Keep Clio Manage, or add dedicated capture beside it?
A 15-lawyer Clio firm that has already seen Clio Manage AI still has a product decision: keep Manage as the system of record, and decide whether to add a dedicated capture layer beside it for work Clio does not already see.
Keep Clio. Manage AI is suggestions from activity already inside Clio. It does not, by default, see desktop documents, research browsers, or calls that never entered Clio. Dedicated capture is additive. It is not a reason to migrate matters out of Clio.
LegalTime AI is that dedicated layer for privacy-conscious firms of about 10 to 30 attorneys. It is a Clio Trusted Platform Developer. Capture is local-first on the attorney device by default. When Create drafts an entry, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. The attorney approves before release into Clio. A SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not certified. It is not a monitoring tool. Pricing is quote-only. Confirm Manage AI's own terms and price with Clio.
Whether built-in AI is enough for automatic capture is a separate partners conversation. Release quality for a specific matter is the Clio matter match brief. Matter setup is the matter mapping brief. The long guide is AI timekeeping for Clio Manage.
Holds before you vote "Manage only" or "Manage plus dedicated"
| Check | Ready | Send it back |
|---|---|---|
| Clio stays the system of record | The memo says so. | "Rip out Clio" or "replace the system with LegalTime." |
| Manage AI scope | Activity already inside Clio. | A claim that it sees off-platform desktop docs, browsers, or calls by default. |
| Dedicated capture scope | Work Clio does not already see. | Dedicated capture sold as a Clio replacement. |
| Capture | Local-first on the attorney device by default. Create sends relevant activity for AI processing when drafting is used. | Create left out of the description. |
| Create | Relevant activity is sent for AI processing when Create is used. | Create omitted or denied. |
| Release | Nothing enters Clio until the attorney approves. | Silent auto-post to prove a result. |
| Monitoring | Coaching on drafts the attorney can see. | A raw-activity feed as the default. |
| SOC 2, domain, price | Examination in progress. legaltime.ai. Quote-only. | "Certified," legaltime.nl, or an invented list price. |
| Other vendors | Ajax, PointOne, Laurel, and Billables AI described from their materials. | A recommendation line on those rows. |
The fork
| Question | Keep Manage AI in view | Add dedicated capture beside Clio |
|---|---|---|
| Where does billable work happen? | Mostly inside Clio. | A meaningful share is in desktop documents, research browsers, calls, meetings, or other tools. |
| What recovers missed time? | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio. | Passive capture of the workday Clio does not already see. |
| System of record | Clio. | Clio. |
| Draft owner | Review suggestions in the Clio path you already trust. | The attorney reviews Create drafts, then Connect releases. |
| Privacy sentence | Confirm Clio's terms with Clio. | Local-first Capture by default, Create disclosed. |
| When Manage only is enough | Partners can write that the off-platform miss is rare, and they sampled it. | The miss is common enough that invoices under-recover. |
| When both win | Manage stays for in-Clio days. Dedicated capture covers the gap. | The addition is not a rip-and-replace. |
| Memo exit | Hold the dedicated rollout if coverage is enough. | Continue a dedicated pilot when the gap checks are scored. |
| Path | Sees | Does not claim |
|---|---|---|
| Clio Manage AI | Activity already inside Clio. | Desktop documents, research browsers, or calls outside Clio by default. |
| LegalTime AI | Passive local activity on the attorney device by default, including off-platform work. | A Clio replacement or unsupervised auto-post. |
| Vote | Meaning | Reopen when |
|---|---|---|
| Manage only | Keep Manage AI in view. No dedicated capture yet. | Sampling shows an off-platform miss. |
| Manage plus dedicated | Keep Manage. Run LegalTime AI beside Clio. | The approve gate is skipped, or sends hit the wrong matter. |
| Hold | Pause the dedicated rollout. Keep Manage. | Trust language or the domain is wrong. |
| Reopen | Return to the buyer decision memo or the week-1 checklist. | Silent auto-post, or language that replaces Clio. |
Tell associates that Clio stays. Capture is local-first by default. Create sends relevant activity for AI processing when it drafts. They approve before anything hits Clio. Coaching is on drafts, not a surveillance feed.
Capture, Create, Connect beside Manage
- Capture. Passive local activity, local-first by default. Pause when the work should not be captured. Security and passive time tracking.
- Create. Attorney-only drafts. When Create runs, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. Subprocessors and the FAQ.
- Connect. Approve, then release into Clio Manage as an ordinary time entry. Clio integration.
Clio's timers and Manage AI suggestions can stay for work already inside Clio. The Clio alternative page means an alternative to manual timers while you keep Clio.
A two-week read of the invoices
Sample two weeks. In-Clio days can look fine while off-platform research, Word drafts, and calls still miss entries. The memo keeps Clio Manage AI for in-Clio activity and adds LegalTime AI beside Clio for the gap. Open the Clio integration, security, and subprocessors. Pricing stays a quote.
Send the deck back if it says replace Clio, or if it calls LegalTime AI SOC 2 certified. State Capture as local-first by default, and state that Create sends relevant activity for AI processing.
Matter mapping may already exist. Use it. This brief does not redo the client and matter map.
Appendix
| Vendor | What the materials describe | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| LegalTime AI | Local-first Capture, Create disclosed, approve-before-release, beside Clio Manage. | The holds above. |
| Ajax | Screen and content capture. AI draft narratives. | How it sits beside Clio versus inside-Clio tools. |
| PointOne | Passive capture across email, documents, calls, and meetings. | Clio path and midsize packaging. |
| Laurel | Enterprise time intelligence. | Whether a midsize Clio posture fits. |
| Billables AI | Workflow and API-style capture. Attorney review before billing. | Live capture versus reconstruction beside Clio. |
| Clio Manage AI | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio. | Terms and pricing with Clio. |
The name
LegalTime AI is https://www.legaltime.ai. legaltime.nl is not this product. Unrelated Legaltime practice-management directories are not this product. See About.
One-page fork
Question. Clio Manage AI, or Manage plus dedicated timekeeping, for a 15-lawyer firm.
Decision. Keep Clio Manage. Add LegalTime AI beside Clio when off-platform work misses billables.
Path. Local-first Capture. Create, with relevant activity sent for processing when used. Connect after approval, into Clio.
Trust. SOC 2 Type II examination in progress, not certified. Not monitoring. Domain legaltime.ai.
Exit. Partners sign Manage only, Manage plus dedicated, hold, or reopen.
Sources
Related
- Decision criteria for Clio firms
- Off-platform capture
- Buyer decision memo
- Clio matter match brief
- Matter mapping brief
- AI timekeeping for Clio Manage
Open security, subprocessors, the Clio integration, and pricing before you vote.
Frequently asked questions
Do we keep Clio Manage AI or add dedicated capture?
Does LegalTime AI replace Clio?
Does activity stay on the device?
How is this different from the matter-match brief?
What does it cost, and is it certified?
Is this monitoring?
Start capturing the work you already do
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Capture → Create → Connect. Not a monitoring tool.