Clio Reviews

Pros
Clio integrates with so much other software to make your life easier that is just can't be beat. Saving emails via Outlook, generating document templates, collecting e-signatures on engagement agreements—whatever you need, Clio has it. I can also run billing, monitor bill payments, and overall run the entire law firm with minimal effort, minimal time commitment, and with confidence that everything is running smoothly.

Cons
There are some smaller points that can drive you insane. For example, you cannot customize the look of the emails that go out when you share matters, bill, etc. with your clients. If you—like me—transition from a solo practitioner to running a small law firm, you will eventually need to open new bank accounts. Clio will not let you eliminate the old bank accounts and start from scratch. You can't even force the old bank accounts to be otherwise "invisible" to the system so that you cannot accidentally record money moving into a defunct account. This is a minor complaint, but man does it drive me insane. I also still want to see a task assignment that allows me to set a supervisor for each assigned task.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
We got Clio specifically for its billing program. Its great that everyone can enter their own time into Clio. I like how Clio does “macros” [they call them “text snippets”]. They work without having to use a code key. The software is easy to use – for someone like me who is not a bookkeeper and hasn’t done a lot of billing before, it takes a little while to learn how to use it correctly, but once you know how things work, it’s a breeze. The very best thing about Clio, though, is its support staff! They are all great – it doesn’t matter who I’ve talked to they are all quick at getting to the root of my problem and showing me how to fix it. I have called other companies asking questions about their software and sometimes you just don’t believe what they tell you. It has never been that way with Clio – every one of their support staff is very knowledgeable and can quickly set you straight! Also, Clio is open to suggestions from us and when they get a certain amount of inquiries asking if “they could change this or that”, they will work on it. We have been using Clio for 2 years next month and there are a couple of things they have implemented that we had requested, which is really cool!

Cons
Spell checking in the billing software is not what it could be – it does have the little red underlines if it thinks something is misspelled [like Word], which apparently is easy for some people to ignore. It would be better if Clio had its own dictionary and didn’t depend on the one in the browser. In order to do spell checks, we have to: export the time to a CSV file, spread out the column for the description, run a spell check and remember not to correct the errors there, but go back and find each entry in Clio and correct them there. It’s a little time consuming, and depending on how many typos each person makes during the month, it can be very time consuming, but its much better than reading the draft invoices word for word and finding the errors that way. It would be great if Clio could add spell checking so that it can be run in Clio without having to export and go back and forth. The only other “con” we have with Clio’s billing system is with discounting invoices. It is very easy to discount an invoice by percentage or a dollar amount, but Clio only applies discounts on the total amount of the invoice, including client expenses, not on time spent only, so we usually put in a dollar amount so the discount comes out to the amount we want it to be , although Clio still applies that amount to the entire invoice.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I like the fact that there are different levels of cost for the need of your business. I started with one user on the lower tier, then moved up to include more options and added a user. I like the fact that not only does it provide billing and payment integration, but, at the time I upgraded, it included the monthly cost to use Law Pay (which I have also found helpful).

Cons
I feel there are some personal preferences I would like to use in my reports viewing and accounting. But there was a recent revamp rolled out a few months ago that did address some of my needs. Admittedly, although I have used the product for almost 4 years now, I have not watched all the tutorial videos or called with all of my specific questions, even though with the boutique package there is a dedicated help line.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The Clio platform is not intended to be a closed, proprietary system. Instead, it forms the foundation for the day to day management of leads, clients, time, documents, and billing, supplemented by almost 200 third party integrations, with new offerings coming on line each month. Clio offers unlimited cloud storage and IOS/Android apps making all of your firm information, clients, and documents available 24/7. Clio continues to innovate and as the leading provider to small/medium law firms throughout the world, I don't worry about whether they will be in business a few years from now. Finally, all, yes all, of your data saved in Clio is easily exportable should you decide to change to a different vendor.

