Paperless Law Practice: How Going Paperless Can Boost Your Efficiency

In an era where businesses are paying more attention to both their environmental impact and their efficiency, the ideal of a paperless practice remains on the minds of law firms. And whether your focus is on saving time and running your law firm more efficiently, or saving the planet, there are several features included with your Clio subscription that can help you embrace a paper-free lifestyle.

Digital Bill Sharing and Payments: Paper-Free Billing

The law firm billing process can often involve extensive paperwork (and time), from generating invoices and posting them to clients, to requiring clients to post the payment in return. Digital billing, when combined with online payments, can not only eliminate the need for paper entirely but shorten the time it takes law firms to get paid—when bills are shared electronically, coupled with the option to pay online, 57% of bills are paid the same day clients receive them.

Through your Clio subscription, you can generate invoices and share them with clients via email or through the client portal. If Clio Payments is enabled, clients can then review and pay invoices online, eliminating the need for paper invoices and checks. This not only accelerates the billing cycle but also reduces paper waste associated with traditional billing methods.

To generate bills:

• • 1. Go to Billing and select New bills.
  • 2. Select all the bills you want to generate.
  • 3. Optional: Click Filter to narrow your results.
  • 4. Click Generate.
  • 5. Select the due date, bill theme, and bill options. Learn more about bill options here.
  • 6. Click Generate bills.

To share bills:

To setup and enable Clio Payments:

With Clio Payments enabled, clients who receive your invoices will be presented with a link to submit payment immediately. Clio Payments is available to all customers and subscription tiers. For details on how to sign up for Clio Payments, please visit here.

Digital Documents

One of the primary culprits behind excessive paper usage in law firms is the requirement for physical documents, often obligating solicitors, staff, and clients to print, sign, and file paperwork. By using the following workflow, you can digitally sign, seal, and deliver documents to your clients, without ever having to visit a post office.

1. Create a document template in Clio Manage.
2. Draft a new document using the template in Clio Manage. The document template you created previously will be automatically populated with information from the associated Clio matter.
3. Send document for signature in Clio Manage.

Clio Grow Intake Forms: Streamlined Client Onboarding

Client intake forms are the fundamental first touch in a law firm’s journey with a client—but it can be a challenge for both parties, requiring clients to fill out extensive paperwork before legal proceedings can commence. Clio’s Grow intake forms digitise this process, making client onboarding significantly more efficient (not to mention environmentally friendly.)

With Clio Grow, firms can create customisable intake forms that clients can complete electronically. From personal information to critical case details, clients can input data directly into the system, eliminating the need for paper forms.

To create a client intake form:

 

Once a form template has been created, it can be shared via email or embedded into your law firm’s website.

Building a Sustainable Practice With Clio

As legal technology continues to advance and become more widespread, the legal system in general will become less dependent on paper-centric practices, allowing law firms to unlock new efficiencies and spend less time searching through physical documents. By putting the workflows described above into practice, your law firm will have a head start on reducing your reliance on paper—and whether you intend it or not, the trees will thank you.

We published this blog post in April 2024. Last updated: April 23, 2024.

Categorized in: Business