When it comes to your legal practice, every call counts. Whether you’re chatting with new clients, a judge’s office, or co-counsel, you need reliable law office phone systems to keep your communication clear, secure, and dependable.
Traditional phone systems often fall short, however, offering limited flexibility, higher costs, and fewer tools to meet the demands of your fast-paced practice. That’s where VoIP for law firms comes in, bringing you advanced features, encrypted communications, and seamless mobile integration to help you stay accessible to clients while protecting sensitive information.
So, which phone system is the best for your law firm? In this post, we’ll discuss the top law firm phone systems and which features matter the most. We’re located in Atlanta, but we serve the entire US with VoIP and law firm phone system services, including San Francisco, Montgomery, San Diego, and Washington DC.
Best Phone Systems for Small Law Offices
When it comes to VoIP for law firms, there are tons of providers to choose from. The right one will provide the features you need at a price that fits your small law firm’s budget. Here are some of the best business phone systems to check out:
LexTone
LexTone is a newer VoIP provider that was designed specifically as a law firm cloud telephone system for small firms. It provides unlimited calling and texting, secure video conferencing, ABA-aligned encryption, and built-in CRM-style tools so you have client context and history for every call.
Pricing: LexTone offers one pricing plan. For $49/user/month, you get unlimited calling and texting, secure video, call routing, call recording, and an uptime of 99.99%.
Pros of LexTone:
- Designed for lawyers, with security features that help you stay compliant and keep sensitive data safe.
- Simple phone system that provides you credibility when handling client communication.
Cons of LexTone:
- Newer company, so its reputation is less established than other VoIP providers.
- Pricing is higher than many other VoIP providers.
Top features:
- Take Notes, which lets you save notes from client calls and sync with other apps
- Call recording and call logs for client records
- ABA-compliant encryption
- Advanced call flows
- Built-in CRM
- Softphone support
- Secure video meetings with screen sharing
- Integrations with Clio and other law firm software
- CallerID protection ensures your calls are not marked “Spam Likely”
RingCentral
RingCentral is one of the top VoIP providers in the country. It’s ideal for law firms that need a full-featured platform, with voice, video, business texting, and team collaboration. RingCentral scales well, allowing your small team the flexibility to grow and expand. Plus, it comes with tons of integrations, including with legal software like Clio, and RingCentral offers secure features like end-to-end encryption to keep your data safe.
Pricing:
- Core: The Core plan starts at $20/user/month (when billed annually), and comes with unlimited domestic calling, business texting, HD video meetings for up to 100 participants, single sign-on, on-demand call recording, and some basic integrations.
- Advanced: The Advanced plan starts at $25/user/month (when billed annually), and comes with everything in the Core plan, plus automatic call recording, over 300 integrations, and real-time AI notes.
- Ultra: The Ultra plan starts at $35/user/month (when billed annually), and comes with everything in Advanced, plus unlimited storage files, messages, and recordings, HD video meetings for up to 200 participants, and AI assist on messages and texts.
Pros of RingCentral:
- Packed full of features.
- Tons of integrations, including law firm software.
Cons of RingCentral:
- Pricey compared to some VoIP providers.
- Can be more complicated to learn.
Top features:
- Real-time transcription of videos and phone calls
- Multi-level IVR
- Built-in team chat, messaging, and file sharing
- Call analytics
- Single sign-on
- Call queues and call routing
- Support for deskphones and softphones
- End-to-end encryption
- AI features like live transcription, AI assist, and notes
Ooma Office
Ooma Office is another popular option if you’re looking for a law firm cloud telephone system that’s simple and effective. It’s easy to set up with enough core features for small firms without being overwhelming. Plus, Ooma provides deskphone rentals for companies that prefer using hard phones over softphones. Ooma comes with voice calling, business texting, and virtual faxing. Video meetings are available, but only with an upgrade.
Pricing:
- Essentials: Starting at $19.95/user/month, the Essentials plan comes with unlimited domestic calling, conference calling for up to ten participants, call management features, and more.
- Pro: Starting at $24.95/user/month, the Pro plan comes with everything in Essentials, plus video meetings, call recording, advanced call logs, conference calling for up to 25 participants, business texting, and analytics.
- Pro Plus: Starting at $29.95/user/month, the Pro Plus plan comes with everything in Pro, plus hot desking, call queues, CRM integration, and more.
Pros of Ooma Office:
- Simple but effective phone system with the features you need.
- Integrates with CRM software like Clio.
- Responsive customer support available 24/7.
Cons of Ooma Office:
- Clunky experience with video meetings.
- Lacks AI features that other VoIP providers offer.
Top features:
- Hotdesking lets you log in to any desk phone while using your account
- Virtual faxing so you can send documents securely and conveniently
- On-demand or automatic call recording
- Advanced call logs to keep track of your clients and cases
- Multi-ring, hunt groups, and ring groups
- Unlimited calls in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico
- Virtual receptionist
- Team chat
Nextiva
Another top law firm phone system, Nextiva, offers unified communications for an affordable price. It comes with voice, video meetings, business texting, team chat, and more, handling all your communication needs in one platform. Nextiva is also very user-friendly with good customer support and robust features like voicemail-to-email, analytics, and call routing.
Pricing:
- Core: For $15/user/month (paid annually), the Core plan comes with voice, video, team messaging, screensharing, file sharing, and call routing.
- Engage: For $25/user/month (paid annually), the Engage plan comes with everything in Core, plus customer-to-team SMS messaging, toll-free number/minutes, advanced analytics, live web chat, and more.
- Power Suite CX: For $75/user/month (paid annually), the Power Suite CX plan comes with everything in Engage, plus AI transcriptions and summarization, blended inbound and outbound calling, omnichannel engagement, automations, and customer journey orchestration.
Pros of Nextiva:
- Offers responsive customer support 24/7.
- Social media and review site management.
- User-friendly interface.
Cons of Nextiva:
- Significant price increase for the highest tier
- Number of SMS messages/user is lower compared to other providers
Needed Features
Communication is how you get things done, from consulting with new clients and managing cases to scheduling appointments and court dates. Your law office needs a telephone system that goes beyond a basic setup. Here are some of the top features to look for in law office phone systems:
- Auto-attendant: An automated system directs callers to the right person or department.
- Call forwarding: Routes calls to mobile devices or alternate lines for attorneys out of the office.
- Hunt groups and ring groups: Distributes calls to available staff to ensure that client calls don’t get missed.
- Voicemail transcription: Check messages quickly, even when in court or on the go.
- Conference calling/video integration: For multi-party meetings, depositions, or client consultations.
- Call recording: Stay compliant with legal/ethical standards by recording calls.
- Collaboration: Features like team messaging and file sharing help your team collaborate on cases in real-time, even when in separate locations.
- Encryption: Protects sensitive client communications.
- Call logs: Tracks call activity for compliance and better record-keeping.
- Softphone capability: Let’s attorneys use their office number from any device to handle client communication while keeping private numbers protected.
- Third-party integration: Integration with legal tools like Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther logs calls and ties them to case files.
Law Office Phone Systems Conclusion
Finding the right law firm phone system for your office is essential. But with so many providers, it can be difficult to choose. That’s where OneStop Communications comes in. We’ll help you find the right phone system that provides the features you need while fitting in your budget. Contact us today to see how we can improve your business telecom setup!