Cons
Clio's growth means that feature changes must be more fully vetted as they are used by more than 150,000 legal professionals. As they broaden their perspective to encompass larger firms, the pace of change may continue to be more deliberate. The movement and management of files without a third party integration, such as FasterLaw, is cumbersome. Clio's own integrations with Office365 for emails and calendaring remain a work in progress.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio provides an all in one suite of applications that are necessary for my law firm to operate. We used to rely on a stand-alone billing software program for our billing and time-tracking. Of course every computer or user we added cost us more money on top of the software itself. When the software became outdated and no longer supported, we had to purchase the latest version. We also relied upon emails to assign tasks, and give each other messages about the cases we were working on together- without a centralized location for the team to track and review each other's notes and progress, each member had to rely upon their own notes, memos, emails, etc. This was inefficient and time consuming. Another fun part of my day was searching for contact information of opposing counsel on particular matters. Often times I would search emails, review the documents on a case, or review documents in the file to get the contact information I needed. Calendaring was also an administrative hurdle. Entering dates in a separate software system led to disorganization, and required jumping around from one program to another to manage information and learn where attorneys were supposed to be. Clio puts all of these functions , and more, under one roof. It has made the work flow in my law firm seamless, efficient, easy, and organized. Clio does it all, and I am truly grateful for this product.

Cons
I would like it to be easier to review the billing entries of other users in real time.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio is very user-friendly and intuitive. Even if you do not have experience or training on Clio, there is a certain about of functions which you can work out how to use but by having a play with the system. Time recording is very straightforward and it makes our billing easy.

Cons
Downsides are: there is no currency conversation; cannot split invoices on one matter (e.g. we have to 2 or more entities responsible for payment say, 50/50, but there is no way of automatically splitting the invoice; no summary front sheet for an invoice.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Easy to use -- calendaring, opening new matters, time entries, notes, billing. I like the interface, the way it looks. Program includes trust accounting. Can include/integrate credit card billing as an option which I did, and works well. Have used Law Pay for a while and it integrates through Clio. Send out invoices through Clio, client can click on button to make credit card payment, and have option to have program automatically apply to open invoices when payment comes in -- get email notifications of payments. Very satisfied with the program -- does what I need and enjoy using.

Cons
I don't think it's a negative factor, but don't use the mobile app much, for whatever that means. Tend to just check my iphone calendar (I use Office 365 to integrate, other options also I think like Google to integrate -- Clio integrates with Office 365 and iphone calendar will show Office and Google calendar events). There is a new beta version of the mobile app available for use that looked at today and I like -- I could see using that to make entries if I need while out of the office, but usually just do all of that at my computer in the office.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I love that billing is so much easier, that my team can enter time remotely.

Cons
Clio was not developed by any sort of accountant. The reports are lacking, you can't memorize reports, everything within the software isn't consistent (like using the term everyone one place and all users in another place). The reports are inconsistent with what you can filter by on each report. There are still things where my account names are redundant - like Johnson - Divorce: Divorce. The biggest gripe I have is about replenishing retainers. The retainer replenishments don't get printed on the bill - I know it is because clio payments won't let you make a combined trust/legal fee payment, but they could have one link for anything owed and another link if a replenishment is due. Really - we webt to the moon 50 years ago but we can't figure this out? I spend hours and hours dealing with contacting clients to replenish. Also, way you enter into clio is clunky. I have to pick up my mouse all the time. It needs to be more like quickbooks entry. You never have to pick up your mouse.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I've been using Clio since 2010. I have tried other software over the years. I also originally had to use other software that integrated with Clio, but slowly have been able to reduce subscriptions as Clio built out features. Clio is the best in class, affordable, and the software around which I ultimately chose to build all my systems. I like that Clio allows me to manage the entire client file, including documents and emails, bills, and file shares, all within a single integrated system. Less software is cheaper, easier to manage, helps me capture details, and requires less employee training and management.

Cons
Clio still has some features and kinks to work out. Not everything is intuitive. Its plugin with Outlook is a little slow and I don't like that it strips the attachments from emails when placing them in the file. There still isn't enough flexibility in fee arrangements. It could improve the marketing side quite a bit. And I wish you could edit billing entries in bulk a little easier (especially if you made a mistake in one edit, it doesn't save and you lose ALL your edits -- super annoying). That said, all of these bugs and annoyances get addressed by Clio over time. They continually improve and grow the software. So I don't feel that there are any fatal flaws; just quirks that you learn to work around​.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Time entries can be imported by batch. Trust Requests and Bills can be emailed w/payment link directly from Clio. Past Due Bills can be "shared" with a coupled clicks versus printing out and mailing or using another app to email it.

