Short answer: within minutes. In Clio's 2024 secret-shopper test, only 40% of firms answered the phone, down from 56% in 2019, and only 33% replied to emails. Older sales research found that reaching a web lead within 5 minutes made contact far more likely than waiting 30 minutes. The firm that answers first usually gets the consult.
What the research found
| Finding | Source |
|---|---|
| 40% of law firms answered the phone (56% in 2019) | Clio Legal Trends Report, 2024 |
| 33% of law firms replied to emails (40% in 2019) | Clio Legal Trends Report, 2024 |
| Reaching a web lead in 5 minutes instead of 30 made contact about 100 times more likely | MIT and InsideSales.com lead response study, 2007 |
| Among companies that responded to a web lead within 30 days, the average first response took about 42 hours | Harvard Business Review, 2011 |
How to get your response time down
- Answer every call, including nights and weekends.
- Reply to every web form within minutes.
- Call back people who asked for a call, with consent on file.
- Follow up two or three times, then stop.
- Measure it. Call your own firm after hours once a month.
Questions
What is a good response time for a law firm?
Minutes, not hours. Answer calls live and reply to web leads right away.
Does it matter after hours?
Yes. Injury and consumer law callers often reach out at night and contact more than one firm.