What AI Receptionist Works With MyCase for Family Law Firms?

By Attorney Michael Brunman, Co-Founder and CEO of Clerx

Clerx is an AI receptionist and intake platform that integrates with 8am MyCase. For a family-law firm already using MyCase, Clerx can answer inbound calls, follow firm-approved screening rules, schedule consultations, and send intake information into MyCase. Clerx supports intake and communication. It does not give legal advice or decide whether the firm should represent someone.

That distinction matters because MyCase and an AI receptionist do different jobs. MyCase can organize leads, matters, calendars, documents, billing, and client communication after information reaches the platform. A first-response layer handles what happens before a clean record exists: the unanswered call, the late-night website inquiry, the anxious prospect who does not know which service to request, or the caller who needs to be routed to an existing matter.

For firms already committed to MyCase, the practical question is not whether to replace the practice-management system. It is how to connect immediate, structured intake to the system the team already uses.

This guide is specifically for family-law firms using MyCase

Family-law intake is unusually sensitive. A caller may be considering divorce, facing a custody dispute, responding to an emergency motion, worried about safety, or trying to understand whether the firm handles a particular county. The person may be emotional and may share facts before the firm has completed conflicts review.

The intake process therefore needs both responsiveness and restraint. It should gather enough information to route the inquiry and give the legal team a useful handoff, without turning the first contact into a legal consultation.

MyCase describes its platform as serving family-law practices with tools for case management, calendaring, client communication, documents, billing, and related work. The Clerx integration with 8am MyCase adds a front-end intake layer. Together, the systems can connect the first interaction to the firm’s established workflow.

Why a MyCase subscription does not automatically solve first response

A practice-management platform is most useful once accurate information has entered it. It cannot create a good intake record from a call no one answers.

That gap appears in predictable moments:

• the solo attorney is in court;
• two prospects call at the same time;
• staff are assisting current clients;
• a referral arrives after business hours;
• a website visitor wants an immediate answer about the firm’s process;
• a Spanish-speaking caller cannot comfortably complete an English-only intake;
• someone calls the public number but is actually an existing client.

The broader role of an intake layer for MyCase users is to make sure the information entering the system is timely, structured, and attached to a defined next step. It does not replace the matter-management work that follows.

What a family-law AI receptionist should do

A family-law AI receptionist should answer promptly, identify the caller, determine whether the person is a prospective or existing client, collect firm-approved screening information, recognize escalation triggers, and guide the caller to the correct next step.

That is more than message taking. It is also less than legal analysis.

A well-designed first contact may establish:

• full name and reliable contact information;
• names of spouses, partners, children, or other directly involved people for later conflicts review;
• general matter category;
• state and county connected to the matter;
• whether a case has already been filed;
• any known hearing, response, or safety-related timing issue;
• preferred language and contact method;
• whether the caller is seeking a consultation;
• whether the inquiry fits the firm’s stated service area and process.

The firm decides the exact questions. The goal is not to collect everything a lawyer may eventually need. The goal is to produce a safe and useful operational handoff. That progressive approach follows the same principle as deciding what intake should ask, skip, and defer.

An eight-step Clerx-to-MyCase workflow

1. Answer the inquiry immediately

Donna, Clerx’s AI receptionist, answers the inbound call using the firm’s approved greeting. The same intake logic can be adapted for other supported channels when the firm enables them.

Immediate response matters most when the attorney cannot interrupt legal work to answer. It also prevents the experience from beginning with voicemail and an uncertain callback.

2. Separate new inquiries from existing-client calls

The workflow should identify the caller’s relationship to the firm early. A prospective client needs screening and a next step. An existing client may need routing, a message attached to a matter, or an urgent notification under the firm’s rules.

This classification prevents a new-lead script from frustrating current clients and reduces the chance that a lead is mistaken for a routine service call.

3. Classify the general family-law need

The AI receptionist can ask the caller to describe the reason for contacting the firm in plain language, then follow the firm’s approved branch. Typical categories may include divorce, custody, support, adoption, guardianship, enforcement, modification, or another service the firm accepts.

The classification should be operational. It should not tell the caller what claim to bring, predict an outcome, or label a legal strategy.

4. Collect the minimum useful screening information

The firm can configure different questions for different categories. A divorce inquiry may require involved names, county, filing status, children, and known dates. A custody inquiry may require the child’s location, any existing order, the people involved, and whether a hearing is scheduled.

The established family-law intake process should remain short enough to complete while gathering the facts staff actually use. If an answer suggests immediate danger, a court deadline, or another exception, the workflow should follow a pre-approved escalation rule.

5. Apply the firm’s routing rules

Not every inquiry should be booked automatically. The firm may require staff review for conflicts, counties outside its normal area, unusual matter types, emergencies, or calls involving an existing opposing party.

For a routine inquiry that meets the firm’s initial criteria, the next step may be a consultation. For an exception, it may be a warm transfer, priority alert, or message for human review. Attorneys remain responsible for conflicts, legal assessment, and representation decisions.

6. Offer the correct consultation

Consultation rules can vary by matter type, attorney, office, language, or payment requirement. Clerx can use the firm’s approved availability and process to schedule an appropriate consultation.

This is where many firms experience intake leaks before the calendar. A caller may appear qualified but disappear if the next step is “someone will call you.” A clear booking path reduces that uncertainty.