Cons
1. When looking at a past due bill (and additional bills have been issued and remain unpaid for that same matter) the Outstanding Balance on the Statement of Account section will update and include the balance due for that matter as of the current date + any open Trust Replenishment requests instead of the balance due for that invoice + the balance due of all invoices issued previously to that one. 2. Evergreen Retainers - I keep getting calls from clients saying they can't view the "Shared" invoice when I have applied Trust funds that covered the whole balance. They can see the Trust Request to replenish funds used/applied to an invoice, but they can't see the actual invoice and review what was billed. I have to print the invoice to PDF and go to my email app and send from there. 3. I would like to see a report that shows that various billing rates per timekeeper for each client/matter.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio easily tracks time and expenses, keeps client and matter details organized, generates invoices, and gives us reports that help track our firm's growth. It is easy to learn, easy to use, easy to customize to our practice, and has very helpful and responsive customer service. Since it's cloud based, we can also work remotely as needed. Very glad to have Clio!

Cons
I like most everything about Clio except that it can be slow if our internet service is being slow (not Clio's fault, but it comes with being cloud-based). Every once in a while I find a glitch that frustrates me in creating invoices. Usually, though, chatting with customer support online leads to a) their showing me how to solve my problem, or b) the problem being sent to tech support for fixing in Clio's system.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio software is comprehensive and covers everything that I need as a solo attorney to keep my practice running smoothly and efficiently. Clio Grow is a new feature that helps me track leads, lead sources, the intake process, etc. It is very comprehensive and is easily merged with Clio Manage. The Clio help desk is excellent. Answers are always spot on. If they cannot fix my problem, they will honestly tell me that Clio does not have the capability that I'm looking for and they will offer to submit a request for that capability to be considered in the future. Clio is always looking to address customer needs.

Cons
Does not have all of the capabilities that I need but has most of them. Sometimes the queue for the help desk/chat is rather long.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The software is easy to use and understand. The transition to Clio from our previous system was relatively seamless and the customer service is fantastic. I like that we can share documents with our clients and are able to see what date and time a client viewed each document. It is also extremely convenient to have our documents stored in Clio so that they can be viewed when we are not physically in the office.

Cons
It would be nice if you could integrate notes from a contact directly into a new matter as you are opening one. Currently, I have to copy and paste each note from the contact into the matter notes. Also, when I put in messages for Mr. Chefalo on people he needs to call back I make a task for him. When he views the tasks on his cell phone, it would be nice if he could simple tap on the phone number in the task and have it directly call the number as opposed to him having to type the number in on his cell phone to make the call. Finally, a client suggested that it would be nice if he had the option to opt in to receiving text messages from Clio any time we share a document with him or generate a bill on his matter.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
As a solo practicing attorney for almost a quarter century, tracking time, preparing and sending out bills has been my least favorite activity, and the place where I have lost revenue and had upset clients. My experience is that clients don't appreciate it when bills are sent timely or when they receive billing after six to twelve months of work - they really prefer regular billing. Clio has revolutionized the billing and collection part of my solo practice environment. Now that I have learned how to create clients and matters and to input time, it is a simple once a month task to create professional monthly client bills which I can print and snail mail, email, or send with the LawPay connection and the client can "click through" the email bill to pay with credit card.

Cons
I cannot figure out how to set up or use the form template function. When I have tried it does not really work and I have stopped trying to use this. I would very much like to create some form engagement letters. My work is mainly transaction, not so much litigation. At first it was difficult to figure out how to prepare a nice looking flat-fee for a project type bill. However, with the updates I have been able to customize bills to have both hourly fee bills and flat-fee bills.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio is very fast, even when I am accessing the full website on my ipad. I love the new add on for Gmail that allows me to bill directly to Clio from the email and even save the mail to Clio if I want. The program feels modern. The program is easy to use in spite of the many many features. I have three staff members, one under 30, one under 50 and one in her 70s. All three are able to easily use the program. I like the third party apps that work directly with Clio such as Dropbox, Invoice Sherpa , Gmail and Fastcase. Customer service is very responsive and Clio is constantly receiving significant upgrades.

