Clio Reviews

Fantastic Practice Management Solution

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.

Excellent customer service

Comments: Excellent

Pros:

Support 'Live' is actually live - always available and always helps! This is important because with other companies you're usually on hold on the phone for a long time and then when the do answer - the take a message and 'refer you to the right team' - you're stuck on your task until they call back. When they call back, the caller tells you what to do but can't show you - that's another team. In my working day - its vital that support is given there an then so you can move on.

Cons:

Integrating it and setting up - this is very time consuming. It would be useful to have I suppose when migrating a one2one live support - somebody spends a day at the firm and sorts all this out. Templates, billing everything you need to get started. That would've been rather helpful.

ok software but they charge extra for little things and overall less functional than LEAP

Comments: it was ok definitely better products out there, i switched to LEAP instead

Pros:

case management software was ok but it was nothing impressive they charge extra for documents

Cons:

they lack the accounting features and the email integration is terrible its like double data entry

I highly recommend Clio to any practice

Comments: I have been very happy with Clio. I think it really streamlines everything. I am particularly happy with the billing and invoicing features.

Pros:

I like the ease of use. We were able to switch over seamlessly with no issues. We were ready to go on day one of launch. It is intuitive and easy to use. We used our previous software for 20 or more years and we were able to switch over with no issues. Everyone in our practice has been able to transition with no issues.

Cons:

The only issue I have with Clio is when using it with Quickbooks, when you create a check in Quickbooks with multiple matters on the payment it ports it over as one expense and you have to then separate it out into the different expenses for each file. It creates a situation where you have to put the entries in twice. I think this is a Quickbooks issue more than a Clio issue, however the problems remains that same.

Alternatives Considered: PCLaw, Amicus Attorney and LEAP

Reasons for Switching to Clio: We were being forced to switch from PCLaw and Amicus because they were no longer going to be supporting each other with updates. There were some issues with LEAP's software and the way that we handle practice management that would not have worked for our firm.

Effective Product

Comments: So far its been a good experience. It is much more user friendly than the last management software we were using.

Pros:

The ease of use if the thing I like best about Clio. Its very easy to navigate and figure out how to do something you might not have come across yet.

Cons:

The thing I like least about Clio is that it does not work well with QuickBooks. The expense entries do not import from QuickBooks separately, but all as one entry. Very annoying and time consuming to fix.

Clio develops the WIP budget in my company

Comments: Clio is designed for freelance professionals and small businesses. It handles a small portion of complicated cases and handles date management and payment. I think it would be outstanding in a massive class. Clio has more features and seems to be working on constantly improving. I recommended some suggestions for work that I thought would be helpful. Those suggestions went into a black hole, with the insinuation that I would attempt a confluence application of various bugs. Clio is getting quite a bit of money because of the legal experts who use their program.

Pros:

All I need to do is turn on Clio in the morning and press the button to start the timing if I feel lazy to casually type a few words. It is possible to see how far behind or ahead of budget I am in terms of jobs, payments and invoicing. There is some repetition (database skills), and he has another colleague to manage the data for him when he is on vacation and doesn't have Clio, but these are minor quibbles.

Cons:

This feature is likely to be useful in many people's practices, but I don't use it. Clio must find a way to accommodate all the documents that have a certain name that I can access through Clio. On the contrary, I use Hazel and Dropbox.

Great for Billing Employees

Comments: Very good. The software captures exactly what a law practice really needs in order to bill clients. This is a no frills software if you are looking for something straightforward.

Pros:

Clio is easy to use. I can easily track time and track it in the appropriate matter. There's nothing tricky about how to do it. Easy to learn!

Cons:

The layout could be more modern and colorful. But that is not that important.

Highly Recommend Clio

Comments: Overall I'm glad we selected Clio. We have a very niche practice so I was concerned about the flexibility/adaptability to our practice. However, my concerns were misplaced and with the training and support we were able to make it fit nicely with our practice and has made tracking cases, issuing invoices, managing accounts receivable, etc. so much easier and quicker.

