Heading to ClioCon Oct 26-27?
Meet LegalMate in Boston
Heading to ClioCon Oct 26-27?
Meet LegalMate in Boston
Heading to ClioCon Oct 26-27?
Meet LegalMate in Boston
Heading to ClioCon Oct 26-27?
Meet LegalMate in Boston
Heading to ClioCon Oct 26-27?
Meet LegalMate in Boston
Heading to ClioCon Oct 26-27?
Meet LegalMate in Boston
Smith.ai comparison for Clio and Filevine firms
Best AI Integration for Law firms: Smith.ai vs LegalMate
Smith.ai answers and screens the calls coming into your firm, day or night, and books the consult. LegalMate turns the calls your attorneys actually take into Clio or Filevine notes and billed time.
20 minutes. We walk through the unbilled-time math for your firm.
Integrates with
& more
Integrates with
& more
Why LegalMate?
Why phone-heavy firms add LegalMate alongside Smith.ai.
Smith.ai is a receptionist service that answers and screens your intake calls. LegalMate is communication intelligence for the phone system you already use, into Clio and Filevine.
The receptionist hands off. Then the real call starts.
Smith.ai’s agents answer the first call, run intake, check for conflicts and book the consult, and a summary of that call lands in Clio. Every call after that, the consult, the client updates, opposing counsel, the court, happens on your attorneys’ own phones, and Smith.ai is not on those calls. LegalMate records and transcribes them, so the note, the matter update and the time entry exist for the work that actually gets billed.
Time entries, written from the transcript.
Smith.ai documents call summaries, recordings and transcripts for the calls its receptionists handle; it does not document writing time entries. LegalMate auto-matches each attorney call to the client and matter, writes the time entry in detail from the transcript in your firm’s billing style, and lets you prompt notes and entries to fit your practice area.
Calls, texts and email, across the whole firm.
Smith.ai covers the inbound calls you forward to it, plus website chat and a follow-up text after a call. LegalMate logs and times every attorney call and text on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo, your email is searched and surfaced by the LegalMate agent, and you can ask Claude, ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot about your firm’s calls through the LegalMate MCP connector. Smith.ai captures the calls it answers.
Why LegalMate?
Why phone-heavy firms add LegalMate alongside Smith.ai.
Smith.ai is a receptionist service that answers and screens your intake calls. LegalMate is communication intelligence for the phone system you already use, into Clio and Filevine.
The receptionist hands off. Then the real call starts.
Smith.ai’s agents answer the first call, run intake, check for conflicts and book the consult, and a summary of that call lands in Clio. Every call after that, the consult, the client updates, opposing counsel, the court, happens on your attorneys’ own phones, and Smith.ai is not on those calls. LegalMate records and transcribes them, so the note, the matter update and the time entry exist for the work that actually gets billed.
Time entries, written from the transcript.
Smith.ai documents call summaries, recordings and transcripts for the calls its receptionists handle; it does not document writing time entries. LegalMate auto-matches each attorney call to the client and matter, writes the time entry in detail from the transcript in your firm’s billing style, and lets you prompt notes and entries to fit your practice area.
Calls, texts and email, across the whole firm.
Smith.ai covers the inbound calls you forward to it, plus website chat and a follow-up text after a call. LegalMate logs and times every attorney call and text on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo, your email is searched and surfaced by the LegalMate agent, and you can ask Claude, ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot about your firm’s calls through the LegalMate MCP connector. Smith.ai captures the calls it answers.
Join the law firms billing more calls with AI:
Join the law firms billing more calls with AI:
Join the law firms billing more calls with AI:
Why LegalMate?
Why phone-heavy firms add LegalMate alongside Smith.ai.
Smith.ai is a receptionist service that answers and screens your intake calls. LegalMate is communication intelligence for the phone system you already use, into Clio and Filevine.
The receptionist hands off. Then the real call starts.
Smith.ai’s agents answer the first call, run intake, check for conflicts and book the consult, and a summary of that call lands in Clio. Every call after that, the consult, the client updates, opposing counsel, the court, happens on your attorneys’ own phones, and Smith.ai is not on those calls. LegalMate records and transcribes them, so the note, the matter update and the time entry exist for the work that actually gets billed.
Time entries, written from the transcript.
Smith.ai documents call summaries, recordings and transcripts for the calls its receptionists handle; it does not document writing time entries. LegalMate auto-matches each attorney call to the client and matter, writes the time entry in detail from the transcript in your firm’s billing style, and lets you prompt notes and entries to fit your practice area.
Calls, texts and email, across the whole firm.