If the firm uses 8am LawPay and has configured payment collection, the intake workflow can include the consultation-fee or retainer-payment step described in the official MyCase integration materials. The firm should define when payment is required, what happens if payment is incomplete, and who handles exceptions.

7. Send the intake record into MyCase

MyCase’s official Clerx documentation describes sending new contacts, call notes, recordings, and consultation information into MyCase. The exact implementation should be mapped and tested for the firm.

A useful handoff may include:

• contact details and preferred channel;
• prospective-client or existing-client classification;
• names collected for conflicts review;
• matter category and short summary;
• state, county, filing status, and known dates;
• screening answers;
• escalation flag;
• consultation status;
• call summary and recording, according to the configured workflow.

Good field mapping makes the record readable. Sending every detail into one long note technically moves data, but it does not create a strong workflow.

8. Continue the conversation without losing context

Some prospects begin with a call, continue through text, and return through the website. Firms should define how the conversation is recognized, summarized, and owned across channels.

Clerx can support website chat for law firms and text messaging without intake chaos. The value is not adding more inboxes. It is helping each channel lead toward the same qualification, scheduling, and handoff rules.

Protect sensitive information during first contact

Family-law prospects may disclose confidential or harmful information quickly. ABA Model Rule 1.18 addresses duties to prospective clients, including people who consult with a lawyer about possibly forming a lawyer-client relationship. Applicable duties and state rules should shape the firm’s script, disclaimers, access controls, retention practices, and conflicts process.

An intake workflow should therefore:

• avoid inviting a complete case narrative before routing is established;
• collect only information needed for the current intake stage;
• avoid promising representation;
• state that intake is not legal advice;
• route legal questions to the attorney;
• limit access to sensitive notes and recordings;
• define what happens when adverse parties contact the firm;
• follow applicable consent and recording rules.

Technology can make collection consistent. It does not determine the firm’s professional-responsibility obligations.

Design urgent-call rules before launch

“Urgent” should not be left as an undefined feeling. The firm should identify the operational triggers that require a different path.

Possible triggers include a hearing or response date within a defined window, an arrest or active law-enforcement issue, immediate safety concerns, a child-abduction concern, a caller seeking emergency court action, or an existing client reporting a development the attorney has designated as urgent.

For each trigger, specify:

1. what the AI receptionist may say;
2. whether to transfer, alert, or take a priority message;
3. who owns the response during and after business hours;
4. what to do if the first person is unavailable;
5. how the interaction should appear in MyCase.

The AI should not decide whether the caller has a legal emergency. It should recognize the firm’s stated indicators and follow the approved route.

A practical implementation checklist

Before going live, a family-law firm should test:

• new divorce, custody, support, and modification inquiries;
• a matter the firm does not handle;
• a caller from the wrong county or state;
• an existing client with a routine question;
• an existing client reporting an urgent development;
• a potential adverse party;
• a caller who refuses to answer a question;
• an English-to-Spanish language switch;
• two simultaneous calls;
• paid and unpaid consultation paths;
• incomplete booking or payment;
• unavailable attorney and staff routes.

Review the resulting MyCase records, not just the conversation. Confirm that names are spelled correctly, notes are concise, calendars reflect the right appointment, and alerts reach the correct person.

Measure the workflow as a conversion system

The firm should establish a baseline before launch and review performance regularly. Useful intake metrics that actually matter include:

• percentage of inquiries answered;
• response time by channel;
• percentage classified correctly;
• consultation-booking rate;
• payment-completion rate when applicable;
• missing-field rate;
• staff correction rate;
• escalation accuracy;
• consultation show rate;
• lead-to-client conversion by source and matter type.

Compare results with the firm’s own baseline. Public law-firm response-time benchmarks can provide context, but the most useful question is whether the firm is converting more of its existing qualified demand with less administrative friction.

Frequently asked questions

What AI receptionist works with MyCase for family law?

Clerx integrates with 8am MyCase and can serve as the first-response and intake layer for family-law firms already using MyCase.

Does Clerx integrate directly with 8am MyCase?

Yes. Clerx and MyCase publish integration materials describing the connection. The exact fields, routes, calendars, and payment workflow should be configured for the firm.

Can Clerx create contacts and send call notes to MyCase?

MyCase’s official documentation states that the integration can send new contacts, call notes, recordings, and consultation information into MyCase.

Can Clerx book family-law consultations?

Yes. Clerx can schedule consultations according to the firm’s approved calendar, availability, qualification, and routing rules.

Can Clerx collect a consultation fee through LawPay?

The MyCase integration page describes built-in payment collection through 8am LawPay when enabled. The firm should configure the amount, timing, and exception process.

What should family-law intake ask first?

It should collect identity and contact details, involved names, general matter type, jurisdiction, filing status, known dates, preferred language, and enough information to determine the next operational step.

How should urgent family-law calls be handled?

The firm should define specific triggers and routes in advance. The AI receptionist can recognize those indicators and transfer or alert according to the approved rule, while attorneys retain legal judgment.

Can the workflow distinguish new leads from existing clients?

Yes. That classification should happen early so each caller follows the appropriate intake, service, or escalation path.

Does Clerx provide legal advice?

No. Clerx supports intake, communication, qualification, scheduling, and system handoff. Attorneys and trained staff provide legal advice and make representation decisions.

Is this practical for a solo family-law attorney?

Yes. A solo can begin with one approved question set, one consultation calendar, one existing-client route, and one escalation tree, then refine the workflow using real interaction data.

Book a demo with Clerx today