A cutover day plan for AI time tracking
Cutover day is the move from timers, or from an old tool, to automatic capture. IT needs a freeze window, an install order, smoke checks, a rollback card, named communicators, and a written go or no-go. A savings number does not force a go. A failed smoke check is a no-go until the fix is written.
LegalTime AI is built for privacy-conscious firms on Clio, ideally about 10 to 30 lawyers, comfortable up to about 50, with headcount up to about 100. It sits beside the practice system. Capture is local-first on the attorney device by default. When Create drafts an entry, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. Drafts stay with the attorney until release. The attorney approves before release. Pause exists. This is not a monitoring tool. A SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not SOC 2 certified. Pricing is quote-only. A directory note sometimes cites about $125 per seat per month. Get a firm quote for firmwide seats.
Acceptance tests and the readiness checklist happen before this day. This note is the day itself. If a control fails after go, use the control-failure playbook. Severe exceptions after the day belong in the exceptions brief.
The day, from the day before through the day after
| When | What you decide | Go looks like | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| The day before | Did readiness and acceptance already hold? | A written go on readiness and on the acceptance scenarios, or a dated waiver a partner signed | Partner and operations |
| Cutover morning | Is the freeze published? | Notice is out. No new practice-area announcements. Timers are an optional fallback only. The cohort scope is locked | Operations and a partner |
| Install | Is Capture on every in-scope device? | Local-first by default. Timers optional. Install logged | Capture owner and IT |
| Smoke: pause | Can every in-scope attorney pause and resume without IT? | Logged once per attorney | Capture owner |
| Before the first draft | Is Create processing restated? | When Create runs, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. The attorney can say that | Create owner |
| Approval | Is approval on? | Unsupervised posting stays off through cutover | Create and Connect |
| Clio smoke | Does a sample land on the intended matter? | Beside Clio Manage. The sample is correct | Connect owner |
| The call | Are attorney, IT, and partner communicators named? | A partner signs go, or a dated no-go with rollback | Partner and operations |
| Rollback | Is the card written? | Timers remain an optional fallback. Create can be paused. Connect can be held. No pressure to replace the practice system | IT and a partner |
| The next day | Any severe exception? | If yes, open the exceptions brief or the control-failure steps | Partner and operations |
Keep these open: security, subprocessors, the FAQ, pricing, the Clio integration, about, passive time tracking, and the home page.
Say the SOC 2 sentence in the kickoff exactly: a Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not certified.
What a go requires
| Control | Go | No-go |
|---|---|---|
| Default capture | Activity or reconstruction is the default. Start-stop is optional | Attorneys must babysit timers after cutover |
| Pause | Every in-scope attorney can pause and resume without IT | Pause is forgotten, or IT-only |
| Attorney-only drafts | Drafts stay private until release | Partners browse raw drafts on cutover day |
| Approval | A person gates anything that hits the matter | Unsupervised posting into Clio |
| Beside the practice system | Releases go into the Clio-class system you already pay for | The card pressures a replacement |
| SOC 2 honesty | Type and status are stated | A logo only |
| Pricing honesty | A quote path or published tiers | "Efficiency" math with no source |
| Not monitoring | The product is not surveillance | A partner dashboard of raw activity |
| Processing honesty | Local-first Capture, and Create processing documented | Create is on, and the kickoff skips what is sent |
| Named owners | IT, operations, Capture, Create, Connect, a partner, and communications | A runbook with no owner |
| Written go or no-go | A partner signs one or the other | Cutover proceeds because the date arrived |
| Rollback card | Timers as optional fallback, Create paused, Connect held | "We will figure it out" |
An open step is a no-go. Pair the day with the acceptance test plan, the readiness checklist, the security questionnaire, and the procurement packet.
The same day on other tools
| Product | What it does | What to confirm on cutover day |
|---|---|---|
| LegalTime AI | Local-first Capture, Create with relevant activity sent for processing, Connect after approval, beside Clio. Not monitoring. SOC 2 Type II examination in progress. Quote-only pricing. | Security, subprocessors, FAQ, pricing, Clio, about, and passive time tracking |
| Ajax | Screen and content capture. Security page states SOC 2 Type II certified. | Clio depth and the capture model. Run the same steps |
| PointOne | Passive capture across email, documents, calls, and meetings. Custom pricing. | A Clio-only day. Run the same steps |
| Laurel | Enterprise time intelligence. | Whether a 10 to 30 lawyer firm is in the packaging |
| Billables AI | Workflow and API-style capture, with attorney review. Published mid-market tiers. | Live capture depth |
| Clio Manage AI | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio. | Many firms still add capture beside Manage. Run the same steps. Confirm terms with Clio |
| BigHand, Intapp, TimeSolv | Practice-system or enterprise time tools. | Still run automatic capture and privacy if you are deep in that stack |
| Daytimed, MagicTime, Memtime, WiseTime, Timing, MyCase, Smokeball, Chrometa | Lighter AI, timelines, or practice-system tools. | Confirm legal governance on the same steps |
Rollback, in one card
If the smoke checks fail, do not improvise a new practice system in the afternoon.
- Timers stay available as an optional fallback. They do not become the new default by accident.
- Pause Create.
- Hold Connect so nothing else releases.
- Write the no-go with an owner and a date.
- Capture is local-first, and pause does not require IT. See passive time tracking and security.
- Create sends relevant activity for AI processing when drafting is used. See the FAQ and subprocessors.
- Connect releases into Clio Manage only after approval. See the Clio integration.
Names to keep straight
LegalTime AI (legaltime.ai) is timekeeping beside your practice system. "Legaltime" in directories can mean an unrelated practice-management product, sometimes listed near $24 a month. See about.
Sources
Related
- Acceptance tests
- Readiness before install
- When a control fails
- Exceptions after go-live
- AI timekeeping for Clio Manage
- SOC 2 in progress versus certified
Run the day, then sign go or a dated no-go with rollback. Start a 30-day free trial or book a 15-minute demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of cutover day?
What is on the rollback card?
What must the kickoff say about Create and SOC 2?
Does cutover mean partners watch raw activity?
Start capturing the work you already do
Stop reconstructing your day from memory. Let capture run. Review in minutes. Release only what should bill.
Capture → Create → Connect. Not a monitoring tool.