It's exciting, and judging by some of the conversations here at the conference, it's also leaving a few attorneys wondering whether they accidentally signed up for a computer science convention.

Clio has come a long way from the practice management software many of us first encountered years ago. The company is now building an increasingly connected collection of tools that can help attorneys manage their firms, communicate with clients, prepare documents, conduct legal research, and automate administrative work.

After more than 30 years helping law firms navigate technology, I find these developments fascinating.

But as I listened to the announcements, I kept coming back to one question:

Just because Clio can do something, does your law firm really need to do it?

And if the answer is yes, should you be doing it now?

Let's look at what was announced, how the products fit together, and what attorneys should consider before adding another subscription to their monthly expenses.

Meet the Growing Clio Family: Who Does What?

With all the new products and features being introduced, it's becoming difficult to keep track of what does what.

Here's a quick overview.

Clio Manage handles the everyday operations of a law firm, including matters, contacts, calendars, tasks, documents, time entries, billing, and payments. For many firms, it's where most of their administrative work takes place.

Clio Grow handles what happens before someone becomes a client. It helps firms manage prospective clients, schedule consultations, collect information, and handle engagement agreements. Its purpose is to make the intake process more organized and help prevent potential clients from falling through the cracks.

Clio Work is becoming one of the more interesting parts of the Clio ecosystem. It supports legal research, document analysis, drafting, and other substantive legal work.

At this year's conference, Clio announced additional capabilities that bring document drafting and template generation into Work. This means attorneys can increasingly research a legal question, analyze relevant documents, and prepare drafts using information already associated with their matters.

Capabilities previously associated with Clio Draft are becoming part of this more integrated experience. For firms that prepare large numbers of similar documents, the ability to generate templates and reuse information could be particularly valuable.

Of course, attorneys still need to review the documents before using them. AI can be remarkably confident even when it gets something wrong.

Clio Accounting addresses bookkeeping and financial management, complementing the billing and payment capabilities already available in Manage.

Clio Operate is designed for larger firms with more complex operational requirements.

For the small and midsize firms I typically work with, Manage, Grow, and Work will probably be the products receiving the most attention.

One of the more significant announcements at ClioCon is Clio's plan to bring Grow, Manage, and Work into a more unified interface, with the rollout beginning in November 2026.

The idea is to make it easier to move between client intake, matter management, and legal work without constantly switching applications.

Anyone who regularly works with fifteen browser tabs open will appreciate that improvement.

And hopefully, it'll also reduce the number of times someone asks, "Which Clio product am I supposed to be using for this?"

Clio Phones: Your Phone Calls Finally Get Their Day in Court

Clio Phones is one of the announcements that immediately caught my attention.

It introduces phone capabilities directly into the Clio environment.

Imagine receiving a call from a client and having the relevant matter information readily available. Depending on the configuration and available features, calls can be recorded, transcribed, summarized, and associated with the appropriate matter.

The system can also help prepare time entries based on telephone conversations.

For attorneys who spend considerable time speaking with clients, this could be particularly useful.

Think about how often a five-minute telephone call never makes it onto a timesheet. Multiply that by several calls a day, several attorneys, and an entire year.

Those forgotten minutes add up.

Clio Phones could help firms capture more of that time while reducing the administrative work involved in documenting conversations.

However, firms should also consider call recording consent requirements, privacy policies, and how the system would fit into their existing communications infrastructure.

But if you already have a reliable phone system integrated with Clio, compare the capabilities and costs before making a change.

Replacing a perfectly good system simply because something newer exists rarely produces a great return on investment.

Clio Phones is beginning with limited availability, so firms should confirm when it will be offered in their location.

Clio Timekeeping: Because Those Five-Minute Calls Add Up

Another interesting announcement is Clio Timekeeping.

The concept is straightforward.

Instead of relying entirely on attorneys to remember and manually record their activities, the system can capture work activity and prepare suggested time entries.

Attorneys then review those suggestions before deciding what should be recorded or billed.

Consider an attorney who spends ten minutes reviewing a document, fifteen minutes responding to emails, and another twenty minutes researching an issue.

By the end of the day, some of that time may have been forgotten.

Automatic time capture could help recover those missing entries.

It could also benefit firms that charge flat fees by providing a clearer picture of how much time different types of matters require. That information can be valuable when evaluating profitability.

However, accuracy will be important. Attorneys need to be confident that activities are associated with the correct matters and that suggested entries accurately reflect the work performed.

Clio Timekeeping is being introduced through an opt-in beta, so firms should evaluate its capabilities as they become available.

Clio Documents Pro: Finding Final_FINAL_v7.docx Without a Search Party

Clio also announced Documents Pro, which expands its document management capabilities.

The planned features include improved searching, version management, document organization, access controls, and support for audio and video files.

For litigation practices dealing with large collections of documents, these improvements could make a meaningful difference.

Anyone who has searched through several folders for a document named something like Final_Agreement_v7_REVISED_FINAL2.docx knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Better document management may not be the most exciting topic at a technology conference, but spending twenty minutes searching for a document that should take twenty seconds isn't particularly exciting either.

However, firms should compare it with their current document management systems before making changes.

And while better searching and version management are welcome improvements, they won't automatically fix years of inconsistent folder structures and document naming conventions.

AI Automations: Making Chaos Run Faster

Which brings me to something I've been thinking about throughout this conference.

One of the most impressive developments announced at ClioCon involves AI-powered workflows and automations.

The idea is that firms will increasingly be able to describe a process in everyday language and have Clio help create the corresponding workflow.

That's pretty remarkable.

But I have some reservations about how easily firms will be able to take advantage of it.

Imagine a family law firm opening a new divorce matter.

