An AI receptionist for an Ottawa law firm answers every call in English or French, screens for urgency, gathers the names a conflict check needs and books a consult. It never gives legal advice and never decides conflicts. Your lawyer approves every script, and a francophone lawyer should review the French version before launch.
Most AI receptionist guides are written for one language. Ottawa is different. The city has a bilingualism by-law, more than a third of residents report knowing both official languages, and the metro area crosses into Quebec, where a different law society and a different privacy law apply.
This page covers what that means for intake at a solo or small firm. If you want the broader picture first, start with our AI receptionist for law firms hub and the Ontario-wide guide to law firm intake automation.
Who it is for
- Solo and small firms. Most legal-services locations in the Ottawa area are small (see the numbers below). At that size, nobody is at the front desk at 8 p.m. or on a Saturday.
- Practices where the urgent call comes after hours. Criminal defence, family, employment terminations, real estate closings and estates all produce calls that cannot wait for Monday.
- Firms with francophone or bilingual clients. That includes firms whose callers live in Gatineau.
- Firms already paying for an answering service that takes a message but cannot book, cannot switch to French on cue, or lets callers pour out details before a conflict check. Our answering service vs AI receptionist comparison for Ottawa covers that trade-off.
Not a fit if you want the system to give advice, estimate outcomes or accept retainers. It does none of those things, by design.
Ottawa legal market facts
Every number below comes from an official source, checked in October 2026. Where we could not verify a figure, we left it out.
- Firm size. Statistics Canada's Canadian Business Counts, June 2026 (table 33-10-1176-01) lists 813 legal services locations (NAICS 5411) with employees in the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area. Of those, 559 have 1 to 4 employees and 153 have 5 to 9, so about 88% have fewer than 10. The City of Ottawa accounts for 651 locations and Gatineau for 110. StatCan counts locations, not firms, excludes practices with no employees, and advises against reading these counts as a time series.
- Language. In the 2021 Census, 367,030 of 1,006,965 people in the City of Ottawa reported knowing both English and French (36.4%), per table 98-10-0225-01. 126,035 (12.5%) reported French as their only mother tongue, per table 98-10-0221-01.
- City policy. The City's Bilingualism By-law 2001-170 gives residents the right to communicate with the City, and to receive available services, in English or French. The by-law also notes that Ottawa is a designated area under Ontario's French Language Services Act. That applies to the City, not to your firm, but it shapes what callers expect.
- The courthouse. The Ottawa Courthouse is at 161 Elgin St. According to an Ontario Bar Association article, the Seamless Access to Justice in French pilot launched there on May 29, 2015, and the right to file documents in French under section 126 of the Courts of Justice Act was extended to all Ontario courts as of February 1, 2022.
Put together: a small firm, a caller who may prefer French, and a court system that expects lawyers to take language seriously. A voicemail greeting in English only is a weak first impression.
How intake works
The flow is the same in either language. The AI handles logistics. Your people handle judgement.
- Answer. Every call, day or night. The caller hears a bilingual greeting and picks a language, and the assistant says up front that it is automated and not a lawyer.
- Screen. Is anyone in danger? Is there a court date, a deadline or someone in custody in the next 48 hours? Urgent calls ring through to whoever you name as on call. Everything else continues.
- Gather conflict-check details. The caller's full name and contact details, the full names of the other parties, the type of matter, and whether the caller is in Ontario or Quebec. Nothing more until conflicts clear.
- Book. The assistant offers real consult times from your calendar, notes the preferred language, and sends a confirmation by text or email. The file lands in your inbox or practice management system for review.
The AI never gives legal advice. Legal questions get one answer: "I can't answer that, but I can book you with a lawyer who can."
The AI never decides conflicts. It collects names. A lawyer or trained staff member runs the check and confirms the booking.
A lawyer approves every script, in both languages, before launch and after any change.
Bilingual after-hours intake script (EN / FR)
Below is a starting script for a solo or small Ottawa firm, written for a call that comes in after 5 p.m. Replace the bracketed parts. Then have your lawyer approve it, and have a francophone lawyer or certified translator review the French. Treat it as a template, not legal advice.
