They say ‘a rising tide lifts all ships,’ and this has never been truer for immigration attorneys. As a result, of the executive orders signed by President Trump on 20 January 2025, the demand for immigration attorneys increased dramatically.
LEX Reception data shows that 59% of our immigration law firm customers have seen an increase in calls, with 37% seeing an increase of more than 50%. But an increase in calls doesn’t always mean an increase in clients or billable hours.
In fact, many lawyers find increased call volume gets in the way of success. Our data shows that on average, LEX Reception’s immigration customers have increased their minute usage by 186 minutes per month. That’s more than three additional hours spent on call answering and legal intake every month. How you handle this volume of calls has a significant impact on the success of your firm.
But how can you possibly keep up with inbound calls and attract and retain new clients, while doing all you can for those going through the immigration system?
The problem to solve here is three-fold:
How to effectively manage a large volume of calls
How to get clients to choose your firm over competitors
How to set up your firm for effective legal intake and client follow-up
In this article, we look at each of these areas to provide a blueprint for immigration firm success. You can get more time, help more people, and build a law firm you’re proud of.
1. How immigration lawyers can effectively manage a large volume of calls
“There are a lot of lawyers who start doing immigration law and just can’t sustain it,”
Anna Cabot, director of the immigration clinic at the University of Houston Law Center.
Whether existing clients have questions and concerns or new clients are looking for legal assistance, managing client communications can become unmanageable. According to the latest Clio Legal Trends Report, attorneys spend just 2.9 hours per day on billable tasks, and for many this may not be enough to keep the business afloat. However, there are several ways you can take back control of your front desk, your working day and your law firm growth.
Get support from a 24/7 legal reception service
Professional reception services like LEX Reception relieve the burden of call answering. Trained legal receptionists answer calls when you need them to, so you can focus on your clients and growing your firm. A legal reception service can help immigration law firms with:
After hours and overflow calls
Lead qualification
Legal Intake
Urgent call transfers
Avoid an after-hours backlog
Feeling like you can never catch up? If you don’t manage calls coming in after hours, you are letting yesterday’s calls set today’s agenda. You can’t be available 24/7, so you need to find ways to manage out-of-hours calls.
Your clients want to speak to a person: A recent survey conducted by OnePoll found that 81% of people who contacted a law firm would rather speak to a real person rather than an AI chatbot. Similarly, a recent study from Clio found that 61% of people believed that chatbots are not equipped to handle complex legal issues. Where possible, provide a human solution such as 24/7 legal reception services.
Provide self-service options
Many clients will call when they simply need to reschedule an appointment or ask a question. However, there are several ways you can allow these clients to self-serve.
Scheduling software: With scheduling software such as Setmore (included with every LEX account), you can easily allow clients to cancel and reschedule appointments. You can also organize your calendar and keep your availability up to date simply, so there’s no chance of double booking.
Information packet: Recent data from Clio has shown that clients find getting information from law firms difficult. In phone conversations, only 36% could explain the process and next steps.
Only 18% answered questions on the next steps by email. Do your clients ask the same questions repeatedly? If so, it could be a good idea to provide new clients with an FAQ document or a link to your website where they can find this information. Even if this information is already available on your website, it is still a good idea to point this out so clients know where to find it.
Educate and qualify: Ask the important questions upfront. Are there types of cases you don’t take on? Be clear about this on your website, and at least a percentage of leads who are not the right fit for your firm will self-qualify. 86% of people said that experience with similar types of cases was one of the top three priorities to consider when choosing a lawyer.
If clients find you online, they are likely looking for information about their situation. This is an opportunity to be clear about the types of cases you can assist with. You should also consider the cases that are most profitable or that you want to work on. Put this type of work front and center on your website. Why would you want to put people off calling your firm? If they are not the right type of instruction for you, you don’t want to waste their time or yours.
2. How to win more clients ahead of your competitors
Now you are set up to handle a large volume of calls and interest in your firm, how do you get clients to choose you over your competitors? Here are our top tips for winning business over your competitors.
Be available
A recent mystery shop by Clio found that 48% of law firms were unreachable by phone. Whether you are too busy to pick up, or contacted outside of working hours, if you are missing calls you are letting clients go to your competitors. In a recent podcast recording, Richard James discussed how the easiest way to become more profitable is to take control of the leads already coming into your business.
Spotlight your lawyers
Hiring an attorney is a big decision –people want to know who they are working with. Make sure your website has complete attorney profile pages – this article from The National Law Review has some great tips. Video is also a great way to help clients get a feel for what an attorney is like.
Create some short videos discussing how your firm can help and share them on social media or get some professional videos to add to your website. People connect with people, and showing how much you care can set you apart from faceless competitors.
Here is a great example:
Offer bilingual services
As an immigration attorney, many of your clients won’t have English as a first language. You can make your firm more welcoming by providing assistance in their native language. In the US, 62% of non-English speaking households speak Spanish, which is why LEX Reception offers bilingual answering in English and Spanish. Even if some members of your team are able to speak to Spanish speaking clients, they may not be available 24/7. Consider how you might help these clients and put their minds at ease after-hours.
3. How to set your firm up for effective legal intake and client follow-up
Be as prepared as possible
It is difficult to prepare for sudden changes in legislation or announcements that might affect your client base. However, there are some steps you can take to ensure your firm is ready to take advantage of sudden call surges or specific marketing campaigns following such changes.
Flexible legal reception services: Even if you are not quite ready to sign up for a legal reception service, it is comforting to have done the research and have it as a support option. With LEX Reception, you only pay for the minutes you use and the service can scale up or down at any time. You can get going with LEX in as little as 15 minutes (although we recommend taking the time to create custom call flows and scripts).
Create call flows and scripts
Creating a call flow or call script helps guide your reception staff through each call methodically. It helps you get all of the information you need to qualify and follow up on an inquiry and should allow your team to begin intake right away. The right script also puts clients at ease—they are in the right place and on their way to resolving their legal matters. Here are three core things to keep in mind when building your script:
Get the information you need
Think about what you need to know for each type of case you take on – this is the foundation of your script.
Leave room for empathy
Following a script doesn’t have to sound robotic – encourage your team to use their people skills and show empathy and understanding to callers.
Make the next steps clear
You want to take on more clients, and your callers want to know their cases are in good hands. So, it is crucial that your team retains the client and schedules a follow-up appointment with an attorney if that caller meets your qualification criteria. Without clear next steps, the caller with simply contact another attorney.
Whether you choose to work with a legal reception service or make changes to your existing call-handling procedures, there are many ways to take control of client communications. With clear processes and preparation, you can make the most of the recent surge in immigration inquiries to grow your firm and help more people.
Need call support for your immigration firm? Try LEX
Getting the right support for your immigration firm is vital. At LEX Reception, we only work with law firms and our receptionists understand the challenges you are facing. Our team is available to answer calls and chats, qualify leads and intake new clients 24/7 – in English and Spanish. Our plans are completely flexible and you can scale up or down at any time. Book a demo to find out more.
Key Takeaways:
Get support from a legal answering service to manage an increase in calls
Provide self-service options to reduce the number of basic calls you receive
Avoid after-hours backlog so you don’t have to play catch-up each day
Be available when your competitors are not
Spotlight your team to show clients who they will be working with
Offer bilingual services to support non-English speaking clients
Gather and showcase your testimonials to demonstrate how you have helped other clients
Be as prepared as possible for call influxes from changes in legislation or marketing campaigns
Create call flows and scripts to make call handling efficient and effective
Set reminders for follow-up to make the most of every lead
