‘I’d Rather Go with the Top Dog in the Space’—How Clio Compares
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Boag Law
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2014
Year Founded
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2-5
Number of Staff
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2022
Started Using Clio
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New York, NY, USA
Location
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Flat Fee
Hourly
Fee Types
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Intellectual Property
Practice Areas
Working partially in the cloud wasn’t enough
David A Boag, Founder and Managing Principal of BOAG Law, had been using another practice management solution for about nine months before he decided it was time for a change.
The software he was using at the time wasn’t entirely cloud-based, meaning that it needed to be installed on the firm’s computers, which caused a few problems. For one, the software couldn’t be installed on Macs, which the firm preferred. Additionally, the firm’s remote staff had problems accessing information.
“I wanted an all-in-one solution that was comprehensive, and that worked for everybody. I didn’t want to have to think about it, and with Clio, we’ve gotten to a point where we don’t really have to think about it much.”
“With Clio, we don’t have to think about it. It just works.”
Why Clio was the better option
Changing practice management systems can be a big decision, and David knew that if he was going to make the change, he didn’t want to ever have to make the change again.
Luckily, the switch to Clio was a simple process (more on that below), and in the end, the team at BOAG Law landed on a solution that offered a better fit for their firm’s needs.
“Clio is the backbone of our business. It’s where everything is stored, and it’s how we operate.”
1. Clio comes highly customizable to what firms need
For David, it was important to know what they planned to use their software for, and then it was a matter of finding the best solution to fill that need. And with Clio, there were so many options to customize the platform to their needs.
“I like that there is flexibility in how you can store your data in Clio. You can store it on your own system if you want. There’s flexibility—it’s not just a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“Clio is the record for everything. From there, everything flows to our other systems.”
“I like Clio because it has a lot of flexibility. It has a lot of room to customize and interact with other systems. And to be perfectly honest, it’s device independent—and we’re big lovers of Macs around here.”
2. Centralized information saves time for everyone
The most important part of having a practice management solution is that information should be organized and easy to access. David’s previous solution created problems for staff, which was something he knew he had to fix.
“There is a cost associated with not being as organized as you could be. Sometimes you have to ask, ‘Okay, what is it that’s working, and what’s not working?’ If a client calls with a question, if you can’t pull up the information about their file quickly, that doesn’t reflect well.”
“Clio is the go-to when we need information about a client file. If we need a phone number, address, billing instructions, client balance—Clio is a one-stop-shop for all that.”
“It’s one of those things—when you need it, it pops right up.”
“The biggest benefit is that everything is where it’s supposed to be—and the sense of calm that comes with being organized.”
3. Working in the cloud enables remote work
Clio is fully cloud-based, which means that it offers a robust system for managing all of the firm’s information—and it allows everyone at the firm to securely access it from anywhere and from any device.
“I love the fact that all of my data is stored remotely. It doesn’t matter if my laptop falls in the ocean. I can enter time on the go from my phone. I can log in from different computers throughout the week. Clio follows me wherever I go. I don’t have to think about it. Clio is there when I need it.”
“We have no intention of being a fixed presence with a sign outside. We are a distributed company that can attract the best people from anywhere. Clio definitely helps us work better together.”
“My assistant on the other side of the world can open a matter for me, send it to me for review, and put in billing information. It all just happens, and everyone’s able to access it all.”
4. Better systems make for better client relationships
It’s incredibly important for David that his staff is organized and ready to follow up with clients when needed. That’s especially the case for anything related to billing, which can be a point of friction between law firms and their clients.
“We rely on Clio’s invoicing system a lot. The ability to follow up, track follow-ups, have different profiles for different types of clients, and different stages of the follow-up process—it all works really well for the whole invoicing lifecycle.”
“Clio helps manage your relationship with the client. When it comes to asking people for money, you can tailor the message. You can keep it a little more intimate and direct, or you can keep it hands-off and mechanical.”
5. Getting started with Clio is easy
Moving to a new practice management solution can be intimidating, but Clio made it as easy as possible for BOAG Law—for both the technical-side and the people-side. Clio offers several options for migrating data from other platforms, and the Onboarding Team works with new customers to get everyone up to speed as quickly as possible.
“We did a data export of our matters and loaded them up. It happened pretty quickly.”
“Our people went through some of the training modules. From there, it was just a matter of looking at how we work. What has to happen when we open a new matter? What has to happen when we close it? The whole team knows how to use it, and we haven’t had any issues—and that’s really important.”
“It was painless transitioning to Clio.”
BOAG Law is growing, and Clio creates more opportunity for innovation
David started BOAG Law from the ground up, and he’s built a sustainable business with a clear growth trajectory. His success has been driven by exceptional legal services and an increasing number of client referrals—and David knows that the firm needs a software solution that’s going to keep them at the top of the technology curve for the long-term.
“Clio is obviously the leader in the legaltech space. It was an easy decision. Clio is the best for us.”
“It’s easy to take for granted the fact that I started this with exactly zero clients—and now we have many clients, and the day is just a whirlwind. It’s very gratifying to see that we built something like this.”
“Clio doesn’t just keep up with its technology, it’s forward-thinking. They have resources to add new features all the time. All things being equal, I’d rather go with the top dog in the space.”