Clio Software Reviews

Pros

The training material available for my staff has been valuable. I've had trouble getting other team members comfortable with similar systems but with Clio my legal assistant has been able to pick up the features almost instinctively. I still need to bring more staff on board and once she's ready to help manage and train others in Clio, I plan to fully switch over. I also appreciate its compatibility with Jubilee and I'm considering using Lawyah as well.

Cons

During the move from my previous system, trust funds and client credits didn't carry over so I had to manually work around the system to get those credits entered into the accounts.

Pros

Clio's usability is the part I appreciate most. It's very simple to handle and even when I run into something I haven't used before, it's usually simple to figure out what to do.

Cons

My biggest frustration with Clio is how poorly it works with QuickBooks. Expense entries don't come in separately from QuickBooks and instead import as a single entry which is really annoying and takes extra time to correct.

Pros

Handling the cases I was working on felt much more manageable with Clio which made staying organized a lot simpler.

Cons

I do wish Clio had a more modern-looking interface.

Pros

Getting it up and running was simple and the setup didn't take much effort. If a firm wants a very basic system and doesn't need much customization, it does the job well. The billing and invoicing workflow is also quick and simple overall.

Cons

Reporting is where it really falls short. Rather than offering a flexible report builder or meaningful customization, you're stuck with preset reports that provide some information but not always everything you actually need and the layout isn't very good either. The bill approval workflow is also incredibly tedious. I still don't understand why attorneys can't just click "Next" to move to the next bill waiting for review. Instead, you have to open them one at a time and keep track manually.

Pros

Having everything in one place with it really helps, case management, time tracking, billing and communication are all built into the same platform. The interface is well laid out so getting around the system feels simple and keeps daily work moving efficiently.

Cons

Clio works very well overall but once in a while there are small syncing issues when using it across multiple devices.

Pros

Moving over to it was incredibly simple. We were fully up and running on launch day without any problems and the system felt user-friendly right away. Even after using our previous software for more than 20 years, the transition went off without issues. Everyone in our practice was able to adapt quickly and start using it without any trouble.

Cons

The one frustration I've run into with Clio is its connection with QuickBooks. If you create a check in QuickBooks that includes multiple matters in one payment, it comes into Clio as a single expense so you have to manually break it back out into separate expenses for each file. That means entering things twice which is inefficient. I believe this is more of a QuickBooks problem than a Clio one but the issue still affects the workflow either way.

Pros

It presents itself as a complete practice management system and appears to include all the core tools needed for calendar and contact management.

Cons

tax setup is frustrating. The software applies HST to every service by default and doesn't allow different tax treatments for specific expenses like charging only GST on agent fees or no tax on court fees. Instead, you have to open each individual entry and manually change the tax rate for every expense that gets posted.

Pros

It helped our firm simplify case billing and task management without any hassle. The document and financial integrations have saved us a huge amount of time, to the point that the software has easily paid for itself. I'd definitely recommend using Clio U as well to learn more about all the valuable features it offers.

Cons

It has been excellent for us and honestly I don't have any complaints or suggestions for improvement.

Pros

The billing and invoicing features have been really solid and work very well.

Cons

Keeping up with time management can feel tedious at times.

Pros

billing and invoice integration works well once you become familiar with how it operates.

Cons

Dealing with Clio has been frustrating because the representatives do not communicate clearly or effectively. On top of that, supervisors are difficult to reach which makes it nearly impossible to resolve concerns. I would not recommend this service.

Pros

Switching to it has been a big win for our law firm because it covers so much in one platform. Getting started went really well, largely because the training team was so helpful throughout onboarding. The system feels user-friendly which meant our staff did not need to spend a ton of time learning it. We honestly could not be more pleased with it.

Cons

It has let us replace most of the other software we were using since it works as a full wraparound practice management system. The only area where it still falls short for us is accounting. We still prefer using QuickBooks over Clio's built-in accounting widgets.

