A Virtual Assistant for Your Law Firm Who Answers Every Client
Full-time legal intake specialists, legal assistants and receptionists who pick up every call, book every consultation and keep your matters moving, in your case-management system. Talentige has made 1,750+ hires worldwide.
✓ 1,750+ hires worldwide✓ Signed NDA on every hire✓ 3–5 finalists in about 14 days✓ 90-day replacement guarantee✓ Pay nothing until you hire
Can a law firm hire a full-time virtual assistant or intake specialist overseas? Yes. Talentige recruits full-time legal intake specialists, legal assistants, receptionists and bookkeepers for US and Canadian law firms in Latin America, the Philippines, Morocco and Egypt. We test them on intake calls and written client replies, send 3–5 finalists in about 14 days, and handle the background check, contract with a signed NDA, and payment in your currency. They work only for your firm, in your case-management system, under your attorneys' supervision.
The calls you miss today are retained by the firm down the street tomorrow.
Last updated: October 11, 2026 · By the Talentige recruitment team, recruiting international talent since 2015
Nearly half of law firms couldn't be reached by phone
In 2024, Clio's secret shoppers contacted 500 US law firms as prospective clients. Only 40% answered the phone, and 48% couldn't be reached at all, even after leaving a message. Every one of those numbers was worse than in 2019.
Source: Clio Legal Trends Report 2024, secret-shopper study of 500 US law firms (June–July 2024), compared with Clio's 2019 study (1,000 firms emailed, 500 phoned). Firms that did reply by email were fast: 84% within eight hours. The problem is the inquiries nobody picks up.See this chart as a table
Response
2019
2024
Answered the phone
56%
40%
Answered or called back
73%
52%
Replied to an email inquiry
40%
33%
Returned a voicemail
43%
20%
When firms did talk to shoppers, only 41% offered rate information on the phone and 36% explained the next steps. That's the work of a trained intake specialist: answer fast, capture the facts, set expectations and get the consultation booked.
Your client-intake workflow, with a full-time intake specialist
Your intake specialist runs the process. Your attorneys keep every decision that needs a lawyer. The handoffs are where firms lose clients, so we agree them with you before day one.
Your intake specialist
You / your attorneys
1Intake specialistInquiry comes inCall, web form, chat or email. Answered live in business hours, or within minutes on your agreed rules.
2Intake specialistCapture the factsYour intake form, your questions: parties, dates, jurisdiction, how they found you. Logged in your case-management system.
3Intake specialistRun the conflict checkSearches your system for every party and flags possible conflicts.
3aAttorneyAttorney reviews flagsYou decide on any possible conflict. Declines go out on your approved letter.
4Intake specialistQualifyChecks the matter against your criteria: practice area, location, case value, timing.
5Intake specialistBook the consultationStraight onto the right attorney's calendar, with reminders so the client shows up.
6AttorneyConsultationYou give the legal advice and decide whether to take the matter.
7Intake specialistEngagement & matter openingSends your engagement letter and fee agreement for e-signature, opens the matter, requests documents.
Example workflow; we set it up to match your intake form, conflict process and case-management system (Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, Filevine, Lawmatics or similar).
Roles we recruit for law firms
Role
What they own
Typical pay (USD/month)
Legal intake specialist
Inbound calls, web leads and chats; intake forms; conflict-check searches; consultation booking; follow-up on undecided leads
$1,300–$1,800 by skills and experience
Bilingual Spanish-English intake
The same intake work for Spanish-speaking callers, recruited in Latin America on US time zones
$1,300–$1,800 by skills and experience
Legal assistant / legal secretary
Calendaring and deadline tracking, drafting from your templates, document organisation, client status updates, filing prep for attorney review
Billing runs, collections, payables and reconciliations in your accounting system, including trust-account records for attorney review
$1,000–$1,600 by market
Typical ranges from Talentige placements. Intake specialists and legal assistants typically earn $1,300–$1,800 a month, depending on skills, experience and languages. We recruit legal support staff in Latin America (Spanish-English, US time zones), the Philippines (strong English, overnight coverage), Morocco (French-English, for Canadian firms) and Egypt. For a market-by-market estimate, try the overseas hiring cost calculator.
Confidentiality and supervision, the way your bar expects
The ABA has said since 2008 that lawyers may outsource legal and nonlegal support work, as long as the lawyer stays responsible for the work, supervises it, and protects client confidences (ABA Formal Opinion 08-451, applying Model Rules 1.1, 1.6 and 5.3). Here's how a Talentige hire fits that:
Supervised by you. Your hire works for your firm only, never shared with another firm, inside your systems and under your attorneys' direction.
Bound in writing. A government-stamped, locally compliant contract and a signed NDA before they see a single file.
Checked. A background check on the finalist you choose, before they start.
No legal advice. Intake specialists and legal assistants are not lawyers and never give legal advice; they capture facts, book consultations and support your attorneys.
Your access rules. You decide which systems and matters they can open; Hubstaff time tracking shows how their hours are spent.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check your state bar's guidance on outsourcing and on telling clients when nonlawyers outside the firm will handle their information.
What legal support staff cost in the US
Here's what the same seats cost at US legal-services employers, with benefits and payroll costs included:
Role at a US law firm
BLS median (May 2025)
US cost per month
Talentige hire
Paralegals and legal assistants
$29.70/hour
$7,362
Legal assistant: $1,300–$1,800
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
$26.40/hour
$6,544
Legal assistant / secretary: $1,300–$1,800
Receptionists and information clerks
$20.00/hour
$4,957
Receptionist / VA: $900–$1,800
US cost = BLS May 2025 median hourly wage for that occupation in that industry × 2,080 hours × 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs (BLS ECEC, June 2026). Talentige figures are typical full-time monthly pay from our placements, before our one-time placement fee.
