Solicitors and legal firms · Cloud phone systems
Phones that protect client confidentiality and never keep a client waiting
Clients ring law firms at stressful moments and expect the right fee earner, not a switchboard queue. A [cloud phone system](/business-phone-system/) gets calls to the right person, keeps a clear record and keeps working when the office cannot.
The problem
Where the phones get in the way
Clients cannot reach their fee earner
Solicitors spend hours in meetings, hearings and on other calls. Messages pile up on reception and clients feel ignored.
Reception is a bottleneck
One receptionist taking every call means long waits at busy times and a lot of messages passed on by hand, with room for mistakes.
Hybrid working complicates confidentiality
Fee earners working from home often fall back on personal mobiles. That blurs the line between private and client calls and is hard to control.
Proving what was said is difficult
When instructions are disputed, attendance notes may be the only record. For some calls, a reliable recording would be far more useful.
The fix
What a cloud phone system changes day to day
Direct dials for fee earners
Give each solicitor their own number, with sensible fallback to a colleague, secretary or voicemail if they are unavailable.
Call queues and reception tools
Share the load across reception and support staff, with queue messages and clear visibility of who is free to take a call.
Selective call recording
Record the calls that need it, such as conveyancing instructions or new client intake, and keep them stored securely with access limits.
Softphone and mobile app
Make and take calls as the firm from a laptop or phone, so home workers never need to use a personal number.
Voicemail to email
Messages arrive in the right inbox as audio files, so urgent client calls are not left unheard on a desk phone overnight.
Failover and diversion
If the office loses internet or power, calls divert automatically to mobiles or another office so clients still get through.
Confidentiality and regulatory expectations
Law firms work under SRA standards and must take confidentiality seriously, as well as handling personal data in line with UK GDPR. A phone system cannot make a firm compliant by itself, but it can help support your policies through access controls, secure storage of recordings and a clear separation between business and personal numbers.
We talk through your own requirements, such as how long recordings are kept, who can listen to them and which teams need them, and configure the system accordingly. Your compliance officer stays in charge of the policy. Our job is to make sure the technology allows it to be followed in practice.
Rolling out a new system without disrupting casework
Courts, completions and deadlines do not pause for IT projects. We plan around your calendar, agree a cut-over date with your office manager and prepare handsets, call flows and extension lists in advance. Existing numbers are retained, so clients, referrers and other firms notice nothing.
Training is short and practical, aimed at reception, secretaries and fee earners separately. After go-live our UK-based support team handles questions, tweaks to routing and any additions such as new starters. Larger firms with several offices, linked by networking and cabling where needed, can move site by site rather than all at once.
Resilience when it matters most
A firm that cannot be reached on completion day or the day before a hearing has a real problem. VoIP telephony lets you build in fallback routes, so a broadband fault diverts calls to mobiles or a sister office rather than leaving clients with a dead line.
Alongside this, traditional ISDN and PSTN services are being withdrawn, with the switch-off due to complete around January 2027. Firms still using older lines, or alarm and fax lines on the same service, should plan the move early. We can review your whole estate and sequence the work sensibly.
Your questions answered
Can we record only some calls?+
Yes. Recording can be switched on for particular users, teams or numbers, rather than every call. Many firms record new client intake or conveyancing lines and leave others unrecorded. You decide who can access recordings and how long they are kept, in line with your own policies.
Does a cloud system meet SRA and GDPR expectations?+
No product can promise compliance on its own, as that depends on how you use it. A well-configured system helps support your obligations with access controls, secure storage and call records. We will work with your compliance lead so the settings match your policies.
Can fee earners work from home without using personal mobiles?+
Yes. A softphone app on a laptop or phone lets them call and receive calls using their firm direct dial. Clients see the firm number, personal numbers stay private, and the firm keeps control of call routing and records.
Will it work with our case-management software?+
Many popular practice-management, CRM and case-management systems can work alongside a cloud phone system, for example for click-to-dial or call logging. Support varies by product, so we review what you use during the free survey.
What if our internet goes down mid-morning?+
You can set calls to divert automatically to mobiles, another office or a voicemail box if the office loses connection. Pairing this with a backup 4G or second broadband line further reduces the chance of any call going unanswered.
Can we keep our existing phone numbers?+
In most cases, yes. Existing geographic and direct dial numbers can normally be ported to the new service. We agree a date with you that avoids key deadlines, so your letterheads, website and client records remain accurate.
What a law firm should look for in a phone system
- ✓ Direct dial numbers that stay with the person, not the desk
- ✓ Recording controls by team, with restricted access and defined retention
- ✓ A way for home workers to use the firm number without personal phones
- ✓ Automatic diversion if the office loses internet
- ✓ Clear audit trail of who changed settings and when
- ✓ Support that understands your hours around court and completion deadlines
Why choose CBC
Phones, networks and security from one UK team
We are committed to giving every customer the best possible phone and networking solution for their business, then supporting it for the long term.
- 24/7 UK-based supportReal engineers, any hour, no overseas call centre.
- One-to-one serviceA named CBC engineer who knows your setup.
- Grows with youAdd users, sites or features without changing supplier.
- Customer satisfaction firstClear quotes, fixed pricing and honest advice.
Get a free quote
Tell us what you need and we will reply as soon as possible, usually the same working day.