Smith.ai covers the inbound calls you forward to it, plus website chat and a follow-up text after a call. LegalMate logs and times every attorney call and text on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo, your email is searched and surfaced by the LegalMate agent, and you can ask Claude, ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot about your firm’s calls through the LegalMate MCP connector. Smith.ai captures the calls it answers.
Smith.ai vs LegalMate
What’s the difference?
LegalMate is built for family, PI, immigration and criminal defense practices where the file moves by phone. Every client call, opposing counsel call and text becomes a matter note, a billable entry at the timekeeper’s rate, and a follow-up task through the LegalMate Clio integration or Filevine integration, from the phone system you already run.
Feature
Smith.ai
Smith.ai
LegalMate
LegalMate
Works on your phone system
Answers the calls you forward to it from RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone, OpenPhone and most systems; nothing to port
Answers the calls you forward to it from RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone, OpenPhone and most systems; nothing to port
Runs on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo
Runs on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo
Who answers the call
Smith.ai’s receptionists, live agents or AI, answer the calls you forward, 24/7
Smith.ai’s receptionists, live agents or AI, answer the calls you forward, 24/7
Your attorneys and staff, on the phones they already use; LegalMate captures every call they take
Your attorneys and staff, on the phones they already use; LegalMate captures every call they take
Intake and screening
Custom intake, lead qualification against your criteria, conflict checks in Clio and consults booked on the call
Custom intake, lead qualification against your criteria, conflict checks in Clio and consults booked on the call
Not what LegalMate does. Keep Smith.ai or your front desk for intake
Not what LegalMate does. Keep Smith.ai or your front desk for intake
After-hours and overflow coverage
Live-staffed 24/7; forward every call, or only after-hours and overflow calls
Live-staffed 24/7; forward every call, or only after-hours and overflow calls
Not what LegalMate does. Every call your team does take is captured, whatever the hour
Not what LegalMate does. Every call your team does take is captured, whatever the hour
Recording and transcripts of attorney calls
Only the calls Smith.ai answers; recording and transcription is a per-call add-on, and recordings are deleted after three months
Only the calls Smith.ai answers; recording and transcription is a per-call add-on, and recordings are deleted after three months
Every call your attorneys take is recorded and transcribed; full searchable transcript in Clio and LegalMate
Every call your attorneys take is recorded and transcribed; full searchable transcript in Clio and LegalMate
Matter matching
Call summaries sync to the Clio contact; added to the matter only when the client has one open matter
Call summaries sync to the Clio contact; added to the matter only when the client has one open matter
Every call auto-matched and logged to the matter
Every call auto-matched and logged to the matter
Time entries
Not documented
Not documented
Detailed entry written from the transcript, in your firm’s billing style
Detailed entry written from the transcript, in your firm’s billing style
Notes and follow-up tasks
Instant call summary by email, text or Slack after each receptionist call; tasks not documented
Instant call summary by email, text or Slack after each receptionist call; tasks not documented
Matter note prompted to your practice area; follow-ups become Clio tasks, and the Waiting-on-us list flags replies that are late or at risk
Matter note prompted to your practice area; follow-ups become Clio tasks, and the Waiting-on-us list flags replies that are late or at risk
Text messages
A follow-up text or email after a call, per your criteria; your attorneys’ own texts are not covered
A follow-up text or email after a call, per your criteria; your attorneys’ own texts are not covered
Daily text threads on the matter, each one billable
Daily text threads on the matter, each one billable
Call summaries and follow-ups arrive by email; searching your inbox is not documented
Call summaries and follow-ups arrive by email; searching your inbox is not documented
Searched and surfaced by the LegalMate agent
Searched and surfaced by the LegalMate agent
Ask your AI assistant
Not documented
Not documented
Read-only MCP connector for Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot
Read-only MCP connector for Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot
Where your call data lives
Summaries sync to Clio or Filevine; recordings stay with Smith.ai and are deleted after three months
Summaries sync to Clio or Filevine; recordings stay with Smith.ai and are deleted after three months
US-based servers; EU, Canada and Australia supported
US-based servers; EU, Canada and Australia supported
Smith.ai is a strong option for a firm that misses calls, needs after-hours intake or wants leads qualified before an attorney picks up. The comparison is really about what happens to the calls after the receptionist hands them off.
Honest fit
Who each one is right for.
We would rather tell you now than after onboarding. If you are in the middle column, we are not the right fit yet.
LegalMate fits if
Your attorneys live on the phone and by text, and you want every call they take recorded, auto-matched and logged to the matter
You want the note, the task and the time entry written from the transcript, in your firm’s own style
You are on Clio or Filevine with RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo, and want capture live this month
LegalMate is not for you if
You are a solo practice or under four team members
The firm takes fewer than ~150 client calls a month
Your phones are not on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo
You are not on Clio Manage or Filevine
Smith.ai fits if
Calls go unanswered or to voicemail, and you want a live or AI receptionist picking up 24/7
You need after-hours intake, overflow coverage, or leads qualified and consults booked before an attorney gets involved
You want conflict checks run and intake pushed into Clio before the first attorney call
A system that works
Already on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo? Keep it.