Pros:

Ease of invoicing and tracking payments.

Cons:

The learning curve in the beginning seemed daunting, but once I started actively using it, I found it was much more intuitive than I initially thought.

Intuitive and user friendly

Pros:

I found clip to be user friendly and intuitive. As a lawyer, I am a fan of tech products which allow me to spend less time worrying about the functionality and more time doing legal work

Cons:

A bit expensive for the functionality compared to other practice management tool. The learning curve - as it takes a bit of time to get accustomed to all of Clio's features.

Outstanding

Comments: It has been a great experience using the application.

Pros:

It has been easy to navigate and use when needing to upload documents and be able to communicate through there.

Cons:

I don't dislike anything from the Clio app it has been very helpful while I have used it. A good app to use.

A great billing software for my increasingly virtual legal practice

Comments: Good software! I find it an indispensable part of my practice these days.

Pros:

Our firm had used Timeslips for timekeeping and billing in the past before switching to Clio a few years ago. Timeslips was simply outdated and cumbersome, not to mention that we had no tech support. After having switched to using Clio, I was able to use the software to email clients directly and have the emails come from our firm email account via Clio without always having to involve the office manager for billing my invoices. If the clients have questions, they will know to direct their questions to the office manager, who is otherwise in charge of general accounting matters. Additionally, I love that I can always reach out to Clio's tech support for answers as to user issues or questions, and the services have always been pretty prompt and spot-on.

Cons:

I remember there were some data migration issues when we transitioned from Timeslips to Clio. It has been a while, but I recall that at least some of the client data like their addresses didn't look quite right when it was pulled over, and I basically had to start over with entering the information in Clio.

clio law DATA management

Comments: Support easy super good. Clio fixed problems with non english characters in days, Timemattes did not fix it in 20 years we have been complaining.
Clio has extremely good search features and all sorts of filtering. For instance universal search that goes through matters, contacts, events, notes, tasks, time/expenses logs, documents content, doc, names, and communications (emails, sec. mess, phone log). clio portal for clients, e sign easy to make form-documents connects to IP phone etc. Faster law is a must I would say. To make a great package even better we subscribed also to Faster Law which has done a fantastic add on to Clio. There you get tools to capture your time automatically, the programs keeps track on how long you spend working on case files, e mails etc. in different cases and suggests billable time for that. There is a lot more like file handling, better way to link e mails, save and link attachments and files, you can explore your files on Clio’s serves in you file explorer.

Pros:

For us the program has changed everything in the workflow to the better. In our opinion Clio’s forte is how flexible it is. Every law firm has its own different way of organizing workflow and Clio can accommodate for that, at least our whims and quirks which we have abundant of. The program is like potty in your hand. You mold and sculp the program according to your own special needs in the workflow. The only barrier is your own imagination. You decide how information is inserted, in what order and form and how it is presented. You make your own work procedures. You can organize and make chains of tasks beforehand and set the relevant type of chain of tasks to fit the case you are working on. Then, there and now, the future workflow is decided and set for that case.

Cons:

You can not copy matters/cases and clients. It is not easy to move data fram TM to clio. We decided not to to it. Integration between outlook calander and clio calander does not work, it is so slow it is not usable. But the integration between google cal and clio cal is excellent.

Alternatives Considered: Lawcus, App4Legal, Matters.Cloud, Osprey Approach and Uptime Cloud Monitoring

Reasons for Choosing Clio: Time Matters is old fashioned, originally written for DOS and has restrictions therefore. Does not offer any real cloud solution only remote desktope.

Reasons for Switching to Clio: Clio is flexible. Very stapple and predictable. Clio is easy to manage and learn. Excellent support. Handles non english characters well.

Why Clio sucks and you'll only find out after investing far too much.

