1. Start with Lodi’s actual service boundary
The Census record describes Lodi township, Michigan, and records its county relationship as Washtenaw County. A firm may serve people in the township, elsewhere in the county or in another defined service area, but those are separate decisions. Population describes the municipality; it does not establish how many people will call, which practice areas they need or when calls will arrive. For AI Answering, the useful local question is therefore operational: which callers should the system treat as within your firm’s intended service area, and which should it route for review?
Recommended approach
Bring your service-area definition to the consultation. Decide whether the answering flow should ask about location, matter type, current representation and urgency before a callback is assigned. Keep the flow broad enough to collect useful information without implying that a caller has a case, qualifies for representation or has received legal advice.