Already on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo? Keep it.
LegalMate connects to your existing account in one session. AI notes, auto-matched matters and detailed time entries on every call your attorneys take, whether a receptionist answered first or not.
LegalMate connects to your existing account in one session. AI notes, auto-matched matters and detailed time entries on every call your attorneys take, whether a receptionist answered first or not.
FAQ
Your questions answered.
Still have questions? Book a free call and we will walk you through it on your own call logs.
Is Smith.ai a replacement for LegalMate?
No. They do different jobs. Smith.ai is a receptionist service: its live agents and AI answer the calls you forward to it, run intake, qualify the lead, check for conflicts and book the consult, and a summary of that call syncs to Clio. LegalMate works on the calls your attorneys take themselves, on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo: it records and transcribes each one, matches it to the matter and writes the note, the follow-up task and a detailed time entry in Clio or Filevine. Smith.ai does not document recording your attorneys’ own calls or writing time entries from them. LegalMate does not answer the phone or handle intake.
Can I use Smith.ai and LegalMate together?
Yes, and for a phone-heavy firm that is often the right answer. Smith.ai answers and screens the inbound call, books the consult and syncs the summary to Clio. Once the client is yours, LegalMate captures every call and text your attorneys exchange with them and bills it. Where a receptionist transfers a caller to an attorney, the attorney’s side of that call is on your phone system, so LegalMate captures it. Tell us on the call how you forward to Smith.ai and we will confirm the setup.
Is Smith.ai cheaper than LegalMate?
They are priced for different jobs. Smith.ai bills per call its receptionists handle, with per-call add-ons for things like recording, follow-up texts and appointment booking, so the bill tracks how many calls you forward. LegalMate is one clear price for the firm with full functionality included, and it writes the note, the task and the time entry for every call and text your attorneys take, so nobody has to ask a paralegal what happened. Lower operational cost, higher efficiency. Book a call and we will run the full number for your firm.
Does Smith.ai work with Clio?
Yes. Smith.ai lists Clio Manage as a native integration: it syncs caller contact details and call summaries to the contact’s communications record, adds them to the matter when the client has one open matter, and can run conflict checks against your Clio contacts and matters during intake. LegalMate integrates with Clio too; the difference is what gets logged. Every call and text your attorneys take becomes a transcript, a summary, a matter note, a follow-up task and a time entry.
Does Smith.ai work with Filevine?
Yes. Smith.ai says the calls it handles appear in the Activity tab of the Filevine project you choose, with contact information and a summary. LegalMate integrates with Filevine as well, for the attorney calls and texts after intake.
Does Smith.ai record or transcribe my attorneys’ calls?
Smith.ai records and transcribes the calls its receptionists answer, as a per-call add-on with your opt-in, and says recordings are deleted after three months. Calls your attorneys make or take on their own lines are not routed through Smith.ai, so it does not document recording them. LegalMate records and transcribes every call on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo and writes the summary, the note and the time entry from the transcript.
Does Smith.ai write time entries?
Not documented. Smith.ai publishes call summaries, recordings and transcripts for the calls it handles and syncs summaries to your practice management system, but time entries are not among its listed features. LegalMate writes a detailed time entry from the transcript of every attorney call and text, in your firm’s billing style, as a draft to approve or edit in Clio or Filevine.
Does LegalMate answer the phone or handle intake?
No. LegalMate does not answer calls, screen callers or book consults. It connects to the phone system you already run (RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo) and to Clio or Filevine, and captures the calls and texts your team handles. If missed calls or after-hours intake are the problem, a receptionist service like Smith.ai is the right tool for that job.
Do attorneys have to change how they work?
No. There is no dashboard to check and no per-user sign-up. After the one-time connection, every call and text is logged to the matter in the background. Entries arrive as drafts the attorney can approve or edit.
What does LegalMate cost?
One clear price with full functionality included; nothing is held back for a higher tier. Book a free call and we will quote it for your timekeeper count and walk through the unbilled-time math per attorney: calls per month, minutes per call, blended rate.
Where does my call data go?
Smith.ai syncs call summaries to Clio or Filevine and says call recordings are deleted after three months. All LegalMate servers are US-based, and we support firms in the EU, Canada and Australia. LegalMate also runs a zero data retention policy: your call data is processed for your Clio or Filevine records, not kept.
Can I ask Claude or ChatGPT about my calls?
