Best phone systems for law firms in Australia, 2026
Nine phone systems for Australian law firms, ranked by what reaches the matter and by who answers when the lawyer cannot. Each one's published price and what it writes to Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep, taken from the practice management vendors' own documentation.
Those two were built for lawyers. The other seven are general business phone systems with a connector of varying depth, so choose by what reaches the matter, because call quality and price are close across all of them.
We make one of the products on this page
LEX Phone is ours, and it is ranked first below for the firms it fits and not for the ones it does not. We compared every system on three things: its published price, what it writes to the matter, and who answers when the lawyer cannot. Statements about the other systems come from their own websites and from Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep as at 3 October 2026, with the sources listed at the foot of the page.
- Smokeball and SharePoint firms: LEX Phone. Smokeball documents ten phone integrations; VXT and LEX Phone file each call to the matter, and only LEX Phone also answers the calls nobody took, qualifies the lead and transfers it to the firm's intake person with a one-line briefing.
- LEAP and Actionstep firms: VXT is the legal phone system with published integrations for both. LEAP firms can also look at CallSmart from Boab IT. LEX Phone does not file into either.
- Clio firms: VXT, RingCentral and Dialpad each log calls to Clio. LEX Phone's Clio filing is in development.
- Sole practitioners and firms in court all day: LEX Phone, because the line is the lawyer's mobile, one tap sets how calls are handled, and every call ends as a file note whether or not they picked up.
The comparison table
| System | What it is | Published Australian price | Who answers when the lawyer cannot | Charged per call or minute | Smokeball | LEAP | Clio | Actionstep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. LEX Phone | A business phone app for each lawyer, with an answering service on the same line | A$79.99 a lawyer a month, GST included, | No | A completed task with the file note for every call, plus leads, callback tasks and calendar | No | In development | No | |
| 2. VXT | A cloud phone system and AI notetaker for lawyers | A$90 a user a month billed monthly, before tax, plus $5 a number | Voicemail, saved to the matter | No per-call charge published. $5 a number a month | A task for every call with notes and transcript, and contact sync | Time entries and matter notes. Listed on the LEAP Marketplace | Time entries and communication records | Time entries and matter notes |
| 3. LegalVoice by Boab IT | A hosted phone system sold to law firms | Not published | Voicemail, or the firm's own reception desk on handsets | Not published | Through CallSmart | Through CallSmart, which logs calls and time to the matter | Not listed | Not listed |
| RingCentral | A general cloud phone, messaging and video platform | On request | Voicemail. Its receptionist add-ons do not write to the matter | Not published | Click to call, and a task with the call time for each call | Not listed | Calls and time logged through a Chrome extension | Not listed |
| 3CX, through a partner | Phone system software licensed per system per year and installed by a partner | Set by the partner | Voicemail, or a receptionist the firm staffs | Set by the partner's call plan | Cloudchat syncs contacts. Aatrox syncs contacts and logs calls | Ask the partner | Ask the partner | Ask the partner |
| Microsoft Teams Phone | Calling added to Microsoft Teams | AU$32.90 a user a month with domestic calling, paid yearly, before GST | Voicemail, transcribed in Teams | Domestic calls included on that plan. The AU$15 Standard plan needs a calling plan on top | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dialpad | A general cloud phone system with AI transcription | On request | Voicemail, transcribed | Not published | Not listed | Not listed | Calls and SMS logged through a connector built by Ion8 | Not listed |
| Zoom Phone | Calling added to Zoom | Published by plan, in US dollars | Voicemail, transcribed | Depends on the plan: metered or unlimited calling | Call contacts from Smokeball where Zoom Phone is on the plan | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Yestech VoIP | A VoIP link to practice management software | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Call logging, transcription and time entries, per Actionstep's directory |
As published on 3 October 2026; the two answering columns added 23 October 2026. Integration descriptions are from the practice management vendor's own documentation where it exists, and otherwise from the phone provider. "Who answers" is what the provider publishes for a call the lawyer does not pick up: every phone system has voicemail, and only LEX Phone answers the call. "Not listed" means no integration was found in either place, and "not published" means the provider's site does not say.
Phone systems built for lawyers
Why LEX Phone is first
- It answers the calls nobody took. Every other system on this page records the calls a lawyer takes and sends the rest to voicemail.
QRYSTEL intelligence - Every call ends as a file note on the matter, including the ones the service took, filed to Smokeball as a completed task or to SharePoint as a document.
- One flat price. A$79.99 a lawyer a month with GST included, no setup, porting, per-call or per-minute charge, and no contract.
QRYSTEL intelligence - The lawyer keeps the line. An Australian business number on the mobile they already carry, ringing them directly when they are free, with the matter on screen.
- What it does not do: it does not file into LEAP or Actionstep, Clio filing is in development, it supplies no desk handsets, and it keeps a transcript but no audio recording. A firm on LEAP or Actionstep should choose VXT.
