Celebrating Clio’s 15th Anniversary

After becoming aware of the struggles of solo practitioners and small law firms through a friend at the Law Society of British Columbia, the seed of an idea was planted for lifelong friends Jack Newton and Rian Gauvreau in 2007: They would bring the practice of law to the cloud. In 2008, Clio was founded. 

Fast forward 15 years, and our growth has surpassed our wildest dreams. As the world’s leading cloud-based legal management software, we’ve helped firms weather economic downturns. We’ve empowered legal professionals to meet evolving client demands. We’ve made running a firm easier than many imagined possible—continually moving forward in our quest to transform the legal experience for all. And this is only the beginning of our journey to become a 100 year company.

As our customers know, we’re not simply a legal software provider. We’re a trusted partner that’s driven to create better outcomes for our customers. To celebrate 15 years of doing exactly that, we’re reflecting on our journey together so far as we look towards an exciting future.

10 Clio Cloud Conferences hosted 

The Clio Cloud Conference, also known as ClioCon, began in 2013 as a conference for a few hundred users—and its popularity has skyrocketed since. As one of the world’s most popular legal technology conferences, it attracts thousands of attendees each year. The draw? Powerful networking opportunities, compelling keynotes from the industry’s sharpest minds, hands-on workshops, and plenty of legal tech exhibitors—to name a few. 

To date, we’ve hosted 10 successful Clio Cloud Conferences. Year after year, attendees return home from two action-packed days feeling inspired, energized, and filled with transformative ideas that take their practice to new heights. We’re eagerly preparing for our 2023 ClioCon, which will take place from October 9–10 in Nashville, Tennessee. Get your pass now!

32 Reisman Awards presented 

Behind every legal stride are visionary leaders whose tenacity and determination paves the way for a better world. We launched the Reisman Awards in 2017—named after our first customer—to share the stories of these extraordinary customers.

The seven categories of the Reisman Awards include:

• Legal Innovation
• Best New Law Firm
• Community Champion
• Best Growth Story
• Excellence in Client Service
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Legal Impact Award (People’s Choice)

As we reflect on the 32 awards presented to date, we continue to be blown away by the enormous difference past winners have made. They’ve shattered industry barriers, unleashed remarkable firm growth, advocated for vulnerable populations, and elevated the client experience—while inspiring so many others along the way.

Submit your firm for the 2023 Reisman Awards by March 15.

7 Legal Trends Reports published 

As the legal industry evolves at a dizzying pace, it’s vital to be equipped with the right insights. For that very reason, we published the first legal benchmarking report in 2016—the inaugural Legal Trends Report.

The report has become one of the legal industry’s most highly anticipated publications. Each year, it draws on aggregated and anonymized data from tens of thousands of lawyers, along with survey responses from thousands of legal professionals and consumers. Covering topics that range from client preferences to how firms harness technology, its insights have empowered countless legal professionals to make better informed decisions.  

Download the Legal Trends Report.

Recommended by 90+ bar associations and law societies

Back in 2011, we rolled out the Clio Affinity Program. Our goal: to help bar associations and national legal groups deliver greater value to members through discounts to our practice management platform.

Today, we are honored to partner with and have earned the approval of 90+ bar associations, law societies, and private legal groups across Canada and the United States—including all 50 state bar associations in the United States. 

Learn more about our Affinity Program.

Clio’s Academic Access Program continues to soar

At Clio, we’re passionate about lifting up the next generation of legal professionals. This belief sparked the idea for our Clio Academic Access Program (CAAP)—which provides law schools, legal clinics, and paralegal programs with free access to Clio Manage. 

Since its creation in 2012, over 55,000 users have enrolled. We’ve donated over $26 million in free software  to more than 200 schools across North America and Europe. And we’ve partnered with organizations, such as the California Innocence Project and Georgia Innocence Project, to supply them with tools to represent those who have been wrongfully convicted.  

Get Clio in your classroom: Request academic access.

200+ partners added to the Clio App Directory

Since day one, we’ve been driven by an unwavering commitment to make the lives of our customers easier. We knew that a key part of this was delivering a solution that seamlessly works with their favorite tools. 

Enter: our Clio Certified App Program, which was the first of its kind for a legal practice management platform. Through it, Clio integrates with over 200 third-party applications, including Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, QuickBooks Online, Zoom, and Logikcull. 

See our partners in the Clio App Directory.

Hundreds of Clio Certified Consultants onboarded

When launched, we only had a handful of Clio Certified Consultants (CCCs) based primarily in the US. Today, there are over 100 CCCs, in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Europe. This program includes IT experts, legal accountants, law firm consultants, and marketing experts to assist legal professionals with whatever they need. 

Find a Clio Certified Consultant today.  

5 offices opened with employee-centric digital-first design

We moved into our first office in Burnaby in 2012, which is where we’re headquartered. That’s not the only place we’ve put down roots, though. Throughout the years, we’ve opened offices in Toronto, Dublin, and Calgary as our company grew.

After two years of remote work, we reopened our office doors with a new employee-centric design that supports our distributed-by-design philosophy. This means that while our primary work experience is remote, employees have the option to work from any one of our four offices.