Comments: Eh... I should have cut my losses instead of hoping they will fix the glitches.

Pros:

The HelloSign integration is the only reason I stay. It has the benefits of any basic CRM.

Cons:

Customer service is horrendous. Sure they are polite and quite courteous in fact, however, it's like speaking to a brick wall. It's like everyone's drank the cool-aid. They avoid the acknowledging system limitations or errors like the pliegue which obviously comes from the top. There are far better CRM programs with true automation for far cheaper instead of the patch work of products branded as Clio. I could get the same, if not better, effect with Zapier. Yes, I'm bitter because I've invested thousands of hours and dollars and now I'm stuck. As a sole practitioner, I do not have the money or man power to start all over again. I tell ALL my peers they are much better off using Dubsado and HelloSign than Clio. Tyring to get technical support is a time suck! The level of work/investment needed just to get the first tier customer support familiar with the product then explaining the issue is not worth addressing it AT ALL! They obviously receive minimal training and have NO real comprehension or experience with the Clio products themselves. It's like they are afraid to admin they don't know or they don't understand. They are just key word searching in the help index which I've ALREADY DONE!

Alternatives Considered: HoneyBook, MyCase, 17hats and Lawmatics

Reasons for Choosing Clio: Cost, ture email and workflow automation, questionnaire customization, it's just a far superior CRM.

Switched From: Dubsado

Reasons for Switching to Clio: I believed the hype and the sales pitch. Just because is cost more doesn't mean the company has invested that into it's product. They just have a larger marketing budget.

Review of Clio use and functionality

Comments: I have been able to delegate more to my support staff by using the different scheduling and tasking features without giving up on my oversight, since I can verify overdue tasks and completed tasks. Also, my staff has been able to manage my calendar through the case and firm calendar features which allows me to draft more and be able to schedule more hearings. I am in and out of the office most days and the cloud-based aspect of this software and mobile app allows me to keep track of my schedule, access my matters, and contact clients as needed. Overall my experience has been excellent; I moved from using 4-5 programs and apps to manage my practice, to using 2 because of the integration in the Clio suite. I have recommended this software to several friends and have help to train some of them on the basics while they were feeling it out.

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.

Alternatives Considered: AbacusLaw

Reasons for Switching to Clio: I liked the feel of the product and flow of the features better. Also, I have friends who made the switch to Abacus and after they moved all files and information decided it wasn't exactly what they were looking for, but did not want the headache of making another switch.

Solo Attorney Highly Recommends Clio

Comments: Clio has made me much more organized and efficient. My billing process is easier and smoother and I keep better track of accounts receivable. Much easier to track the progress of a file and leads. It is easy to share documents and communications securely with clients

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.

Clio, the best all purpose attorney software, bar none...

Comments: Outstanding experience with something for everyone just depending on one's level of interest and need.

Pros:

Functionality is nearly universal while specially and jusisdiction costomization is great. Easy law firm branding and pre sale marketing is brilliant. Support is outstanding and the Premium Support even better for speedy, live agent help. Cost is reasonable and many available plans on their menu of options. Clio grows nicely with solid feature burstsoften free to it's users. Excellent and often updated/enlarged mobile App across all usual platforms: Appke, Android, Windows... Superior online instant pay clientbinvoucing, and client trust account requests The wide assortment of excellent and Rock solid 3rd party software affiliations is very impresdive.

Cons:

I was fortunate to have free help migrating my existing, Timeslips database compiled over many years but it ain't quite so free today...Also, I'm still not a fan of the communications tools for clients and othes not subscribed to Clio.

Clio in our law firm

Comments: Our greatest benefit to date was when we added the payment links to our invoices and the speed we are now getting paid by clients. They love the online ability to pay for their bill and we love the speed it's processed in. The ease that the monthly billing process has become has also freed up a tremendous amount of time for staff.

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.

Clio has changed my life!

