One of the products to be introduced this week at Legal Tech West Coast is Clio, a Web-based practice management suite designed for solo and smaller-firm lawyers. It is still in beta and pricing is not yet available, but anyone interested can sign up to participate for free in the beta testing of this software as a service. I have not yet tried it. According to an announcement, its features include:

  • Time tracking: Track time by client, matter, and task.
  • Billing and reporting: Includes integrated tracking for trust funds and retainers and generates customized invoices and outstanding bill reminders.
  • Client/contact management: A contact management system that links to information on clients, matters and billings.
  • Task scheduling: A calendaring and reminder system that allows tracking of appointments by day, week or month.
  • Document management: Securely access documents online and track document versions.
  • Trust management: Maintain and track trust transaction records.
  • Practice performance metrics: Track current, expected and target billing figures daily, weekly or monthly.

As for security, Clio is said to use password protection with bank-grade 256-bit SSL encryption. Data is backed up daily to a secure, offsite data center, and frequent third-party audits ensure data security.

A core advantage of a SaaS such as this is that it avoids the need to purchase, install and maintain software. Pricing, of course, will be an all-important determinant of its popularity. Clio was developed by Themis Solutions Inc., Vancouver, B.C.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.