Yes. The LegalMate MCP connector gives Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot read-only access to your firm’s call summaries, notes and transcripts, with every answer linked back to the call in LegalMate. It needs a LegalMate account, and the 7-day free trial includes it. Smith.ai does not document an equivalent.
FAQ
Your questions answered.
Everything you need to know about working with us. Still have questions? Book a free call and we'll walk you through it.
Is Smith.ai a replacement for LegalMate?
No. They do different jobs. Smith.ai is a receptionist service: its live agents and AI answer the calls you forward to it, run intake, qualify the lead, check for conflicts and book the consult, and a summary of that call syncs to Clio. LegalMate works on the calls your attorneys take themselves, on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo: it records and transcribes each one, matches it to the matter and writes the note, the follow-up task and a detailed time entry in Clio or Filevine. Smith.ai does not document recording your attorneys’ own calls or writing time entries from them. LegalMate does not answer the phone or handle intake.
Can I use Smith.ai and LegalMate together?
Yes, and for a phone-heavy firm that is often the right answer. Smith.ai answers and screens the inbound call, books the consult and syncs the summary to Clio. Once the client is yours, LegalMate captures every call and text your attorneys exchange with them and bills it. Where a receptionist transfers a caller to an attorney, the attorney’s side of that call is on your phone system, so LegalMate captures it. Tell us on the call how you forward to Smith.ai and we will confirm the setup.
Is Smith.ai cheaper than LegalMate?
They are priced for different jobs. Smith.ai bills per call its receptionists handle, with per-call add-ons for things like recording, follow-up texts and appointment booking, so the bill tracks how many calls you forward. LegalMate is one clear price for the firm with full functionality included, and it writes the note, the task and the time entry for every call and text your attorneys take, so nobody has to ask a paralegal what happened. Lower operational cost, higher efficiency. Book a call and we will run the full number for your firm.
Does Smith.ai work with Clio?
Yes. Smith.ai lists Clio Manage as a native integration: it syncs caller contact details and call summaries to the contact’s communications record, adds them to the matter when the client has one open matter, and can run conflict checks against your Clio contacts and matters during intake. LegalMate integrates with Clio too; the difference is what gets logged. Every call and text your attorneys take becomes a transcript, a summary, a matter note, a follow-up task and a time entry.
Does Smith.ai work with Filevine?
Yes. Smith.ai says the calls it handles appear in the Activity tab of the Filevine project you choose, with contact information and a summary. LegalMate integrates with Filevine as well, for the attorney calls and texts after intake.
Does Smith.ai record or transcribe my attorneys’ calls?
Smith.ai records and transcribes the calls its receptionists answer, as a per-call add-on with your opt-in, and says recordings are deleted after three months. Calls your attorneys make or take on their own lines are not routed through Smith.ai, so it does not document recording them. LegalMate records and transcribes every call on RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo and writes the summary, the note and the time entry from the transcript.
Does Smith.ai write time entries?
Not documented. Smith.ai publishes call summaries, recordings and transcripts for the calls it handles and syncs summaries to your practice management system, but time entries are not among its listed features. LegalMate writes a detailed time entry from the transcript of every attorney call and text, in your firm’s billing style, as a draft to approve or edit in Clio or Filevine.
Does LegalMate answer the phone or handle intake?
No. LegalMate does not answer calls, screen callers or book consults. It connects to the phone system you already run (RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone or Quo) and to Clio or Filevine, and captures the calls and texts your team handles. If missed calls or after-hours intake are the problem, a receptionist service like Smith.ai is the right tool for that job.
Do attorneys have to change how they work?
No. There is no dashboard to check and no per-user sign-up. After the one-time connection, every call and text is logged to the matter in the background. Entries arrive as drafts the attorney can approve or edit.
What does LegalMate cost?
One clear price with full functionality included; nothing is held back for a higher tier. Book a free call and we will quote it for your timekeeper count and walk through the unbilled-time math per attorney: calls per month, minutes per call, blended rate.
Where does my call data go?
Smith.ai syncs call summaries to Clio or Filevine and says call recordings are deleted after three months. All LegalMate servers are US-based, and we support firms in the EU, Canada and Australia. LegalMate also runs a zero data retention policy: your call data is processed for your Clio or Filevine records, not kept.
Can I ask Claude or ChatGPT about my calls?
Yes. The LegalMate MCP connector gives Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot read-only access to your firm’s call summaries, notes and transcripts, with every answer linked back to the call in LegalMate. It needs a LegalMate account, and the 7-day free trial includes it. Smith.ai does not document an equivalent.
Time is your inventory
Every client call, understood and billed. Your phones.
Book a 20-minute call. We walk through your call and text volume and the unbilled-time math per attorney.