The first firm to answer usually gets the call back
When someone is arrested, their family calls several defense firms and works with whoever responds first. A voicemail box at 11 PM loses that case. The assistant answers in your firm's name, takes the details and, for anything you mark urgent, texts or calls the attorney on call while the family is still on the line.
What the assistant asks
You approve the exact questions. A typical criminal defense set:
- Who's calling: the person charged or a family member or friend
- The full name of the person charged, and any co-defendants or alleged victims named on the paperwork, for your conflict check
- Whether they're in custody, and where
- The county, and the charge as written on the paperwork, if they have it
- Any court date coming up
- The best number to reach them tonight
It doesn't ask what happened. The facts of the case are for the attorney, not the intake script, and the assistant tells callers not to share them yet. It never comments on charges, sentences or whether to talk to police.
Urgent means urgent
You decide what counts as urgent: an arrest, someone in custody, a court date in the next few days. Those conversations alert the attorney on call right away by text or call, with the summary. Everything else books the next open consult on your calendar. Every call and chat lands in your inbox with the transcript or recording.
See it on a defense site
Built around Oregon's chatbot opinion
Oregon's Formal Opinion 2026-208 asks firms to make sure a chatbot says it's an AI, doesn't give legal advice and doesn't create an attorney-client relationship by accident. The assistant discloses that it's an AI in its first sentence, offers a callback from a person and never says or implies your firm represents the caller.
Website chat and after-hours calls, one system
The same assistant answers your website chat and the calls your team misses. Calls from Washington are covered too: every call announces it's recorded before intake starts.
Pricing
$997 a month plus $500 setup, month to month, for website chat and after-hours answering together. Founding offer: the first two Portland firms get $797 a month locked for a year with no setup fee. 2 of 2 spots open. See full pricing.
Common questions
What happens when a family member calls about an arrest at night?
The assistant answers in your firm's name, collects the person's name, custody status and county, and alerts the attorney on call right away if you've marked arrests as urgent.
Does the assistant ask about the facts of the case?
No. It collects names, custody status, county, charge as written on the paperwork and court dates. The facts are for the attorney, and the assistant tells callers not to share them yet.
Will it give advice about talking to police or a plea?
No. It never gives legal advice. It gets the person to your attorney as quickly as possible.
How much does it cost?
$997 a month plus $500 setup, month to month, including website chat and after-hours answering. The first two Portland firms get $797 a month with no setup fee.
Book a 15-minute demo
We reply within one business day with a few times. You'll see the chat take a real injury intake, where the lead lands, and what setup looks like for your site.
Prefer to talk? Call (775) 762-6203 or email intake@tacticalms.dev.