Cons
Based on all of the options and information available in Clio I am still surprised by the minimal reporting capabilities in the practice management side of the program. The basics are there but in my opinion there are many helpful reports that are missing. Even if Clio does not want to add additional reports, making an option for the user to create custom reports would be a good alternative. Clio added an option to require and maintain an evergreen retainer. That is very helpful, however, you have to send a separate request to the client for the evergreen retainer to be replenished. It would be much more helpful if you had the option to include the evergreen retainer request on the client invoice. My clients get confused when they receive a billing invoice and then on the same day or some days later yet another invoice with a new request for retainer replenishment.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Having direct access to the company, and the developers is a huge benefit to using Clio. If there's something that's not quite right, there's usually an easy fix or workaround, and you don't have to wait around for days or weeks to get a response from support. As far as the software itself, we love the nearly limitless integration ability of Clio, and the fact that they're always adding/improving features, like CourtRules, which is essential to our litigation practice.

Cons
We've been powered by Clio since 2011, and at the time, subscription software was a new concept, which took me a while to warm up to. Eight years later, however, everything requires a subscription, so this is a non-issue. I can only think of two things that I wish Clio would come up with a fix for: (1) ability to merge duplicate contacts; and (2) bring back the ability to have a less expensive subscriptions for non-attorney users.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The Clio platform was very easy to implement with our firm's daily usage. The onboarding process was smooth and the learning and transition for staff were easy. The software is meeting our firm's needs on a daily basis. I also appreciate that they listen to suggestions and continue to improve and add features throughout the year. Clio has allowed our monthly billing process to go from a day-long process to an hour process.

Cons
Some of the reporting features need to be fine-tuned or added to. My biggest pet peeve is the limit of 50 items to a page, so you update to 200 but it defaults back to 50 every time you move around between pages.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
compared to other software on the market, Clio is very user friendly I can access it from anywhere in the world customer service is quick with providing answers to questions

Cons
on the mobile app, the documents are difficult to access because if the name of the document is too long, you may not know which document it is.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio's intuitive design is easy to use for anyone from the tech savy to the "how do I turn this thing on" person. They are constantly adding features and functionality to the software solution making the administrative side of practicing law much easier and less time consuming. Clio's support team is always quick to respond and is always friendly and helpful. The growing list of integrations is definite plus and gives us the ability to extend the already great functionality to the next level. And if you are into coding, you can always create a custom integration to suit your needs.

Cons
Really the only complaint I have about Clio is the reporting capabilities. While it has some great canned reports within the interface, there is no ability to customize reports to massage out information that would be useful to my practice. We make do, of course, but this has been my complaint for some time now. Last time I checked there was a pay integration that allowed for more robust reporting but adding yet another subscription isn't appealing when it would be relatively easy for Clio to add this capability to their platform.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Initially it was a better system overall than the systems we were trying to make fit our needs (Timeslips and Sharepoint). Subsequently, the updates that are implemented by the development team when there is an obvious need or lack identified.

Cons
I did not like that the billing of outstanding balances was not automated during billing runs to capture all outstanding balances so anyone who does not have a current bill still gets a bill when I do not enter a start time as a filter option. I also do not like that I have to clean up so much on the Quickbooks Online end of a Retainer transfer, especially after a billing run when its many clients at once, it creates a lot of work in the Retainer in Trust register in QBO.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Clio has been a game changer for my practice. Before I would write my time on a sheet of paper (sometimes any paper within reach) and hope it got entered at some point before the end of the month. Now, I immediately enter my time either on my computer or iPhone. A phone call, client conversations, anytime I work on a file it immediately gets entered into Clio. At the end of the month, Billing is a breeze. I am able to see all of my Billable Clients for the month and with a few clicks, they are all sent out by either email or Clio Connect. My clients can pay with their credit cards, and many times they have paid overnight before I even get to the office the next day. I remember when I first switched to Clio about 80% of my accounts receivable paid within the first week. My clients also like the billing detail with separate time, attorneys, and expenses. I have been able to create custom invoices to comply with some of my government contracts, which require invoices to look a certain way. We are also big fans on the integration with Office365. The software automatically creates a client folder on OneDrive when a new matter is opened. This has been a huge help in keeping everyone working on the same files and storing documents in the correct client folder. Also, the Outlook plugin has been great to keep all emails received and sent copied to the client's matter. I do not know how many times I have easily found an email related to a client matter.

Cons
I wish there was better integration with Infusionsoft (now Keap). There is a way to connect using third parties, but it would be nice to only enter client information once.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
There is much to like about Clio. Their customer support is first rate and comprehensive. For example, learning to manage trust accounting and the creation of regular client invoices are critical and time sensitive activities. During my first year with Clio, I would call customer service at the end of each month as I encountered small mistakes I made in billing or accounting. Clio was always there willing to patiently walk me through my steps to help me fix my errors. The billing and accounting features are redundant and it is almost impossible to make a mistake that cannot be fixed. Time entry is simple and efficient.

