Written by Aimee Bradshaw Reviewed by James Macey Updated on 31 May 2022 On this page The top 5 phone systems for law firms Lily Comms RingCentral Berry Telecom 8x8 4Com Hosted VoIP vs self-hosted VoIP Hosted VoIP Self-hosted VoIP How We Ranked the Best Phone Systems for Law Firms Expert verdict Expand Our site is reader-supported – by clicking our links, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral. Backed by extensive research, we’ve put together a case for the best phone systems for law firms, which are provided by Lily, RingCentral, Berry, 8×8, and 4Com.These are all VoIP systems – systems that carry calls over the internet, and can be accessed remotely via your desktop, tablet, or mobile phone – and come with unified communications (UC) tools, including video conferencing and instant messaging. Meanwhile, varying levels of software packages will give you access to a range of standard and top level phone system features.If your clients are paying you big bucks, they’re going to expect top level service. And you can’t deliver on that unless you own a modern phone system. So, whether it’s a question of features, price, or customer service, read on to find out which of these phone systems you should be investing in. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Best UCP platform Best for versatile configuration Best for scalability Best for compliance Best for SMEs Lily Comms RingCentral Premium Berry 8×8 4Com Not yet rated 4.7 Not yet rated 4.5 Not yet rated Pricing Bespoke Pricing £24.99 per user, per month Pricing Bespoke Pricing Bespoke Pricing Bespoke Free Trial Free Trial Free Trial Unclear Free Trial Free Trial Save by comparing free, tailored quotes from the best providers for you Does your law firm already have a phone system? Yes No Just answer a few questions – it only takes a minute The top 5 phone systems for law firmsOur top 5 phone system suppliers for law firms are Lily, RingCentral, Berry, 8×8 and 4Com. Lily 4.5 Pricing Bespoke Get free quotes Lily Review Quick overview Lily Cloud offers an easily configurable and manageable fully-hosted VoIP phone system that gives you easy access to all your communications tools on the go. Founded in 2009 in Bradford, it began as a company that offered outsourced communication services, specifically providing installation and maintenance services to telecom resellers. Lily has since evolved into a multi-award-winning company, now with headquarters in Leeds. Read more + Read less - Strengths Dedicated account manager and 24/7 support Provides a tailored service that's unique to your firm Claims 86% of customers have saved money Weaknesses Transparent pricing not publicly available Minute allowance isn't transparent The name may bring to mind images of dainty flowers, but Lily’s telephone systems are anything but delicate. Lily is all about supplying a rigid, unified communication platform – its VoIP system brings phone calls, instant messages, and emails into one resilient platform, improving internal, stakeholder, and client communication.You can use Lily’s unified communication platform across desktop, tablet and mobile phone – great news for employees who work remotely. Offering both hosted and on-premise phone systems, in addition to mobile working and multi-site solutions, Lily is a one-stop-shop for any law firm looking to invest in a new phone system. RingCentral 4.7 Pricing £12.99 - £29.99 Get free quotes RingCentral Review Strengths Integrates with over 117 CRMs - the most out of all the providers we reviewed Offers SMS, video and chat channels to talk to customers in multiple ways Advanced staff training features to coach customer service teams Excellent 24/7 customer support Weaknesses Limited minutes per user compared to competitors Spam prevention only available in US and Canada Pricing See more See less PlanStarting price (per user, per month) (billed annually) Essentials £12.99 Standard £19.99 Premium £24.99 Ultimate £29.99 Whether you’re in need of a phone system for one office or multiple sites, you can make a RingCentral system as complex as you wish.A RingCentral phone system is also ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) optimised. This is ideal for law firms wanting to minimise their spending, because you don’t need to invest in any hardware. Employees can access business contacts, make calls, receive faxes, join conference calls, and share files, all from their own devices.Another particularly good feature for law firms is the instant call recording. Keep a record of every conversation, and have a complete index to refer to if necessary. Berry 4.5 Pricing Bespoke Get free quotes Berry Review Quick overview Based in Salisbury, Berry Telecom was established in 2011 with the goal of becoming the most beloved telecommunications company in the UK, providing customised solutions for growing businesses.Berry offers expert advice, technical implementation, and high-quality products backed by an experienced technical and customer service team. In 2022, Berry was acquired by Babble, one of the UK's leading cloud communications providers. Read more + Read less - Strengths Very customisable Dedicated account manager, 24/7 phone support, and fast tech help Weaknesses Pricing and minute allowance aren't publicly transparent Berry is a supplier that’s ripe and ready to pick, thanks to its commitment to delivering high quality unified communication systems. Its easy-to-use dashboard clearly displays call reports and analytics, while call recording features help you to quality control your customer service. With testimonials from law firms stating the success of features such as email voicemail and on-hold messaging services, Berry is for any law firm looking to boost their professionalism.Berry can install PBX, hosted, or self-hosted phone systems, making it the perfect phone systems supplier for new and growing law firm businesses. 8x8 4.5 Pricing Bespoke Get free quotes 8x8 Review Strengths Extensive range of features, including unlimited minutes and call queuing 24/7 customer support Excellent security features, including encryption and compliance certifications Weaknesses Pricing not available (bespoke) No spam prevention such as automatic nuisance call screening offered by Google Business Plus and Dialpad Enterprise Lacks integration with customer-service live chat offered by RingCentral Premium 8×8 offers telephone system solutions for small, medium, and enterprise businesses. Because each solution is tailored to size, you know your business isn’t paying out any more money than it needs to. Most importantly, all of 8×8’s phone systems are completely compliant with the latest data protection practices.8×8 has plenty of success stories when it comes to law firm telephone installation, with some systems even spanning across multiple offices. With the help of 8×8’s mobile app, law firms can use a range of smart devices to keep office-based and remote working employees connected. 