Pros

Everything I need is brought together in a way that actually makes sense. Instead of jumping between different tools, I can go to one place and find what I need to handle my work.

Cons

The invoice design is the part that feels lacking. Ours still doesn't come across as very professional, we weren't able to use a high-resolution logo and there's only so much we can do to customize the layout.

Pros

Handling time and billing is essential and it does a really good job with it.

Cons

The issues I had before have already been addressed, such as being able to apply trust account balances only to costs or fees.

Pros

Coming from a developer background and trying to learn more about legal management, I came across it and it has been really useful. It's basically a law practice management tool that helps you understand how law management works while also building your knowledge in that area. The platform is very simple to use and features like time tracking and document management really help it stand out. It also includes a mobile app which makes it convenient to access anytime and keep learning on the go.

Cons

Honestly I don't really have any dislikes about it because it offers a broad range of legal management knowledge and feels very worthwhile overall so I would definitely recommend it. The only thing to note is that it isn't free although there is a trial version available to help you understand how the tool works before committing.

Pros

Being able to add and remove information without hassle has been a huge plus. It may sound minor but our previous software made deleting items unnecessarily difficult which turned fixing mistakes or entering important details into a frustrating process.

Cons

Its hard adding Clio Grow to the calendar. It doesn't work the same way as Clio Manage and I'm also not able to send text reminders in the same way.

Pros

From opening a matter to wrapping it up, it helps us manage the entire case in one system. All client details stay together in one place which keeps things organized. We can draft and work on documents directly in Clio, then share them with clients through the Clio Portal. Clients can also securely send their documents back to us using the portal. Communication is convenient too since we can message clients through the portal or by text without leaving Clio. The support team has been consistently helpful and has even passed along our enhancement requests, with some already put into place. The task feature also keeps everyone in the firm aligned so there is much more visibility into each case and no more guessing about what is happening because everything is tracked and assigned.

Cons

Invoicing for payment plans can be better. Our clients make monthly payments until their flat fee is fully paid but Clio does not currently show those payment plan details directly on the invoice. Right now, we have to manually enter that information in the footer notes.

Pros

Easy to get started right out of the box. Before we adopted it, our practice management was entirely paper-based and handwritten so the difference was immediate. It became much simpler to locate cases and stay on top of all the different matters. I also appreciate being able to accept payments through the system and have bills close out automatically. Adding Clio Portals has made client communication much more manageable and helps keep everyone involved aligned and informed.

Cons

Once the initial setup is done, there is not a lot of flexibility to improve or customize workflows. I would really like to see more enhancements that let firms move beyond the standard workflow structure by adding logic and other efficiency tools tailored to how they operate. Not every law firm works within just one practice area so it would be helpful if the matter layout could adjust based on the selected practice area. After choosing that area, the system should only display fields relevant to it which would help cut down on missing or incorrect information. I also wish Clio Payments offered functionality similar to LawPay especially the ability to process refunds on trust payments. Another frustration is how restrictive the software feels when trying to create custom fields and sections that better fit our firm's needs. It would also help if email were built directly into Clio so we would not have to keep jumping back and forth. On top of that, I would like to see Clio Manage and Clio Grow combined, with more of Grow's features, like scheduling and workflows, brought into Manage.

Pros

Everything feels user-friendly so using the software comes naturally. Even when I run into a task that's new to me, it's still simple to understand and figure out.

Cons

I'm still trying to come up with something I don't like. Honestly I don't have any criticisms at this point.

Pros

Its quite user friendly and the whole program feels simple to use. Whenever I need help, the staff responds quickly and is always pleasant to deal with.

Cons

I'd really like Clio Manage and Clio Grow to communicate with each other better. It would also help to have a way to view deleted items or recover documents, forms and other materials.

Pros

It is simple to manage, functional and very well organized. Everything seems laid out in a way that makes it simple to work through tasks without confusion.

Cons

I still haven't been using it long enough to give a fair assessment of any downsides at this point.