| Step | English | Français |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greeting | "[Firm name], hello, bonjour. For English, say 'English'. Pour le français, dites « français »." | |
| 2. Disclosure | "Thanks for calling. I'm the firm's automated assistant, not a lawyer, and I can't give legal advice. The office is closed, but I can take a few details and book a consultation. This call is recorded and transcribed so the lawyer can follow up. Is that okay?" | « Merci d'avoir appelé. Je suis l'assistant automatisé du cabinet, pas un avocat, et je ne peux pas donner d'avis juridique. Le bureau est fermé, mais je peux noter quelques renseignements et fixer une consultation. Cet appel est enregistré et transcrit pour que l'avocat puisse faire le suivi. Est-ce que cela vous convient? » |
| 2b. If the caller declines recording | "No problem. You can leave your name and number without a recording, or email [address], and the office will call you back on the next business day." | « Aucun problème. Vous pouvez laisser votre nom et votre numéro sans enregistrement, ou écrire à [adresse], et le bureau vous rappellera le jour ouvrable suivant. » |
| 3. Safety and urgency | "Is anyone in immediate danger? If so, please hang up and call 911. Do you have a court date, a deadline or someone in custody in the next 48 hours?" | « Quelqu'un est-il en danger immédiat? Si oui, raccrochez et composez le 911. Avez-vous une date d'audience, une échéance ou une personne détenue dans les 48 prochaines heures? » |
| 3b. If urgent | "I'm connecting you to the lawyer on call now." (Or: "I'm sending your number to the lawyer on call, who will phone you back tonight.") | « Je vous transfère à l'avocat de garde. » (Ou : « J'envoie votre numéro à l'avocat de garde, qui vous rappellera ce soir. ») |
| 4. Type of matter | "In a few words, what type of matter is it: family, real estate, wills and estates, criminal, employment or something else? Please don't share the details yet." | « En quelques mots, de quel type de dossier s'agit-il : famille, immobilier, testaments et successions, criminel, emploi ou autre? Merci de ne pas donner les détails pour l'instant. » |
| 5. Conflict-check names | "So the firm can check for conflicts, what is your full legal name? And the full names of the other people or companies involved, such as the other party, a spouse or an employer?" | « Pour que le cabinet puisse vérifier les conflits d'intérêts, quel est votre nom complet? Et quels sont les noms complets des autres personnes ou entreprises concernées, par exemple l'autre partie, un conjoint ou un employeur? » |
| 6. Ontario or Quebec | "Is this matter in Ontario or in Quebec?" If Quebec: "The lawyer will confirm whether the firm can help with a Quebec matter." | « Ce dossier concerne-t-il l'Ontario ou le Québec? » Si Québec : « L'avocat confirmera si le cabinet peut vous aider pour un dossier au Québec. » |
| 7. Over-sharing | "Thank you. Please save the details for the lawyer. The firm needs to check for conflicts first." | « Merci. Gardez les détails pour l'avocat, s'il vous plaît. Le cabinet doit d'abord vérifier les conflits d'intérêts. » |
| 8. Language of consult | "Would you like your consultation in English or in French?" | « Souhaitez-vous que votre consultation se déroule en français ou en anglais? » |
| 9. Book | "I can offer [Tuesday at 10 a.m.] or [Wednesday at 2 p.m.]. The firm will confirm once its conflict check is done." | « Je peux vous proposer [mardi à 10 h] ou [mercredi à 14 h]. Le cabinet confirmera une fois la vérification des conflits terminée. » |
| 10. Contact | "What's the best phone number and email to reach you? May we send your confirmation by text?" | « Quels sont le meilleur numéro et la meilleure adresse courriel pour vous joindre? Pouvons-nous vous envoyer la confirmation par message texte? » |
| 11. Close | "Thank you. Booking a consultation doesn't mean the firm has agreed to act for you. You'll get a confirmation shortly." | « Merci. La réservation d'une consultation ne signifie pas que le cabinet a accepté de vous représenter. Vous recevrez une confirmation sous peu. » |
| Any legal question | "I can't answer legal questions, but I can book you with a lawyer who can." | « Je ne peux pas répondre aux questions juridiques, mais je peux vous fixer une consultation avec un avocat qui le pourra. » |
Notes on the script
- Only offer French consults you can deliver. LSO Rule 3.2-2B says a lawyer should not take on a matter in a client's chosen language without being competent in it, unless the client consents in writing (as summarized by the OBA). If no one at the firm practises in French, step 8 becomes: "The lawyer will confirm the language options by email."
- Language rights are the lawyer's job. Rule 3.2-2A asks lawyers to advise clients of their language rights when appropriate. Step 8 flags the preference. The lawyer gives the advice.
- Step 5 is deliberately narrow. Names, not facts. That keeps the caller's story out of your file until you know you can act.
- Step 6 matters on this river. Ottawa and Gatineau share one metro area, so some callers live in Quebec. The answer tells the lawyer which rules and which licence apply.
