For legal aid + paralegal-owned + non-lawyer practices
AI Receptionist for Legal Aid + Paralegal-Owned Practices
Paralegal-owned legal aid, court-navigator services, eviction-defense + tenant-rights, Clean Slate expungement, debt-defense practices, document-prep services. Distinct from /for/law-firms (which assumes attorney-owned + lawyer-on-the-other-end). The AI's CORE LIABILITY is UPL (unauthorized practice of law) — guardrails baked into safety.ts ensure the AI NEVER drifts into legal advice + properly disclaims non-lawyer status on every call.
“Thanks for calling — I help with paperwork and referrals, and I want to be clear that I'm not a lawyer + can't give legal advice. What kind of legal-aid help are you looking for today — eviction, expungement, debt defense, or something else?”
Built for the calls legal aid + paralegal-owned + non-lawyer practices actually get
UPL (unauthorized practice of law) guardrail — non-lawyer mode
Paralegal-owned legal-aid practices face their #1 liability from UPL: drifting into legal advice = state-bar complaint + criminal liability in some states. The AI is configured (Settings → Privacy → Non-Lawyer Mode = ON) to: (1) NEVER give legal advice — captures the question + routes to a referral attorney; (2) disclaim non-lawyer status on every call ('I'm helping with paperwork and referrals — I'm not a lawyer and can't give legal advice'); (3) refuse to assert 'attorney-client privilege' (because it doesn't exist for non-attorney practices); (4) refer callers to free-clinic + referral-attorney networks for actual advice questions; (5) flag any call where the caller seems to need a lawyer NOT a paralegal.
Michigan 36th District Court summary proceedings = 7-day notice; NY 14-day; TX 3-day; CA 3-day. The AI captures: notice type + date served + courtroom + court date + caller's rent-status + landlord name + property address + access to documents. Same-day urgent routing — 7-day clock starts at service. Refers callers to: Detroit Justice Center, Legal Aid of SE Michigan, United Community Housing Coalition (Detroit); equivalent state-by-state. Trauma-informed posture (rule 11h) — eviction is destabilizing.
Clean Slate / expungement intake (state-specific)
Michigan Clean Slate Act (automatic 7-year + manual 5-year) + CA AB 1076 (auto + petition) + NY EXPUNGE + IL Cannabis Reg + 30+ state Clean Slate laws. Captures: caller's state, conviction details (charge + date + court + disposition), criminal-history disclosure history (employer / housing / professional license), eligibility-screening intake. NEVER advises 'you ARE eligible' — captures + routes to your referral attorney. Reentry framing (R12) extends here.
Debt-defense post-service intake
Caller was served with a debt-collection lawsuit + has 21 days (or state-specific window) to file an answer. Captures: state + court + case number + plaintiff (Midland / Portfolio Recovery / LVNV) + service date + answer deadline + caller's debt-validation status + caller's income (potential exemption defense). Refers to: NCLC + state-specific debt-defense legal-aid + your referral attorney.
ICE crisis routing (Calhoun County / Detroit context)
Safety.ts rule 11e routes ICE crisis to NIJC 1-844-363-1423 + locator.ice.gov + urgent-page the on-call attorney REGARDLESS of after-hours rules. Detroit-area context: Calhoun County jail has the ICE contract; detainees often transferred there. R15 added regional facility configurability. Family-member callers in panic get trauma-informed posture (rule 11h).
AAE voices recommended + Black-clientele cultural fit
Jessica Cashay (female AAE) + Marco (male AAE) recommended for Black-owned + Black-clientele legal-aid practices. Your AI sounds like the community you serve. Code-switching transcription preserved without sanitization.
How it works for legal aid + paralegal-owned + non-lawyer practices
Non-Lawyer Mode hard-coded UPL guardrail
Settings → Privacy → Non-Lawyer Mode = ON: disables 'attorney-client privilege' claims; disclaims non-lawyer status on every call; refuses legal advice; routes to referral-attorney for advice questions; flags advice-needed calls for your review.
State-specific eviction-defense playbooks
Michigan 36th District 7-day, NY 14-day, TX 3-day, CA 3-day eviction-notice intakes pre-built. Same-day urgent routing.
Clean Slate / expungement intake (50-state)
Captures conviction details + state-specific eligibility-screening fields. Routes to referral attorney for actual eligibility determination.
Free-clinic + referral-attorney network capture
When a caller needs actual legal advice, the AI captures the referral request + routes to your free-clinic + referral-attorney directory (Legal Aid, Lawyers' Committee, Detroit Justice Center, NCLC, NY Court Help, MI Legal Help, etc.).
Your dashboard
Here's what you wake up to.
Latest call · 9 min ago
$389
Maria Hernandez · Emergency leak repair
Tomorrow · 9:00 AM· 412 Oak St· with Carlos
“You're booked, Maria — Carlos will be there tomorrow at 9 with parts for a copper pinhole leak.”
From $107/mo (billed annually). No contract. Cancel anytime.
$129/mo if you go month-to-month. Three plans (Starter / Professional / Enterprise), voice cloning included with any active plan, BYO phone number. Most legal aid + paralegal-owned + non-lawyer practices start on Professional for multi-staff routing.
FAQ for legal aid + paralegal-owned + non-lawyer practices
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I'm a paralegal-owner — does the AI keep me clean of UPL?
Yes. Non-Lawyer Mode is the core feature. AI disclaims non-lawyer status on every call, refuses to give legal advice, refuses to assert 'attorney-client privilege' (which doesn't exist for non-attorney practices), refers advice questions to your referral attorney, and flags any call where the caller seems to need a lawyer NOT a paralegal.
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Eviction-defense — does the AI know Michigan 36th District has a 7-day clock?
Yes. State-specific eviction-notice playbooks pre-built: Michigan 36th District 7-day, NY 14-day, TX 3-day, CA 3-day. Same-day urgent routing — clock starts at service. Refers to Detroit Justice Center / Legal Aid of SE Michigan / UCHC (or state-equivalent).
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Clean Slate expungement intake — does the AI know my state's framework?
Captures the basics (state + conviction + date + court + disposition + caller's history-disclosure-burden) but NEVER advises 'you ARE eligible.' Routes to your referral attorney for actual eligibility. State-specific frameworks supported include MI Clean Slate Act, CA AB 1076, NY EXPUNGE, IL Cannabis Reg, plus 30+ others.
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ICE crisis — frantic family member calls at 2am, what happens?
Safety.ts rule 11e routes ICE crisis: NIJC 1-844-363-1423 + locator.ice.gov + urgent-page your on-call attorney REGARDLESS of after-hours rules. Calhoun County / regional facility context configurable in business_notes. Trauma-informed posture (rule 11h) for the family member.
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AAE voice routing for Black-owned legal-aid practice?
Yes. Jessica Cashay + Marco recommended in Settings → Voice. AAE-natural transcription preserved without sanitization.
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Sliding-scale + can't-pay-anything callers — does the AI route them out?
Yes. Free-clinic + referral-attorney network capture: when a caller needs free legal services, the AI captures the request + routes to your directory (Detroit Justice Center, Legal Aid, NCLC, MI Legal Help, equivalent state-by-state). You configure your local network in business_notes.
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