry:** The person your firm has chosen for that type of injury receives the call.

Someone can handle several types of calls. The important part is that each responsibility has an owner. Your staff still decide whether to accept a case.

### Plan daytime and evenings

An office-hours contact may not be the person who answers at night. Decide which calls need an after-hours transfer and which can wait for a callback.

Here is a **fictional firm's planning worksheet**. These are intended responses, not a promise of automatic routing or callback timing.

| Reason for the call | During office hours | After the office closes | Callback owner |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| New injury inquiry | Intake specialist | Collect intake for review, unless it meets the firm's transfer criteria | Intake specialist |
| Existing-client update | Case contact | Take a message for the case contact | Case contact |
| Billing question | Billing contact | Take a message for the next working day | Billing contact |
| Injury type the firm prioritizes | Assigned attorney | On-call attorney, if the firm's criteria call for a transfer | Assigned attorney |

Fill in actual names, phone numbers and expected callback times for your firm. Agree on what makes a call worth transferring after hours. A serious-injury category and a caller's request for an update may need different responses.

If you list a backup person, confirm how the backup will be reached. Writing a second name in a worksheet does not enable an automatic retry.

### Set contacts in Lighthouse

In **Schedule settings**, enter your office hours and timezone. Then use **Daytime Routing** and **After-Hours Escalation** to choose contacts, confirm their phone numbers and select the call categories they handle.

For example, the customization demo assigns Avery Chen after-hours calls about spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and wrongful death.

 [![Lighthouse after-hours settings showing Avery Chen assigned to spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and wrongful death calls.](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/images/blog/customize-lighthouse/setup-afterhours.webp)](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/images/blog/customize-lighthouse/setup-afterhours.webp)

Example settings from our customization demo. Choose the people and call categories that fit your firm.

The [customization walkthrough](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/blog/customize-lighthouse-to-your-firm) shows these steps. Check that each staff number reaches the intended person and does not forward the call back to Lighthouse.

### Assign the next step

**A transfer attempt is not a completed handoff.** If nobody takes the call, someone still needs to review the record and contact the caller.

Lighthouse saves intake fields, a summary and a transcript for your team to review. With email notifications enabled, staff can receive call summaries. With Clio connected, call details can be added to a contact note. An email or note does not mean a staff member spoke to the caller. The [human-handoff guide](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/learn/ai-receptionist-human-backup) explains the difference between a service-supplied receptionist and a transfer to your staff.

Choose who checks these records, who makes the callback and how the team marks it complete. The [dashboard guide](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/blog/using-the-lighthouse-dashboard) shows the call results and review views.

### Test the handoff first

Use made-up caller details and check your plan before relying on it:

1.  **Try each call type.** Include new intake, an existing client and billing. Check who receives each call.
2.  **Try both schedules.** Test during office hours and after closing. Confirm the timezone and when the routing changes.
3.  **Leave a transfer unanswered.** Listen to what the caller hears. Check the saved result and who handles the callback.
4.  **Check the call details.** Make sure the record gives staff enough information to follow up. Check email and Clio if enabled.
5.  **Update staff changes.** Recheck phone numbers and assignments when someone is away or an on-call responsibility changes.

Bring your worksheet to a [Lighthouse demo](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/#book-demo). Follow one call through to the staff member and saved record, so your team knows who owns the next step.

[Book a demo](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/#book-demo) [See how it works](https://www.lighthouselegal.ai/#how-it-works)