AI telephone assistant for law firms: safe use

An AI telephone assistant can answer incoming calls in tax consulting and law firms, record the request and the callback request, and suggest free appointments. It does not provide information on current mandates – that remains with you. In order for this to fit in with professional secrecy, it needs operations in Germany, an order processing agreement and a service provider who Section 203 of the German Criminal Code. is obliged to secrecy according to

In law firms, the phone often rings exactly when everyone is in meetings or working on deadlines. Clients end up on the answering machine, new inquiries are lost. This article shows what an AI telephone assistant can do in the law firm – and where the limits are.

What the telephone assistant does in the law firm

Answer calls, even during meetings, lunch breaks, or after hours.
Record concerns: name, callback number, tenant number, topic, and urgency.
Schedule callbacks: with a time slot that fits the assignee's calendar.
Suggest dates for initial consultations, if approved.
Answer frequently asked questions: opening hours, how to get there, what documents you need to bring with you.
Forwarding in real emergencies, such as when a deadline expires today.

Which he deliberately does not do

A telephone assistant in the law firm does not provide any substantive information on mandates, tax assessments or procedures. He does not even confirm whether someone is a client. He takes up the request and passes it on to the right person. This keeps the advice where it belongs.

Professional secrecy: what § 203 StGB requires

Tax advisors and lawyers are subject to confidentiality under Section 203 of the German Criminal Code. Since 2017, Section 203 (3) of the German Criminal Code has expressly allowed secrets to be disclosed to "other persons" who are involved in the professional activity – insofar as this is necessary for their activities. This may also include external service providers. However, according to Section 203 (4) of the German Criminal Code, the law firm must ensure that these service providers are obliged to maintain secrecy.

For an AI telephone assistant, this means in concrete terms:

Requirement	Implementation
Confidentiality	written commitment of the service provider to secrecy
Data protection	Data processing agreement according to Art. 28 GDPR
Data Location	Processing on servers in Germany
Data minimization	only name, callback number, request in keywords – no mandate details
Transparency	Callers learn at the beginning that they are talking to an AI

You should agree on the details of professional law – such as the rules of the chambers on the involvement of service providers – with your chamber or your data protection officer before you start. This article does not constitute legal advice.

Example: a Monday morning in the tax office

Example: Between 9 and 11 a.m., 14 calls are received, and the two receptionists are in client conversations. The telephone assistant accepts all calls, notes six callback requests with a time window, answers four questions about required documents, books two initial calls and forwards a call because an objection period ends on the same day. At 11 a.m., a sorted list is in the mailbox.

Telephone assistant and chatbot complement each other

Many clients prefer to write rather than call. An AI chatbot on the website takes over the same tasks in writing – more on this in the article Client communication in the law firm. On the phone, however, the pressure is greater because callers expect an immediate response.

Introduction to the law firm

Collect concerns: Which calls come in most often?
Setting boundaries: What does the assistant answer, what never?
Define routing rules for deadlines and emergencies.
Conclusion of contracts: order processing and confidentiality obligation.
Test phase with real calls, then expansion to off-peak times.

Our AI telephone assistant runs on servers in Germany and can be connected to your telephone system. There is a separate page for tax firms on the industry: AI for tax consultants.

About the funding: The consultation and accompanied introduction can be funded with 80% via INQA coaching (up to €1,200 per day, up to 12 days). In the new federal states, BAFA consulting funding is also eligible until 31.12.2026 . Funding is provided for consulting, not software. The funding check shows what fits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a law firm use an AI telephone assistant?

Yes, if the service provider is obliged to maintain confidentiality (Section 203 (4) of the German Criminal Code), a data processing agreement exists and only the necessary data is processed. Professional details should be coordinated with the Chamber.

Does the telephone assistant provide information on mandates?

No. He records concerns and callback requests, answers general questions and forwards. Content information remains with the professionals.

What happens in the event of urgent deadlines?

For specified keywords such as "Deadline today", the assistant forwards the call directly or notifies the responsible person immediately.

Do callers need to know that they are talking to an AI?

Yes. According to the EU AI Act, people must be able to recognize that they are interacting with an AI system. The assistant therefore introduces itself as a digital assistant at the beginning.

Source: § 203 StGB (gesetze-im-internet.de).