89% of consumers say they’d rather speak to a real person than AI when contacting a law firm – up from 84% – as trust in AI-handled calls continues to decline.

Portland, OR – September 9, 2026 – LEX Reception, a 24/7 legal answering service for US law firms, today released its findings on consumers’ experiences with AI in legal services. Conducted with OnePoll and based on 6,000 respondents, the research tracks attitudes since October 2025 – and the trend line is clear: the preference for human contact is strengthening, not fading.

 

People Prefer People – and the Gap Is Widening

  • 89% prefer speaking to a real person over AI when contacting a law firm, up from 84% in October 2025
  • 1 in 3 would hang up if connected to AI
  • 57% say heavy AI use in client service would decrease their trust in a business, up from 47%
  • Trust in AI handling a law firm inquiry correctly has fallen to just 32%, down from 35%
  • 82% have asked to be transferred to a real person after encountering AI in client service

 

“Legal matters carry consequences clients can’t afford to get wrong, and a missed detail or a misunderstood message can genuinely affect their case,” said Fiona Stevenson, Associate Marketing Director at LEX Reception. “That’s why the preference for a real person isn’t reducing – it’s getting stronger. People want to know someone understood them the first time they called.”

The research also found that a human answering the phone shapes how clients see a firm before a single case detail is discussed: 58% said it signals the firm values its customers, and 45% said it signals greater professionalism. Two-thirds of respondents said they’d be more loyal to a firm that uses people – not AI – for all its service interactions, and 55% are more likely to leave a positive review after a human interaction, compared with just 8% after AI.

The full report, The People Advantage: Client Attitudes to AI in Legal Services, is available at https://www.lexreception.com/ai-report-keep-law-human

 

About LEX Reception
LEX Reception keeps law human. We provide 24/7 legal receptionist services for law firms and solo attorneys, answering every call with the kind of understanding that only real people can offer. Our service helps our clients intake faster, rank higher, win more, and lawyer better. 

Behind every call to a law firm is a client who wants to feel heard, and a lawyer who needs to focus on the work that matters most. With LEX, clients get reassurance and lawyers get more time back. 

We also believe that good people are at the heart of good business. So all of our receptionists are legal-literate, available 24/7, and can support clients in English and Spanish. Most importantly, they’re always human.