Clio can manage matters, contacts, documents, tasks, calendars, billing, and client information. The quality of the system depends on how those tools are configured around the firm’s actual work.
Before changing settings, document how matters enter the firm, how work is assigned, which information must be captured, how billing is handled, and what leadership needs to report on. Those decisions should drive the Clio setup.
Start by documenting how a matter moves through the firm from first contact through closing.
A typical lifecycle may include:
The stages should reflect the practice area and the way the firm operates.
A litigation matter may require deadlines, discovery stages, court dates, and settlement tracking. An estate-planning matter may require document collection, drafting, review, execution, and funding. A flat-fee immigration practice may need payment milestones and document-status tracking.
For each stage, identify:
This gives the firm a working model for matter stages, task lists, custom fields, and automation.
Matter types should reflect distinctions the firm uses in workflows, billing, staffing, or reporting.
A category may need its own matter type when it:
For example, “litigation” may be too broad when the firm separately manages employment, commercial, and real estate disputes. At the same time, creating a separate matter type for every minor variation can make selection inconsistent and reporting difficult.
Use the fewest categories needed to support meaningful operational differences.
Custom fields should support a task, decision, workflow, or report.
Useful fields may include:
Before adding a field, identify who will complete it, when it will be completed, and how the information will be used.
Required fields should be limited to information the firm consistently needs. Optional fields should still have a defined purpose. Fields that are rarely completed or never used in reporting should be removed or consolidated.
A smaller set of reliable fields is more useful than a large set of incomplete ones.
Choose one matter-naming convention and apply it consistently.
Possible formats include:
Client Name – Matter Type – Adverse Party
or
Client Name – Project or Transaction
The format should make matters easy to identify in search results, reports, document integrations, invoices, and calendars.
Document the convention and determine whether matter names will be entered manually or generated from existing fields. Where possible, use a predictable structure rather than relying on individual preferences.
Clio Grow and Clio Manage should be configured as one connected process when the firm uses both systems.
Determine which intake information should transfer into the contact and matter records, including:
The intake process should collect enough information to qualify the lead, run conflicts, schedule the appropriate consultation, and open the matter without unnecessary re-entry.
Do not transfer every intake note into structured fields. Separate information that needs to drive workflows or reporting from information that only needs to remain in the record for reference.
Use task lists and automations for work that follows a consistent sequence.
Good candidates include:
For each workflow, define:
Focus first on points where work changes hands. These are the places where assigned ownership and visible deadlines provide the most value.
For example, once an attorney approves a new engagement, the system may assign matter-opening tasks to an administrator, request documents from the client, notify the billing team, and create the initial attorney tasks.
Automation should handle work the firm has already standardized.
Before configuring an automation, determine:
Avoid automating steps that depend on undocumented attorney preferences or inconsistent judgment. Standardize the default process first, then identify where exceptions should remain manual.
Start with automations that eliminate repetitive administrative work, such as task assignment, reminders, matter-stage updates, document requests, and internal notifications.
Decide who can view, create, edit, and delete information in Clio.
Review access for:
Permissions should reflect job responsibilities and confidentiality requirements.
The firm should also define who is responsible for maintaining each part of the system. For example, intake may own lead data, administrators may own matter-opening standards, billing may own invoice workflows, and a designated system administrator may own configuration changes.
Billing setup should reflect how the firm records time, reviews drafts, approves invoices, collects payment, and handles trust funds.
Document:
Configure billing rates, activity categories, expense categories, payment settings, invoice templates, and trust accounts around those rules.
Test the complete billing cycle before launch. Create a sample matter, enter time and expenses, generate a draft, apply a discount, approve the invoice, record payment, and confirm that the resulting reports are accurate.
Each report should answer a defined operational or management question.
Examples include:
For each report, identify the fields and user actions required to produce reliable data.
For example, referral-source reporting will only work when staff use a consistent referral field. Matter-aging reports require accurate open and close dates. Pipeline reports require clear stage definitions and regular updates.
Test reports against known matters before relying on them for management decisions.
Do not import legacy data without reviewing it first.
Prepare contacts and matters by:
Map each legacy field to the correct Clio field before importing. Record which information will not be transferred and where archived data will remain available.
Run a test import with a small sample before migrating the full dataset.
Evaluate each integration based on the process it supports.
Common integrations may include:
For each integration, determine:
Do not add an integration solely because it is available. Add it when it removes a defined manual step or improves access to necessary information.
Before rollout, test Clio using representative matters from each practice area.
Test scenarios should include:
Have the people who perform the work complete the test. Their feedback will identify missing fields, unclear task ownership, unnecessary steps, and permissions problems that may not be visible during configuration.
Document changes and repeat the test after revisions.
Training should show each group how to complete its work in the configured system.
Training may cover:
Training may cover:
Training may cover:
Training may cover:
Use the firm’s own matter types, fields, workflows, and examples during training. Provide written documentation for recurring tasks and configuration rules.
Designate a person or team to manage Clio after implementation.
System ownership should include:
Set a process for requesting changes. A new field, workflow, or integration should have a defined purpose and an owner before it is added.
Schedule periodic reviews of matter types, custom fields, task lists, automations, reports, permissions, and integrations. The setup should change when the firm’s process changes, but those changes should remain controlled and documented.
Before launch, confirm that the firm has:
Clio should give the firm one reliable place to manage client and matter work. That requires a setup based on actual responsibilities, data requirements, billing procedures, and management needs.
Descanso Digital helps law firms plan, configure, repair, and manage Clio implementations. Our work includes process mapping, data structure, workflow configuration, intake, billing, reporting, integrations, migration, training, and ongoing system management.
Contact Descanso Digital to discuss a new Clio implementation or improve an existing setup.