Currently, the process involves six emails, three spreadsheets, two employees asking who's responsible for what, and somebody inevitably forgetting to prepare the engagement letter.

Now introduce AI-powered automation.

Imagine your messy intake process running at supercomputer speed.

Congratulations, you've just discovered how to create administrative confusion at record speed.

Automating a bad workflow doesn't make it better. It just makes it bad faster.

Before automating anything, take a good look at how your firm currently handles the work.

You might discover that half the steps are unnecessary, nobody knows who's responsible for certain tasks, and some procedures haven't been updated since fax machines were considered cutting-edge technology.

Once you've cleaned that up, automation can be incredibly useful.

For example, opening a new matter could automatically generate the appropriate tasks, assign responsibilities, create a standardized folder structure, and establish important deadlines.

But someone still needs to decide which tasks belong in the workflow, when they should occur, and who should be responsible.

And after creating the automation, someone needs to test it, make adjustments, train employees, and maintain it as the firm's procedures evolve.

This is an area where I see considerable opportunity for law firms to improve their operations.

It's also an area where experienced legal technology consultants can provide meaningful assistance.

We've spent years helping firms organize their processes, customize Clio, and create workflows that reflect how they operate.

Getting these automations to work properly requires careful planning and a good understanding of how the firm operates.

I suspect many attorneys will discover that describing an automation is considerably easier than deciding exactly what they want automated.

Clio Work: AI Is Moving Beyond Legal Research

Clio Work continues to expand beyond its original legal research and document analysis capabilities.

The announcements include enhanced drafting, reusable AI skills, playbooks, and collaborative workspaces through Vincent Projects.

These features could be particularly useful for litigation practices and firms that regularly perform similar types of legal work.

For example, an attorney could use Clio Work to analyze medical records, identify important dates, and prepare a chronology.

Another might use it to review contracts, compare documents, or prepare an initial draft using an approved firm template.

Reusable skills and playbooks could also help firms standardize recurring activities.

That sounds promising, particularly for firms where attorneys repeatedly perform similar research or document preparation tasks.

However, I would encourage firms to start with a limited number of well-defined activities.

Choose something repetitive and time-consuming. Measure how long it currently takes. Test whether Clio Work can improve the process while maintaining the necessary quality.

Then decide whether to expand its use.

And please remember that AI-generated legal work requires appropriate attorney review and verification.

A beautifully formatted document containing an incorrect legal citation is still an incorrect document.

Clio Grow: Your Next Client May Call While You're Sleeping

Clio Grow is also receiving new AI capabilities intended to improve client intake.

These include responding to inquiries, collecting information, screening prospective clients, scheduling consultations, and following up when someone hasn't completed the intake process.

For firms that struggle to respond promptly to potential clients, these capabilities could be valuable.

Prospective clients don't always call during business hours, and many will contact another firm if they don't receive a timely response.

However, firms should carefully consider what information an automated system collects, how potential conflicts are handled, and when a prospective client should be transferred to a real person.

Nobody wants an AI receptionist enthusiastically promising legal representation before the firm has completed a conflict check.

The Elephant in the Conference Room: How Much Is All This Going to Cost?

With so many new products and capabilities being introduced, it's easy to get excited about the possibilities.

But every additional product has a cost.

And I'm not talking only about subscription fees.

There may be implementation expenses, employee training, data migration, configuration, and ongoing maintenance.

Consider a hypothetical ten-person firm evaluating two additional products.

If one costs $40 per user per month, that's $4,800 annually.

Add another at $30 per user per month, and the total increases to $8,400 per year.

Those are illustrative figures, not Clio's announced prices. Depending on the products and licensing arrangements, the actual costs could be higher or lower.

Of course, if those products save the firm $20,000 annually in administrative time or help recover previously unbilled work, the investment may be worthwhile.

But firms need to make that calculation.

They should also consider the time employees will spend learning the software and adapting their procedures.

I've seen firms purchase sophisticated systems and then use only a small percentage of the available capabilities.

Sometimes they're paying for functionality they already have in another product.

Before adding more software, it's worth reviewing what you're currently using and whether you're getting full value from it.

You may discover that your next productivity improvement is already included in a subscription you're paying for.

Before You Reach for Your Credit Card: Five Questions Worth Asking

After attending ClioCon, I would encourage every law firm to ask five questions before purchasing additional technology.

My Take After 30 Years Helping Law Firms

One of my biggest takeaways from ClioCon 2026 is how quickly legal technology is evolving.

I'm genuinely impressed by the direction Clio is heading, and I also understand why some attorneys are feeling overwhelmed.

Running a law firm is already complicated.

Attorneys don't necessarily have the time or technical background to evaluate every new product and redesign everything from scratch.

At 2b1, we've been doing this for over 30 years, including more than a decade working extensively with Clio.

We start by understanding how your firm operates, where time is being wasted, where frustration lives, and what would make a meaningful difference.

Sometimes that means adding something new.

Sometimes it means customizing what you already have or helping people use existing features more effectively.

And occasionally the smartest recommendation is to leave something alone because it's working fine.

Yes, even technology consultants are allowed to say that.

Final Thoughts: Make Technology Work for Your Firm

ClioCon 2026 offers a fascinating glimpse of where legal technology is heading.

There's a lot to be excited about.

But before you invest in the latest products, take some time to review how your firm operates, identify where time is being wasted, and decide which improvements would make the biggest difference.

You might find the new tools are exactly what you need.

Or you might find that a few improvements to existing processes get you further with less cost.

Either way, you'll be making an informed decision.

Smart law firms invest in technology that solves real problems, improves efficiency, and delivers measurable value.

And remember:

Automating chaos is still chaos. Just faster.