1. LEX Phone
LEX Phone is a business phone app for each lawyer with
2. VXT
VXT is a cloud phone system and AI notetaker for lawyers, from New Zealand, with integrations across Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep. It records calls, transcribes them and saves notes and time to the matter. On Smokeball's own documentation each call appears with its details, the notes recorded in VXT and the transcript. Its price is A$90 a user a month billed monthly or A$67.50 billed annually, before tax, plus $5 a month for each number, with no minimum number of users. It is the best choice for a firm on LEAP or Actionstep, where it is the only legal phone system with published integrations for both, and it suits lawyers who take their calls at a desk and want time recorded. A call nobody answers goes to voicemail, which it saves to the matter. The full comparison is here.
3. LegalVoice and CallSmart, from Boab IT
Boab IT sells LegalVoice, a hosted phone system for law firms with desk phones, softphones and a mobile app, on a fixed monthly fee that it does not publish. It connects to LEAP and Smokeball through CallSmart, which logs calls and time to the matter and uploads recordings with transcripts. LEAP names Boab IT as the distributor of CallSmart. It suits a firm that wants handsets and a managed service from an Australian IT provider.
General business phone systems
RingCentral
A large general platform for calls, messaging and video. Smokeball's support article says its integration gives click to call and creates a task with the call time for calls made or received in the RingCentral app, and Clio's directory lists RingCentral for Clio in Australia, working through a Chrome extension. Its Australian plans page shows no prices and asks firms to request a quote. The full comparison is here.
3CX, through a partner
3CX is phone system software licensed per system each year and sold through partners, who add the lines and the installation. Smokeball documents two partner integrations: Cloudchat, which syncs Smokeball contacts into 3CX, and Aatrox Communications, which syncs contacts and logs calls. Ask the partner what is written to the matter and what the whole service costs each month. The full comparison is here.
Microsoft Teams Phone
Calling inside Microsoft Teams. Microsoft lists Teams Phone Standard at AU$15 a user a month and Teams Phone with domestic calling at AU$32.90, paid yearly and before GST, on top of a Teams licence. It does not list a legal practice management integration, so it suits a firm that wants calls in Teams and is content to write its own file notes. The full comparison is here.
Dialpad
A general cloud phone system with AI transcription, sold in Australia directly and through resellers such as Untangled. A Call Connector for Clio, built by Ion8, logs calls and texts to Clio. No Smokeball, LEAP or Actionstep integration was found. The full comparison is here.
Zoom Phone
Calling added to a Zoom account. Smokeball's Zoom integration creates meetings and lets a user call contacts through Zoom Phone where the plan includes it. Its documentation does not say calls are logged to the matter automatically.
By practice management system
LEX Phone first: it puts each call on the matter, answers the ones nobody took, and opens new enquiries as leads with a qualified transfer to intake. VXT also puts each call on the matter and suits lawyers who take calls at a desk and want time recorded. RingCentral gives a task with the call time. How LEX Phone works with Smokeball.
VXT, listed on the LEAP Marketplace, or CallSmart from Boab IT with a compatible phone system. LEX Phone does not file into LEAP. What LEX Phone does for a LEAP firm.
VXT, RingCentral for Clio, or Dialpad with the Call Connector. LEX Phone's Clio filing is in development. The Clio integration page has the status.
VXT, or Yestech VoIP, which Actionstep's directory lists with call logging, transcription and time entries. LEX Phone does not file into Actionstep. What LEX Phone does for an Actionstep firm.
What a legal phone system has to do, whichever one a firm chooses, is set out on the law firm phone system page, and the cost of a plain line is in VoIP for law firms.
By firm size
The same nine systems, picked by how many lawyers answer the phone and whether anyone is at a desk to do it.
| Firm | Pick | Why | Also look at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sole practitioner | LEX Phone | One number on the mobile, answered in the firm's name when the lawyer is in court, every call filed to the matter, one flat price with nothing per call | VXT, if the practice is on LEAP or Actionstep |
| 2 to 10 lawyers on Smokeball or SharePoint | LEX Phone | The firm's intake line rings whoever is on intake; | VXT, for lawyers who take every call at a desk and want time entries |
| 2 to 10 lawyers on LEAP or Actionstep | VXT | The only legal phone system with published integrations for both: time entries and matter notes for every call | CallSmart with LegalVoice from Boab IT, for a LEAP firm that wants handsets |
| 2 to 10 lawyers on Clio | VXT | Time entries and communication records on the Clio matter today | RingCentral for Clio or Dialpad's Call Connector; LEX Phone once its Clio filing ships |
| 10 or more lawyers with a reception desk | LegalVoice and CallSmart, or 3CX through a partner | Desk handsets, a managed service from an Australian provider, and a receptionist the firm staffs | VXT on the lawyers' desks alongside it |
| A firm that lives in Microsoft 365 and writes its own file notes | Microsoft Teams Phone | Calling inside Teams for AU$32.90 a user a month with domestic calling, before GST, on the licence the firm already has | No legal integration is listed, so pair it with a file note habit |
Picks follow the table above: what reaches the matter and who answers when the lawyer cannot. A firm whose practice management system is not listed should start from the integrations column.