4Com 4 Pricing Bespoke Get free quotes 4Com Review Quick overview 4Com is a leading telecommunications company that was established in 1999 with the goal of improving communications for SMEs. Over the years, it’s partnered with major suppliers including Panasonic, Siemens, Samsung, and HiHi to provide high-quality products to its customers.The company is known for providing market-leading phone systems to businesses, and is named #1 Best Company to Work For by the Sunday Times. Additionally, they are renowned locally for their charity work, having donated over £400,000 to various causes. Read more + Read less - Strengths The HiHi is among the best in modern phone hardware Offers a personalised service to help you save Weaknesses Breadth of software features isn't made clear Pricing isn't publicly transparent If you’re looking for a supplier that has heaps of experience in providing telephone systems for small to medium-sized law firms, 4Com may have just what you need. 4Com is at the leading edge of phone system technology, with the HiHi VoIP phone as its flagship product. With face to face video connectivity and a sleek tablet interface, HiHi will take your business meetings and client calls to the next level.With a full range of accompanying apps and hardware, 4Com will enable your law firm to work smart from the office as well as remotely. And thanks to its software’s intuitive interface, using it is probably as easy as using your iPhone. Save by comparing free, tailored quotes from the best providers for you Does your law firm already have a phone system? Yes No Just answer a few questions – it only takes a minute Hosted VoIP vs self-hosted VoIPWhen researching the best VoIP providers for your law firm, you’ll often come across the terms ‘hosted’ and ‘self-hosted’. Let’s take a look at what these mean, and the difference between the two. ▶ Read more: Looking for something else? See our guide to GSM desk phones. Hosted VoIPA hosted VoIP system is hosted on your system provider’s servers, rather than on your own. Having an external company host your phone system is far more convenient (and cheap) than hosting your phone system yourself. An external company will literally take care of everything – installations, updates, training, the works – and charge you a monthly subscription fee, usually per user, to host the system.A hosted VoIP system exists purely in the cloud – and because the cloud is accessible everywhere, so is your phone system. You’ll be able to access all of your data, contacts, and phone numbers wherever you happen to be in the world, as long as there’s an internet connection.Law firms are busy working environments, so you need a phone system that’s low maintenance and can keep up with the demands of the industry. Hosted VoIP systems ticks all those boxes – and to top it off, it’s also the most cost-effective solution. The providers we’ve discussed here – Lily, RingCentral, Berry, 8×8, and 4Com – all offer hosted VoIP systems.If you’re worried about phone lines disconnecting if the internet goes down, most phone system suppliers will set-up an auto-redirect that will send any incoming phone calls to a mobile device. ▶ Read more: The best cloud phone systems for UK businesses Self-hosted VoIPA self-hosted VoIP system, which you host on servers on your own premises, has its advantages too. For one, you’ll still be able to use your traditional phone system alongside your VoIP phone system. Secondly, you’ll have complete control over your phone system – any software upgrade or hardware installation is up to you.The downside to a self-hosted phone system is you’ll need to have your own team of technicians to look after the system. Scaling or moving a traditional PBX system can also be expensive and time-consuming. How We Ranked the Best Phone Systems for Law FirmsAt Expert Market, we spend time researching, testing, and evaluating providers we write reviews about. This typically consists of conducting market research to narrow down the software that's really worth digging into a little more and then assessing it against a range of research criteria.Informed by readers and businesses we speak to regularly as well as our own experiences using major VoIP platforms, we designed a research framework consisting of eight overarching assessment categories that we used to assess each VoIP provider.Scoring Criteria with Respective WeightingCall Management (25%): an analysis of a given platform's call management features, including call routing functionality and the presence of a virtual receptionist.Communication Channels (20%): assessment of the tools available within a VoIP platform for internal communication, including team messaging, video conferencing, and SMS capabilities.Training Features (20%): the ability of the VoIP service to support the training of employees, from call review features like call recording and call data reporting, to live call coaching features like call barge or call whisper tools.Pricing (10%): the pricing structure associated with the VoIP service, such as monthly subscription fees, call rates, setup fees, and any additional charges for add-on features or services.Software Integrations (10%): the VoIP service's ability to connect and integrate with external software systems, such as integration varying CRM, helpdesk, and external video conferencing platforms.Hardware Integrations (5%): the ability of a VoIP service to integrate with different phone brands.Customer Support (5%): the extent of assistance and resources provided by the VoIP service provider to customers including technical support, online resources, and access to customer support representatives.Security Options (5%): the measures and features implemented by the VoIP service to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and protection of voice communications and data. Verdict The best phone systems for law firms are provided by Lily, RingCentral, Berry, 8×8, and 4Com. They all offer VoIP phone systems that are scalable, flexible, feature-rich, packed with UC capability, and affordable.With so many strong options on the table, trying to work out which one’s best for your firm can be a bit bewildering. It’ll depend on your budget, the size of your firm, and the features your team need to do their jobs. But if the research needed to make that decision seems overwhelming, don’t worry – our free quote-finding tool can help.Simply answer a few questions about your law firm, and we’ll use that info to match you up with suitable phone system providers. They’ll then get in contact with you to answer your questions, and provide tailored, no-obligation quotes. It’s a quick, easy way to compare the best options for your team. Save by comparing free, tailored quotes from the best providers for you Does your law firm already have a phone system? Yes No Just answer a few questions – it only takes a minute Written by: Aimee Bradshaw Writer and researcher Aimee is Expert Market’s resident telephone systems and point of sale go-to. If she’s not writing about business products, you’ll find her daydreaming about dog walking on Dorset beaches. Reviewed by: James Macey Senior Business Software Researcher James draws on his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialized advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management. He believes all businesses can grow if they use the right tools and services.