Ottawa or Gatineau: which rules apply
An Ottawa firm licensed in Ontario answers to the Law Society of Ontario. A lawyer practising in Gatineau is a member of the Barreau du Québec and follows Quebec's Code of Professional Conduct of Lawyers. Privacy law differs too.
| Where the firm practises | Regulator | Private-sector privacy law |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa (Ontario) | Law Society of Ontario | PIPEDA, overseen by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada |
| Gatineau (Quebec) | Barreau du Québec | Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector, overseen by the Commission d'accès à l'information |
If your firm has lawyers called in both provinces, ask each regulator which rules govern a given matter. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Compliance notes
| Topic | What it means for intake | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality (LSO Rule 3.3-1) | The duty of confidentiality covers people who seek advice even if you never act for them. That includes after-hours callers, recordings and transcripts. | LSO Rules, Chapter 3 |
| Conflicts (LSO Rule 3.4-1) | Collect names first, facts later. The AI gathers details; a person runs the check. | LSO Rules, Chapter 3 |
| Language rights (LSO Rules 3.2-2A, 3.2-2B) | Record the preferred language. The lawyer advises on language rights and only accepts French matters they can handle competently. | LSO Rules, Chapter 3 |
| Marketing (LSO Rule 4.2-1) | Greetings and scripts must be true, accurate and verifiable. No "best lawyer" claims and no outcome promises, in either language. | LSO Rules, Chapter 4 |
| Use of generative AI | Supervise it like a non-licensee assistant, check the vendor's data handling, and never let it do work only a licensee can do. | LSO generative AI guidance (PDF) |
| Personal information (PIPEDA) | Collect only what intake needs, say why, protect it, and limit how long you keep it. | PIPEDA in brief (OPC) |
| Call recording consent | Tell callers the call is recorded, say why, and ask for consent. Offer another option, such as a callback without recording, if they object. | OPC: Recording of customer telephone calls |
| Texts and emails (CASL) | Keep confirmation and reminder messages about the booked consult. Get proper consent before adding anyone to a newsletter or promotion. | CASL: getting consent |
| Quebec-based practice | Barreau du Québec conduct rules and Quebec's private-sector privacy act apply instead of the LSO and PIPEDA rows above. | Code of Professional Conduct of Lawyers; P-39.1 |
For the recording question in more depth, see call recording consent for AI receptionists in Canada.
Pricing
These are our published prices, in USD. CAD quotes are available on request. The AI receptionist and intake described on this page start at Foundation.
| Tier | Build | Monthly | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $799 | $297 | Website plus the automated basics |
| Foundation | $1,999 | $1,197 | 24/7 AI receptionist for calls, chat and texts, consult screening, conflict-check details gathered, consults booked |
| Growth | $3,999 | $1,997 | Foundation plus follow-up, document requests and urgent inquiries flagged to your phone |
| Enterprise | From $10,999 | Scoped on a call | Multi-office or complex intake |
Results are not guaranteed and depend on each firm. To see what unanswered calls may be costing you, try the missed call cost calculator for law firms.
FAQ
Can an AI receptionist answer my Ottawa firm's calls in French?
Yes. It can greet callers in both languages, switch to French on request and book the consult with the preferred language noted. Only offer French consultations if a lawyer at your firm can serve the client competently in French, and have a francophone lawyer review the French script.
Does the AI give legal advice or decide conflicts?
No. It answers, screens for urgency, collects the names needed for a conflict check and books a consult. A lawyer or trained staff member runs the conflict check and confirms the booking, and a lawyer approves every script.
My caller is in Gatineau. Which rules apply?
It depends on where the lawyer is licensed and practises. Ontario lawyers follow the Law Society of Ontario rules. Lawyers practising in Quebec are members of the Barreau du Québec, and Quebec has its own private-sector privacy law. If you are unsure, ask your regulator. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I have to tell callers the call is recorded?
Under guidance from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, organizations subject to PIPEDA should tell callers a call is recorded, explain why and ask for consent, and offer an alternative if the caller objects. The script above does this in both languages.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for an Ottawa law firm?
Our AI receptionist and intake start at the Foundation tier: $1,999 to build plus $1,197 a month, in USD. Starter is $799 plus $297 a month, Growth is $3,999 plus $1,997 a month, and Enterprise starts at $10,999. CAD quotes are available on request.
Related reading
- AI receptionist for law firms in Canada
- Law firm intake automation in Ontario
- Missed call cost calculator for law firms
- AI receptionist for law firms in Toronto
- Answering service vs AI receptionist in Ottawa
- Call recording consent for AI receptionists in Canada
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