With Talentige you pay nothing until you hire, then a one-time fixed placement fee by role. No monthly agency margin on top of salary. If you're comparing this with an EOR platform or a freelance marketplace, read our EOR vs staffing agency vs Upwork guide.
Built for high-intake practices
The more calls a practice gets from people who've never hired a lawyer, the more a full-time intake specialist earns their seat:
Personal injury
Family law
Immigration
Criminal defense
Estate planning
Employment
Bankruptcy
Workers' comp
Immigration and personal-injury firms often need Spanish. In 2024, 44.9 million people aged 5 and older in the US spoke Spanish at home (US Census Bureau). A bilingual intake specialist in Mexico or Colombia answers in the caller's language, on your time zone.
How we test legal intake candidates
Written and oral English, plus Spanish or French when you need it.
A mock intake call: a distressed caller who wants to know "do I have a case?". We score empathy, control, fact-gathering and whether they avoid giving legal advice.
A written client reply to an emailed inquiry, scored for clarity, next steps and tone.
Software check against your case-management and e-signature tools.
Your interview, then a background check on the person you choose.
Answer every prospective client
Tell us your practice areas, call volume and systems, and we'll come back with a plan, a realistic budget and 3–5 tested finalists in about 14 days.
Pay nothing until you hire · 3–5 vetted finalists · 90-day replacement guarantee
Law firm results: two client case studies
Anonymised client case studies: names withheld, figures as reported from client records.
Case study · Personal Injury
19 Additional Signed Cases
<5 minaverage response time
19additional signed cases in 90 days
A personal injury firm was spending thousands on leads but taking hours to respond to new inquiries. Talentige recruited 2 bilingual intake specialists to answer calls, screen cases, and follow up with prospective clients. Average response time fell below 5 minutes, contributing to 19 additional signed cases in 90 days.
Case study · Immigration Law
55% Lower Admin Costs
55%lower administrative staffing costs
Admin staffing cost after, as a share of before (shaded = 45%)
A busy immigration practice had attorneys spending valuable time chasing missing documents and updating clients. We hired 2 legal administrative assistants for case tracking, document collection, and appointment coordination. The firm reduced administrative staffing costs by 55%, freeing its attorneys to focus on legal work and client consultations.
Frequently asked questions about law firm virtual assistants
Is it ethical for a law firm to use an offshore virtual assistant?
The ABA's Formal Opinion 08-451 says lawyers may outsource legal and nonlegal support services if they stay responsible for the work, supervise it and protect client confidences. A Talentige hire works only for your firm, under your supervision, with a signed NDA and a background check. Check your state bar's guidance too; this isn't legal advice.
Can a legal intake specialist give legal advice?
No. Intake specialists and legal assistants are not lawyers. They answer calls, capture facts, run conflict searches, book consultations and send your approved documents; your attorneys give the advice and decide which matters to take.
What case-management software can they use?
Your hire works in your systems: Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, Filevine, Lawmatics, Smokeball or whatever you run. We check software experience during screening and tell you what each finalist has used.
Can I hire a bilingual Spanish-English intake specialist?
Yes. We recruit bilingual Spanish-English intake specialists in Latin America, including Mexico and Colombia, who work on US time zones. We test both languages formally.
How much does a virtual assistant for a law firm cost?
A receptionist or VA typically earns $900–$1,100 a month in Egypt, $1,000–$1,300 in Morocco and the Philippines, and $1,000–$1,800 in Latin America. Intake specialists and legal assistants typically earn $1,300–$1,800 a month, depending on skills and experience. A US legal secretary at a law firm costs about $6,544 a month with benefits (BLS). You pay nothing until you hire, then a one-time fixed fee by role.
How fast can I hire?
You'll meet 3–5 tested finalists in about 14 days. Once you choose, we run the background check, set up the contract and payment, and help you onboard.
Will they work my firm's hours and holidays?
Yes. Your hire works the schedule you set, any shift, and follows your firm's holiday calendar. You pay them in your currency (USD, CAD, EUR, AUD or GBP) and we handle payment and Hubstaff tracking.
What if the hire doesn't work out?
Every placement has a 90-day replacement guarantee, with terms confirmed in writing for your role before you start.
Sources
Clio, Legal Trends Report 2024: secret-shopper study of 500 US law firms by Lux Research, June 20–July 5, 2024, compared with the 2019 Legal Trends Report (1,000 firms emailed, 500 phoned). clio.com · full report (PDF)
American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Formal Opinion 08-451, "Lawyer's Obligations When Outsourcing Legal and Nonlegal Support Services" (August 5, 2008). americanbar.org
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, legal services (NAICS 541100), median hourly wages via the BLS Public Data API: paralegals and legal assistants (23-2011) $29.70 (series OEUN000000054110023201108); legal secretaries and administrative assistants (43-6012) $26.40 (series OEUN000000054110043601208); receptionists and information clerks (43-4171) $20.00 (series OEUN000000054110043417108). bls.gov
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – June 2026 (released September 9, 2026), private industry: total compensation $46.89 per hour worked, wages and salaries $32.82. Multiplier 46.89 ÷ 32.82 = 1.43. bls.gov
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 (language spoken at home), as summarised by USAFacts. usafacts.org
Talentige placement data (as of October 2026): 1,750+ hires in total, including 500+ in Morocco, 250+ in Egypt, 500+ in the Philippines and 500+ across Latin America; typical monthly pay ranges, timelines, screening process, holiday arrangements and payment currency are based on Talentige placements.
