Partner time is too expensive for unqualified intake. Avelle handles the first conversation, captures the case details, and books only viable consultations — on infrastructure you control.
Legal intake automation handles the first conversation with an enquiry, captures the case facts in writing, screens for viability, and books only consultations worth a lawyer's time.
Intake is the most expensive unbilled work in a practice, and it usually lands on the most expensive person.
Forty-five minutes with someone whose matter is outside your practice area, out of limitation, or unable to fund it.
The caller explains the matter to reception, then explains the whole thing again to the lawyer. Nothing was written down the first time.
Someone with a genuine matter calls on Friday afternoon, reaches voicemail, and retains a different firm on Monday.
The consultation starts with basic fact-gathering that should have happened before anyone sat down.
Structured, consistent, and captured in writing every time.
Typically a legal assistant, or partners doing their own intake between matters.
| Option | Up front | Ongoing | Evenings & weekends | Follows up every time | Absorbs a volume spike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hire a legal assistant | — | $45,000+/yr | No | No — dropped when busy | No — hire again |
| Partners take intake | — | — | No | No | No |
| Build the systems | from $4,500 | from $1,500/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Salary figures are general Metro Vancouver ranges for comparison, not quotes. Run your own numbers in the savings estimator.
We build around how you already run — you do not change your systems to suit ours.
We define what a viable matter looks like in each area you take, and what disqualifies one immediately.
We design the question set your matters actually need, in the order that gets honest answers without feeling like a form.
We agree exactly what routes to a human, what gets flagged for conflict checking, and what is declined outright.
We go live, review early intakes with you, and refine screening against the matters you actually want.
The targets every build in this sector is scoped against.
unqualified matters reaching a paid consultation slot
intake capture, including Friday evenings
from first consultation to a live system
Design targets, not guaranteed results. Outcomes vary by business size, volume and starting point.
Avelle is platform-agnostic. We connect to your stack rather than asking you to migrate.
Most builds in this sector combine these three. Start with whichever is leaking most.
Instant response to enquiries so a genuine matter never waits until Monday.
Answers drawn from your own precedents and procedures, for the team rather than the public.
The document chasing, file opening and administrative grind around every new matter.
Firms typically start on the Growth package at $4,500 setup plus $1,500/mo, which covers structured intake, screening logic, consultation booking and CRM integration. Smaller practices sometimes begin at Launch, $2,500 setup plus $650/mo. Scope is set after a free consultation.
It is built not to. The system gathers facts and books consultations — it does not give legal advice, assess a matter's merits, or create a solicitor-client relationship. Every response is scripted with you, and anything approaching advice routes to a lawyer.
Yes. Deployments run on secure Canadian infrastructure with encryption in transit and at rest, scoped against BC PIPA and your professional obligations. Your firm owns the data and sets the retention rules.
Yes. Avelle connects to Clio, PracticePanther and similar practice management systems, writing intake summaries and contact records into your existing matter structure rather than creating a parallel system.
Most firm builds go live in three to four weeks. Intake logic takes longer to get right than a booking flow, and we would rather test it properly than launch something that screens badly.
Book a free 30-minute consultation. We'll map what a viable matter looks like in your practice areas and show you what screening would give back.
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