Open the file fast
Capture the client, charges, custody or bail status, court, judge, and next appearance during urgent intake, without typing it twice.
Criminal law software for intake, disclosure, applications, and court dates
Organise the disclosure
File police reports, video, witness material, and court records by issue, and build the chronology for review.
Research and draft in context
Research bail, admissibility, and sentencing with the charges and record connected, then prepare applications and submissions for review.
Keep dates and funds together
Tie notices and orders to court dates and tasks, with client updates, fixed-fee milestones, and client account activity on the same file.
Start the file with the next court date in view
A criminal matter can open after an arrest, during an investigation, or hours before an appearance. Clio captures the client, charges, and custody status through intake and keeps the family, witnesses, and experts in related contacts, so you can decide the next move with the full picture in front of you.
- Capture it under pressure. The client, charges, custody status, and next appearance go on the matter at intake.
- Pull the people in. Family, witnesses, and experts live in related contacts.
- Keep the record straight. Every report, message, and order stays on the matter.
Build the disclosure record and the chronology
Disclosure arrives in pieces, from police reports and body-worn video to messages, lab results, and court records. Clio keeps each file organised by issue, and its legal AI can summarise supported files and draft a chronology for your review.
- Store it all. Reports, video, and records attach to the matter, with large video kept in connected cloud storage.
- See the sequence. Clio’s legal AI drafts a chronology from the supported files for you to check.
- Flag the gaps. Your open questions stay visible beside the evidence.
Research and draft with the charges connected
Research bail, admissibility, procedure, and sentencing with the charges and source record already linked. Clio’s legal AI returns cited authority and prepares applications, submissions, and client letters from the matter for your review.
- Ask in context. Pose the bail or admissibility question with the record attached.
- Get cited authority. Clio’s legal AI returns sources from legislation and case law for you to weigh.
- Draft from the file. Applications and submissions build from reusable templates, not from scratch.
Keep every court date and filing on track
A first hearing, a disclosure deadline, and a trial date each create work. Clio reads a court order or hearing notice and drafts the dates onto the calendar for your firm to check.
- Tie dates to the matter. Hearing, application, and trial dates sit with the notice that set them.
- Get reminders. Set reminders on each court date for the people working the case.
- Know what comes next. Tasks and matter stages show where the case stands.
Hold fixed fees and client money correctly
A fixed fee can sit in client account and be earned in stages, from first hearing to pre-trial applications to trial. Clio tracks client and office accounts on separate ledgers and records each transfer to the office account when a milestone bill is paid from client account.
- Earn in stages. Bill each milestone as the case reaches it.
- Keep ledgers separate. Every deposit, transfer, and refund logs to the client and matter.
- Watch the balance. Set a minimum and get notified when funds run low.
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400K legal professionals trust Clio
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100+ law societies and bar associations recognise Clio
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4.7 average rating across 13,000+ reviews
Clio helps me keep a busy criminal calendar organised so that I’m ready for multiple, back-to-back hearings without needing to bring along huge files.
Hemming Law APC
Criminal law software FAQs
What is criminal law software?
Criminal law software keeps the client, charges, custody status, disclosure, deadlines, and court dates on one defence file. In Clio, that file is the foundation of a legal AI platform, so intake carries into the matter, disclosure is organised by issue, and the record is ready for the next hearing, application, trial, or appeal.
How is Clio different from standalone criminal law software?
The defence file, disclosure, cited research, drafting, deadlines, communication, and client accounting work from one record rather than separate tools. That shared context lets Clio prepare the chronology and the draft for your review and return the approved work to the matter, so the file carries from first hearing through sentencing and appeal.
Can Clio organise disclosure and build a case chronology?
Yes. Keep police reports, body-worn video, messages, lab results, and court records with the issue each one informs. Clio’s legal AI can summarise supported files and draft a chronology for your review, and your open questions stay visible beside the evidence. Large video streams from connected cloud storage.
Can Clio draft applications and submissions for criminal matters?
Yes. Turn your firm’s approved documents into reusable templates, then prepare applications, submissions, witness statements, and client letters from the matter, with the charges and record connected. You review the language before anything is filed.
Does Clio include criminal legal research?
Yes. Clio’s legal AI researches PACE 1984, the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, the Criminal Procedure Rules, and Sentencing Council guidelines, alongside decisions from the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and the UK Supreme Court. Coverage also includes Scotland, with the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and High Court of Justiciary decisions, and Northern Ireland. It returns cited authority for you to evaluate and apply.
Can Clio track court dates and deadlines?
Yes. Use tasks, matter stages, and calendars to track first hearings, disclosure deadlines, applications, and trial dates, each tied to the notice that set it. Clio can also read a court order or hearing notice and draft the dates for your firm to check.
Does Clio handle fixed fees and the client account?
Yes. Clio tracks client and business accounts on separate ledgers as regulators require. A fixed fee can sit in client account and be earned in stages, from first hearing to pre-trial applications to trial, with each transfer to the business account recorded when a milestone bill is paid from client account. You can set a minimum balance and be notified when funds run low. Your firm stays responsible for compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules or your law society’s accounts rules.
Can Clio store body-worn video and large files?
Yes. Attach files up to 5 GB each, and connect Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box so large body-worn video streams in its native player rather than downloading. Every file stays with the matter.
Criminal law resources
Read up on how you can use criminal law software to improve your practice.
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Customer Stories
Living their vision: how a criminal defense firm increased revenue while taking more pro bono work with Clio
Protect the record a defence depends on
You decide who can open each matter, and Clio’s legal AI uses only the information that person may see. Firm data is not used to train third-party models, and you review every chronology, summary, and draft before it’s used.