Questions about choosing a phone system
LEX Phone for a firm on Smokeball or SharePoint, and for any small firm that cannot answer every call, because it files every call to the matter and also answers the calls nobody took, qualifies the lead and transfers it to the firm's intake person. VXT for a firm on LEAP or Actionstep, where it is the specialist legal phone system with published integrations for both; on Smokeball, VXT files the calls a lawyer takes and sends the rest to voicemail. A firm that only needs calling inside Microsoft 365 can use Teams Phone, which has no legal integration listed.
Smokeball's support hub documents integrations with VXT, RingCentral, RingCentral by Captivo Labs, Cloudchat 3CX, Aatrox Communications, Bubble by Red Cactus, CloudCTI, Heya, Vodia and Zoom as at 3 October 2026, and LEX Phone is listed on the Smokeball marketplace. What each creates differs: a contact sync and click to call at one end, and a task or file note on the matter for every call at the other.
VXT is listed on the LEAP Marketplace and says it creates time entries and matter notes for every call. LEAP names Boab IT as the distributor of CallSmart, a LEAP phone add-in that logs calls to the matter, which Boab IT pairs with its LegalVoice phone system. LEX Phone does not file into LEAP.
A plain business VoIP line is $10 to $33 a user a month. Legal phone systems cost more because they write to the matter: VXT publishes A$90 a user a month billed monthly, before tax, plus $5 a number, and LEX Phone is A$79.99 a lawyer a month with GST included, and its answering service,
One on this page can. LEX Phone's
Both file every call to the Smokeball matter. VXT records and transcribes the calls a lawyer takes, saves notes and time to the matter, and suits a lawyer at a desk; a call nobody answers goes to voicemail. LEX Phone files the calls the lawyer takes and also answers the ones nobody took, with the intake on the matter and a new enquiry opened as a lead. A firm whose lawyers are at their desks and want time capture leans VXT; a firm that misses calls in court leans LEX Phone.
LEX Phone publishes one flat price, A$79.99 a lawyer a month with GST included and nothing per call, per minute, for a transfer or for setup. VXT publishes a flat per-user price plus $5 a number, with no per-call charge published. Teams Phone includes domestic calls on its AU$32.90 plan and needs a calling plan on the AU$15 one. RingCentral, Dialpad, 3CX partners and Boab IT quote on request, and Zoom Phone sells metered and unlimited plans, so ask each for the call charges before comparing the monthly figure.
Yes, at the start of the call, in every state. Our guide to recording client calls sets out what each state's Act requires and what the Privacy Act adds. LEX Phone tells every caller on every call that the call is transcribed; on the other systems the announcement is something the firm sets up itself.
No.
LEX Phone, because the line is the lawyer's own mobile, one tap on the app sets the call mode before a hearing, and every call that arrives during it is answered in the firm's name and ends as a file note on the matter, whether or not the lawyer picked up. A desk-based system records only the calls someone was there to take.
Fewer do. Every system on this page runs on a mobile app or a laptop, and many small firms now take most client calls on a mobile. A firm with a reception desk usually keeps handsets there and runs the lawyers on apps.
No. LEX Phone is our product and it is on the list. Everything said about the other systems comes from their own websites or from Smokeball, LEAP, Clio and Actionstep, as linked in the sources, and where something could not be confirmed the page says so.
Primary sources and further reading
Every section reference and figure in this guide traces to one of these. They are listed so you can check the guide rather than take its word for it.
- VXT llms.txt and price notice, VXT. A$90 a user a month billed monthly or A$67.50 billed annually, and $5 a number, tax exclusive.
- Smokeball Support Hub: VXT integration, Smokeball.
- Smokeball Support Hub: RingCentral integration, Smokeball. Also lists the other phone integrations Smokeball documents.
- Smokeball Support Hub: Cloudchat 3CX integration, Smokeball.
- Smokeball Support Hub: Aatrox Communications integration, Smokeball.
- Smokeball Support Hub: Zoom integration, Smokeball.
- LEAP Marketplace: VXT, LEAP.
- LEAP IT partners, LEAP. Names Boab IT as the distributor of CallSmart.
- Boab IT: LegalVoice and CallSmart for LEAP, Boab IT.
- Clio App Directory: RingCentral for Clio, Clio.
- Dialpad app marketplace: Call Connector for Clio, Dialpad. The connector is built by Ion8.
- Actionstep integrations: VXT and Yestech VoIP, Actionstep.
- Microsoft Teams Phone pricing, Australia, Microsoft. Prices exclude GST and need a separate Teams licence.
- RingCentral plans and pricing, Australia, RingCentral. The page shows no prices and asks firms to request a quote.
- Dialpad pricing, Australia, Dialpad. The page shows no per-user plan prices and directs firms to its sales team.
- Zoom Phone pricing, Zoom. Prices are shown by plan in US dollars.
- 3CX pricing, 3CX. Licensed per system per year and sold through partners.
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LEX Phone is the lawyer's phone system: a law firm phone system with a law firm answering service built in, which also works as a virtual receptionist for law firms and an AI receptionist for law firms. It answers when you can't, and files every call to the matter.