When they do, they can enjoy plenty of features aimed at boosting morale and productivity. This New York Times piece recently covered a few in our Burnaby office—including work stations boasting inspiring views of the outdoors, a fitness studio, and a foosball desk. 

Clio Grow is introduced 

In 2018 Lexicata joined Clio which supported the launch of Clio Grow in early 2019. Clio Grow is our cloud-based client intake and legal client relationship management (CRM) software. This exciting expansion allows legal professionals to automate intake processes, schedule consultations and accept payments online, and automate redundant tasks, emails, and workflows. 

By automating the client intake process, legal professionals can deliver more personalized and efficient client experiences—while using advanced data reporting to determine their firm’s most valuable sources for new business 

Learn more about Clio Grow.

Clio Payments launched

In 2021, we hit a massive milestone when we rolled out built-in payment processing—called Clio Payments—to our cloud-based solution offerings in the United States. A year later, we launched Clio Payments in Canada. What did this mean?

It meant that our customers could manage the entire legal client journey through one secure, compliant, and trusted system. They gained the ability to easily accept credit, debit, and eCheck payments online—allowing them to get paid faster while spending less time on collections. And above all, it improved access to legal services for those who need it most by offering flexible payment plans.

Learn more about Clio Payments.

Unveiling the Clio Grow’s law firm website builder

In 2022 we made it possible for every legal professional to easily launch a fully functioning website—in minutes. The Clio Grow law firm website builder helps lawyers establish an online presence without needing to design or code. Websites are generated by an easy-to-fill form and design selection. Once published, Clio makes it easy for clients to discover legal services, book and pay for consultations online, and collect prospective client information. 

Learn more about Clio’s law firm website builder.

Clio Draft joined the product family to offer court forms in all 50 states

 

In 2021, Lawyaw, now known as Clio Draft, joined the Clio family. This powerful document automation software allows legal professionals to quickly and easily create templates, and includes a library that enables customers to find ready-to-use, standard court forms and populate forms quickly and easily. 

Following a rapid expansion of this library, we’re thrilled to share that Clio Draft’s court forms (including federal immigration forms) are available in all 50 states. By giving lawyers the forms they need at their fingertips, it’s eliminating repetitive steps and reducing the likelihood of manual error. 

Clio expanded to EMEA and Australia 

As we pressed forward in our mission to transform the legal experience for all, we set our sights on international expansion. So in 2013, we celebrated our fifth anniversary in a big way by opening an office in Dublin. A decade later, we announced our expansion in Australia, growing our team in the region to support and expand product development, sales, partnerships, and customer success.

Celebrated 6 Launch//Code winners 

Founded in 2017, our Launch//Code Developer Contest celebrates the best Clio integrations—featuring new innovations that will shape the future of legaltech. Finalists can pitch their app to a panel of judges for a chance to win one of two $50,000 grand prizes (one for the best new app; another for the most improved). Since it started, we’ve celebrated six visionary winners—helping them pursue their boldest ideas and elevating the industry for all of us.

Announced Centaur Status, joining elusive $100M ARR club

In 2022, Clio became Canada’s first legal technology company to achieve centaur status, a title reserved for private SaaS companies that achieve more than US$100 million in annual recurring revenue. To date, approximately 150 companies globally have passed this threshold, making this designation seven times rarer than the now plentiful tech unicorn.

Multiple awards and recognitions 

Here are a selection of awards and recognitions that we’ve been honored to receive over the years:

Goldman Sachs Recognizes Jack Newton Among the Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs of 2022

In October 2022, Jack Newton was recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of the Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs of 2022 at its Builders and Innovation Summit. The esteemed awards ceremony brings together rising entrepreneurs and seasoned business leaders building enduring companies that reshape industries and drive progress through innovation.

Clio CEO and Founder, Jack Newton, wins Person of the Year by BC Tech Association in 2020

Jack Newton was awarded the 2020 Technology Impact Award, Person of the Year in 2020. The award celebrates an individual who is a recognized icon in the BC technology ecosystem, who has demonstrated business success, served as role model to others, and who actively engages with the community to build a stronger future for technology.

Clio is named one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 4 years in a row

Clions think our company is an amazing place to work—and as it turns out, we’re not the only ones. We were named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the fourth year in a row in 2023. The national competition determines which employers lead their industries in offering exceptional workplaces for their employees. Our commitment to employee wellbeing and success was cited as a defining reason behind our recognition in the latest award.

After 15 years of transforming the legal experience for all: what’s next? 

Fifteen years ago, we set out on an ambitious journey to transform how law firms operate through our cloud-based practice management platform. We’ve come a long way ever since—with over 150,000 customers spanning 100 countries, the approval of more than 90 bar associations and law societies globally, and 200+ app integrations. None of this would be possible without you.

And this is only the beginning. As we look forward, we’re dreaming bigger than ever as we build an enduring, 100-year company that supports everyone who engages with the legal industry.

For 15 years, we’ve helped law firms transform their businesses. Today, we’re here to help you.

We published this blog post in February 2023. Last updated: February 14, 2024.

Categorized in: Clio