An AI receptionist for solicitors: what the SRA actually expects
The SRA has not banned AI on the phones. It has said what your firm stays responsible for when a machine answers in its name. Here are those duties, and the four questions to ask before you divert a single call.
Three concerns, and what each one means on a phone line
On 17 August 2026 the SRA published a warning notice on the misuse of AI. It is aimed mostly at drafting tools and court documents, but its three themes map neatly onto call answering.
Where the caller's details go
The notice says client information should go into AI systems only where "appropriate contractual, technical and organisational safeguards are in place to protect confidentiality", and that it should not be "used to train AI models except where explicitly authorised". A caller who leaves a family dispute and a court date on your line is handing over exactly that.
Nothing made up
The SRA's first concern is "hallucinations". On a phone line the risk is not a fake citation; it is a confident answer to "do I have a claim?" or a fee the assistant was never given.
The firm stays on the hook
"AI has no separate legal personality", the notice says, and those who use it "remain accountable for their work and outputs". Paragraph 2.3 of the Code of Conduct for Firms says the same about anyone you "employ or contract with". The question is whether you can show what happened on the phones.
Sources: SRA Misuse of AI warning notice, 17 August 2026; SRA Code of Conduct for Firms.
Four questions to ask before you sign
Any AI receptionist should answer these in writing. Here is how Klyp does.
Where does the information go?
Ask who can read transcripts, whether caller data trains models, and how long it is kept. Klyp's data processing agreement puts the answers in writing: your callers' data is never used to train AI models, access is limited to the people who need it and is logged, summaries go only to the people at your firm you choose, and the data is deleted within 30 days of the contract ending.
What will it refuse to do?
It should never give legal advice, never quote a fee it has not been given and never rate someone's chances. Klyp works from a brief you approve. Practical questions, such as opening hours or what to bring to a first meeting, are answered from that brief. Anything about the law or the caller's own case is not answered at all: the assistant takes the details and flags the call for a solicitor to ring back.
Can you see what it said?
Paragraph 4.4 of the Firms Code requires "an effective system for supervising clients' matters"; paragraph 2.1 requires "effective governance structures, arrangements, systems and controls". An assistant you cannot audit fails both. With Klyp a written summary reaches your team within 60 seconds and the transcript is kept, so a partner can read any call.
Is it honest about what it is?
Paragraph 1.4 says you do not "mislead or attempt to mislead your clients, the court or others". Klyp answers in your firm's name and never pretends to be a person. If a caller asks, it tells them it is an AI assistant. The SRA's Risk Outlook on AI also advises firms to "tell clients when you will be using AI with their case". One sentence in your terms of business usually does it; the SRA says the wording is your firm's decision.
Put it in writing, then keep the records
Do clients need to consent?
The SRA's lawtech questions and answers say firms "would need to consider whether client consent to use such a tool needs to be obtained". Most small firms cover a message-taking service in their terms of business and privacy notice. Klyp does not give legal advice, so settle your own position with your COLP.
Records the SRA can inspect
Paragraph 3.3(b) of the Firms Code covers information held by "third parties carrying out functions on your behalf which are critical to the delivery of your legal services". Klyp's data processing agreement lets it make information available to your regulators, including the SRA, on request. The information sheet for SRA-regulated firms sets out the paragraphs of the Firms Code your COLP will want to record against the service.
What it costs
From £99 a month, no contract, 30-day money-back. The cost guide compares that with staffing the line yourself; the out-of-hours guide covers the calls most firms divert first. Everything else is on the Klyp for Solicitors page.
AI receptionists and the SRA: common questions
Does using an AI receptionist count as outsourcing under SRA rules?
Yes, and that is allowed. The SRA's lawtech questions and answers say you "can outsource anything so long as you comply with the law and regulatory requirements", but you "cannot however abrogate your responsibility for compliance". Message-taking is not a reserved legal activity, so you need a written agreement, confidentiality safeguards and a way to supervise what was said, not a new authorisation.
Does the assistant have to tell callers it is an AI?
It answers in your firm's name and never pretends to be a person. If a caller asks, it tells them it is an AI assistant. Beyond that, the SRA's guidance is to tell clients when AI will be used with their case, and it leaves the wording to your firm.
What happens if a caller insists on legal advice?
It explains that a solicitor will need to look at the details, takes the caller's name, number, matter type and what they need, and asks whether it is urgent. The summary reaches your team within 60 seconds with that flag on it.