Someone's relative has just been arrested. They search for a solicitor late at night and find a local firm. The website has a general contact form promising a reply within two working days. That is no use. They need to know, right now, whether the firm can help and how to reach someone.
Most legal enquiries can wait a day. Some cannot. A firm's website should know the difference.
What counts as urgent
Urgent matters are those with immediate consequences:
- Someone has been arrested or is at a police station
- A court hearing is imminent
- An injunction is needed or has been served
- A limitation or completion deadline is days away
- Someone's safety is at risk
These need a different response from routine enquiries.
What the website must say
- Whether the firm handles urgent matters at all
- How to reach someone quickly, including out-of-hours arrangements if the firm has them
- What to do if the firm cannot help, such as other services to contact
- For anyone in immediate danger, to contact emergency services
This should be easy to find, not buried in an FAQ.
Decision guide for an assistant
If someone describes immediate danger, the assistant should direct them to emergency services first.
If someone describes an urgent legal matter the firm handles, the assistant should share the firm's urgent contact route immediately and capture the key details for the team.
If the firm does not handle that kind of urgent matter, the assistant should say so clearly, so the person can find help elsewhere quickly.
If someone asks what they should do, the assistant should not advise. It should share the urgent route.
Visitor: My son has been arrested. Can you help? Assistant: I'm sorry you're dealing with this. The firm handles police station matters. Please call the urgent number on the contact page now, which is staffed out of hours. I can also take your details and your son's name so the team has them.
The general principle, route and never assess, is covered in after hours emergency triage. Dental practices follow the same logic, as described in emergency dental enquiries and what the website should say.
How SpideyChat handles it
SpideyChat for law firms answers from your own pages. If your urgent contact information is clear, it shares it straight away. It does not give legal advice or assess a situation. It can capture details and hand the conversation to staff as a ticket. You can see handover on the demo.
Routine enquiries still matter
Most enquiries are not urgent. They are about services, fees and consultations, covered in consultation requests captured with the right details and fee questions that decide which firm gets the client.
Following up
After an urgent matter, a short, personal follow-up helps. The free AI reply generator can help draft one, which should then be personalised by the fee earner.
Staffing the urgent route
An urgent route only works if someone answers it. Decide who covers urgent matters out of hours, how they are alerted and how quickly they should respond. If the firm does not offer out-of-hours cover, say so plainly and point to alternatives. A visitor who learns quickly that they need to look elsewhere is better served than one who waits all night for a reply that never comes, and they are more likely to remember the firm kindly for a future, less urgent matter.
Test it
Test your website with urgent scenarios. Is the urgent route easy to find on a phone? Does the assistant share it straight away? Fix anything that slows a person down.
Getting started
Review your urgent contact information, make it visible and set clear rules for urgent enquiries. Plans are compared on the pricing page.