Comments: My CFO's timed has been freed up tremendously because we now bill with Clio and she does not have to enter time from all users into a similar computer software. We all can work from anywhere and capture our time with the Clio app! Love it!

Pros:

I love the functionality of Clio, and how we can manage time for each user on multiple devices. I not longer have to keep up with my start time for a task, my completion time, the calculation with what portion of an hour was teh time, or completing timesheets for a billing professional to then enter into a software to generate client invoices. Additionally, the billing process has been simplied and can be run from any computer. Further, the ability to keep up with each staff member's productivity is AWESOME! Clio has definitely changed my legal life!

Cons:

Getting acclimated was sort of difficult because my rep was new at the time. The regular support team helped us with the remaining onboarding.

Alternatives Considered: MyCase

Reasons for Choosing Clio: We needed the flexibility that Clio offers for billings. We also have Clio Grow, and it has made new client intake a breeze!

Switched From: Sage Timeslips

Reasons for Switching to Clio: Clio had better customer service and unlimited storage space for documents.

Clio Review

Comments: My overall experience has been positive. There are plenty of resources for day to day activities and for more complex matters the live support has been indispensable. I find it easy to navigate and learn.

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.

Alternatives Considered: AbacusLaw

Reasons for Choosing Clio: In Timesplips we were having trouble with transfers and keeping track of the data that was not integrating into Quickbooks Desktop smoothly. We also wanted to switch to QBO but they do not integrate. There were system failures that created "broken AR's". The customer service was never immediate, I've spent many hours on hold or on the phone with someone who did not seem to care. It seemed like there was always something that would come up and the customer support was so bad that I would rather try to fix the problem myself or ignore the problem(unless it was timely) until I couldn't anymore. We only started using Sharepoint because Timeslips did not have an office management aspect of the software and it was not economical nor easy to set up, we ended up spending more money on a Sharepoint technician than a year subscription to Clio.

Switched From: Sage Timeslips

Reasons for Switching to Clio: Price difference I believe, but I honestly don't remember if there were other reasons as well.

All I Need

Comments: Terrific, a true game changer!

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.

Clio Review

Comments: Our overall experience with Clio has been fantastic!! The benefit of having all our information (contacts, notes, calendar, documents, etc.) in one program is huge for us as we often end up having to access this information outside of the office. The continued updates that Clio has made since we first began using it several years ago have all been excellent as well.

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.

I have been so impressed with Clio. There is so much it can do and the customer service is amazing.

Comments: There are too many to mention. I was only looking for conflict management software and didn't know if I needed a case management software because I am a solo attorney that is just starting out. It turns out that Clio does so much more. The timer feature lets you track work on different matters and easily switch to a different matter when a phone rings or interruption happens. You don't lost time. The billing is clean, neat and easy. After that you can move on to so many other options -- document automation, cloud storage, phone logs, email logs, quick and easy email drop. I have been here less than a year and I wouldn't switch. I am so pleased with Clio and how it makes the business end of practicing so much easier.

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.

Simple, flexible and user-friendly

Comments: Right from the outset I have found the support at Clio to be fantastically helpful. It's a big decision working out which product is right for your particular business. Clio, as you expect from most companies in the beginning, were great at informing us what Clio could do and answering our initial questions. However, what I am really impressed about it the continued support from Clio. It does not matter who you speak to, they are friendly, knowledgeable and will do all they can to help you. And if they don't know, which is rare, they will find out and get back to you. And they do get back to you! Plus every phone call is followed up with an email. With regard to the product itself, it is pretty easy to use. Most things are quite logical and therefore you can work it out fairly simply. I am of the view that no product is perfect as every business will have different requirements. In the case of Clio, there are a few very minor things we would like to see available. Clio are continuously developing and improving the product and, I think, everything we have enquired about that is not already a function of Clio, is in the pipeline. However, it is still great for us as it is but we always strive for perfection!