Cons
I love the ease of use with respect to creating bills and managing trust accounting. On a different level, I have confidence that Clio is on the cutting edge of technology and software developments. As is evidenced by their annual conference, Clio is a leader in the industry. My investment in time learning this platform will continue to pay dividends as I mature as a solo practitioner. I am a veteran litigator but I recently opened my own practice. Clio has been the one indispensable tool to my new practice.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
What is best? There is so much. The Dashboard (to see instantly how the I am doing, and for each client so I can see how much time and billing has occurred on each matter and easily find the information I need); Time keeping, invoicing, secured email, email drop (to easily put emails into client matters in Clio and free up inbox space, ) and DOCUMENT TEMPLATES with Custom Fields -- I have automated my engagement letter, a basic client letter, will forms, POAs, etc. It saves so much time. To write a letter and not have to look up an address or block/copy it is so nice. You generate the document and edit to start typing the body right away. It requires work on the front end but in the end it is worth it. Also, the customer service being one click on a chat icon away is great. They are so friendly and talked me through invoicing each month for the first few months.

Cons
The customer service and training videos are great but sometimes it feels like an Easter egg hunt to find out what all it can do. I spent the first 8 months just keeping time and doing invoicing. I knew it did other things but wasn't sure what and how. Once I started digging around I have been amazed at what all I have found. It has saved so much time and made things for a solo attorney so much easier. I am sold.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
- Easy to use and learn - Easy to show others to use - Really easy billing features - Great organization - The Notes feature is fantastic and replaces any need for docketing and memos to file - The "add time" feature makes it easy to keep track of billings and what's to go on the next invoice - The linking of contacts to files is a time saver - The Calendar is easy to use and does what you need it to - The accounting that exists is great for keeping track of the movement of money directly connected with a file. It has helped keep my trust accounting immaculate. IT also helps me keep track of expenses associated with each file.

Cons
Clio is fantastic and the best solution I've been able to find, and I've done a lot of searching both before and after buying Clio. That said, Clio seems half finished in some areas and I'm hoping more work will come. - The accounting is adequate, but should go a lot further than it does. I would love an integrated cheque writing program, for example. - I don't know why you can't have more than one client per file. It's a small thing, but it bugs me. I put additional clients in the "contact" list associated with the file, and just pick one as a primary client to list. It doesn't matter, but again, it's a weird oversight. - The firm metrics is a great idea, but it seems half finished. I don't know why, but it doesn't save stuff year to year and just dumps the information. There's also a dramatic lack of ability to customize things. This is frequent in some of Clio's features, such as how to list matters or client names. It's not a deal breaker, but it's a weird thing to not make more usable. Overall, Clio is a fantastic program and I don't know how I'd run my practice without it. It's a lot better than everything else I've tried. I just wish the damn thing integrated with more programs and capabilities, and that they just expanded on it. I think the reason why it's frustrating is because it's so close to being sort of perfect, and they just don't go far enough. Hopefully they'll keep adding to it and raise it to that level! It's definitely worth the buy.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Packed with features. There is just so much that can be done with this software that a firm might not have thought to do with some of the older software platforms. Everything is secure and designed from a legal professional's viewpoint. Every person in our firm can handle a case from start to finish without leaving the Clio platform -- anywhere, anytime. Also, the customer service should not be overlooked. When we were researching various platforms to take over for Time Matters (Practice Panther, Rocket Matter, MyCase, etc.) Clio was the only company that had a knowledgable onboarding professional at the ready. They were incredibly flexible with letting us extend our demo phase and spent many hours running through different functions with us. They even held a full-scale training session with our entire staff BEFORE we had signed up. Even after we purchased Clio, they continued to hold our hand through the entire implementation process. That sort of service made our transition into the cloud seamless and allowed us to really take advantage of cost-savings that we were aiming for.

Cons
The only issue that we've had so far is personalizing the goals on the dashboard page. It would be nice to have a more granular and specific revenue analysis for each attorney. Granted, we are still implementing other more important features firm-wide, so this hasn't been the highest priority, and it's more of a luxury anyway.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10