Build the record early
Connect the parties, claims, defences, pleadings, deadlines, and evidence in one matter from the start, so the file reflects the case you’re building rather than scattered notes.
Manage civil litigation from first assessment to judgment, settlement, or appeal
Map discovery to the issues
Analyse supported documents in Clio, connect the systems your firm already uses, and keep source-linked summaries, timelines, and review notes beside the issues they inform.
Prepare applications and witness evidence
Research with cited authority, compare witness evidence against expert reports, and prepare first drafts and hearing materials for your review before anything leaves the firm.
Keep dates and filings aligned
Tie orders and notices to tasks, filing work, bills, and communication, so a change to the schedule reaches the people and the work it affects.
Build the case theory from the record, not from memory
Start the case theory from what’s in the file. Clio keeps the intake answers, parties, and documents for the dispute on one matter. You decide what the record supports, and new facts land in the same place as they come in.
- Screen it first. Tailored intake forms capture the parties and claims, and run conflict checks before the matter opens.
- Know who’s who. Opposing counsel, experts, and insurers stay organised in contact management, so everyone’s role is clear across a long matter.
- Order the events. Clio’s legal AI builds a timeline from supported files, with each entry tied back to its source for you to confirm.
Turn every court event into assigned work
Hold court dates, limitation dates, and internal deadlines on the matter with the calendar and custom deadline sets, and keep each new order and notice beside the date it set. You review every date and decide who handles what.
- Assign the next step. Turn each court event into a task with an owner.
- Keep the order with the date. The source document stays beside each calendar event.
- Track where the case stands. Matter stages show pleadings, discovery, applications, or trial prep.
Research the next question with the record in view
Use legal research to ask the next question in context, and get jurisdiction-matched, cited authority from more than 1 billion legal sources. You open, check, and apply each authority to the matter.
- Start from the case. Research draws on the facts and documents already in the matter.
- Verify before you rely. Every citation links to its source.
- Pressure-test the argument. Ask follow-up questions as the case changes.
Draft and sign from the matter
Fill your templates with the matter’s details, or draft an application or letter with Clio’s legal AI from the facts and the law. You review and finalise every document before it goes out.
- Get signatures online. Send agreements and settlement documents for e-signature.
- Keep the filed copy. Save each filed document to the matter.
- Reuse what works. Turn your firm’s best documents into reusable templates.
Keep time, billing, and trust records accurate
Record time against the matter as the work happens, and run billing across hourly, fixed-fee, and mixed arrangements. Track client funds in a trust account and reconcile it in Clio, and you review every bill before it goes out.
- Capture time as you work. Log time and expenses from the matter.
- Accept payments online. Clients can pay invoices without a cheque in the mail.
- Keep trust records clear. Reconcile client funds against the bank.
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400,000+ legal professionals trust Clio
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100+ law societies and bar associations recognise Clio
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4.7/5 rating across 13,000+ reviews
Clio continuously keeps us bringing in $30,000 to $50,000 more each month. We wouldn’t see that if we went back to the old ways.
CEO, Rodriguez Law Group, Inc.
Civil litigation software FAQs
What is civil litigation software?
Civil litigation software keeps the evidence, court schedule, research, drafting, and billing for a disputed matter in one connected file, so the case stays organised from first assessment through settlement or trial.
How is Clio different from standalone legal case management software?
A standalone case management tool tracks the matter. Clio also holds the legal work on it: research with cited authority, drafting, client communication, and billing all run from the same facts and documents. When an order shifts the schedule, your firm starts the next step from the current record instead of rebuilding context in another system.
Does Clio replace a dedicated e-discovery platform?
No. Firms use Clio to analyse supported document productions and keep the results with the matter, but very large sets may still call for a dedicated review tool. Source-linked summaries and review notes from each production sit beside the issues they inform.
Does Clio help with civil court documents and applications?
Yes. Your firm’s templates fill with the matter’s details, or Clio’s legal AI prepares a first draft of an application or letter from the facts and the law. Agreements and settlement documents go out for e-signature from the same matter. Every draft waits for your review and edits before it is filed or sent.
Does Clio include legal research for civil litigation?
Yes. Ask about jurisdiction, admissibility, privilege, causation, remedies, or procedure with the matter’s facts and documents in view, and Clio’s legal AI returns jurisdiction-matched, cited authority from more than 1 billion legal sources. Each citation opens to its source, so you can read and weigh it before you rely on it in submissions or an application. Follow-up questions build on the same record as the case develops.
Can Clio track civil court deadlines?
Yes. Clio holds every court date, limitation date, and internal deadline against the matter, with tasks and reminders attached. Each date stays beside the order or notice that set it. Dates are entered by your firm rather than calculated from court rules, and your firm stays responsible for verifying and meeting every date.
Does Clio handle billing and trust accounting for litigation work?
Yes. Track time and expenses on each matter, then invoice under hourly, fixed-fee, or mixed arrangements and let clients pay online. Money paid in advance for costs and other client funds sit in a trust account that you reconcile against the bank in Clio. You approve every bill before it is sent, and compliance with your state or territory’s trust accounting rules stays with your firm.