Pros:

I love the simplicity and flexibility of Clio. It is very user friendly and the way it looks is very neat. It does not take long to work out exactly what you are looking at and what it all means. For me personally, I do a lot of billing and compared with a previous software package, Clio has saved me a lot of time and it's really easy to keep track of where you are as it automatically incorporates a workflow. Also, setting up new cases is easy and flexible. You are easily able to incorporate your own requirements and information.

Cons:

This is quite specific but for us, the biggest drawback is not being able to present the invoice in exactly the way we want (i.e. a front cover summary of figures without the time description wording). There is a lot of flexibility on the invoices which is great but the one thing we can't do is take the wording away from the first page. Our company like to keep the first page of the invoice very simple and clear and then have the narrative on the following pages. We understand, however, that this is being developed by Clio and should be rolled out some time in the next couple of months or so.

serious business problems treated like everyday problems by customer service - not timely resolved

Comments: My experience with CLIO was fine until I actually had problems with the software that were negatively impacting my business and practice. They have been taking weeks to help me resolve these. And, I have to call them repeatedly and ride them to get any movement on getting them to help me resolve these very serious business and professional ethic problems. Because of this I am seriously considering going through all the trouble of switching to another provider like MyCase.

Pros:

It being cloud-based and the app for my phone

Cons:

Clio Payments is very problematic. CLIO Payments has been holding client payments that the clients authorized to be deposited into an attorney trust account. When the bank that the deposits were directed to refused to received them - CLIO did not refund them. I requested that the refund the clients since the money cannot go into that trust account b/c of issues with the bank. CLIO Payments says that it cannot refund money deposited to a trust account despite the fact that they have never deposited those funds into any trust account. CLIO Payments has taken possession of the client funds and will not release them or refund them back to the clients. This is a HUGE professional ethics problem for an attorney. They are oblivious and do not care about the impossible situation they are perpetuating for my business. Maybe they are making money on that money while they are holding it where it cannot be accessed and used for the client's benefit. DO NOT USE CLIO Payments - use LAWPAY.

There has to be something better; going downhill for solos

Comments: I have been using this since 2012 - at first it fit my needs and was marketed for the solo/small practice firms. It has increasingly become more cumbersome and takes longer to calendar and bill than I would like. The interest feature on the billing can only calculate simple interest. Once you enter the interest formula, there is no way to disconnect it so you are left to manually delete all of the entries. They have changed the billing process from a process that once took about an hour to taking about 3 hours. A bill is generated and placed under the Draft tab, you can view it, edit it, submit it for approval (a waste of time for a solo), or approve it - so I view it, see it needs to be edited, and click on edit, the bill comes up for editing, then once you've completed it, you hit Approve - and nothing happens which is new - you either can hit the go to bills Awaiting Payment link, or click on the Awaiting payment screen -- from there, you are forced to sort through all of your accounts receivable to find your newly edited bill. Once you find the bill, then you can Receive Payment from the trust account - but be careful since if your client has $500 in trust and the bill is $1000, the trust payment will pop up $1000, which you know is inaccurate, so you have to do another edit. Then the bill drops out of view and you either have to return to Awaiting Payment or Paid tabs - search through all of the other bills, find your bill, then you can download it - print it, or save it, and then email it.
If you want to enter a new appointment, you can do so on the calendar, but if you want to create a method to track the new client, you have to go to another tab to set up a matter, you can only input the client's name, not the address, not the phone number, not any other stuff that should appear at this point, in my opinion. Then you add in your number. Then you have to track down the name you just entered and try and add in addresses, phone numbers, email addresses. The process is incredibly time consuming. Pros: Cost
Cons: Overly rigid, designed for those who have a data processor employee, time consuming, not customer service oriented - was marketed for solos/small practices and this is not the case any longer.

Pros:

Web based program and cost.

Cons:

Rigid, time consuming process. So many things don't work and the process of finding a work around is cumbersome.