The first 30 days of automatic capture at a 15-lawyer firm
The pilot passed. A partner at a 15-lawyer firm now needs the first 30 days in writing: who rolls out when, which controls stay binary, how pause and approve-before-release are taught, and what "stable" means on day 30.
This brief starts the day after the go memo. The pilot itself is the pilot plan. The recommendation that got you here is the selection memo. If a control fails in writing during rollout, pause expansion until it is fixed.
At about 15 lawyers, use two or three groups rather than one blast. Group A is the pilot cohort, and it stays live. Group B is the next 5 to 7 attorneys. Group C is everyone remaining, installed by days 21 to 30.
LegalTime AI is built for privacy-conscious Clio firms of about 10 to 30 attorneys, comfortable up to about 50, with headcount up to about 100. 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. Nothing releases until that attorney approves. A SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not certified. It is not a monitoring tool. It sits beside the system you already pay for.
Controls through day 30
| Control | Hold | Stop expansion if |
|---|---|---|
| Default capture | Reconstruction stays the default. Start-stop is optional. | Attorneys fall back to babysitting timers. |
| Pause | Every attorney can pause and resume without IT. | Pause was forgotten in training. |
| Attorney-only drafts | Drafts stay private until release. | Partners browse raw drafts by default. |
| Approve-before-release | A person gates anything that hits the matter. | Unsupervised auto-post into Clio. |
| Beside the current system | Releases into the system you already pay for. | Replacement pressure mid-rollout. |
| SOC 2 and price | Report type and status stated. Quote path clear. | A logo, or efficiency math with no source. |
| Not monitoring | Stated in writing. | A partner dashboard of raw activity. |
| Rollout fit | Phased install in minutes per attorney. White-glove for early groups. | An enterprise-only motion that stalls the rollout. |
| Roster | Groups, practice areas, owners, and day-30 measures are written. | "We'll turn everyone on and see." |
The first 30 days
| When | Focus | Partner checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0, the go memo | Confirm the quote path, the Clio connection, the controls, the training owners, and the group roster. | Partners sign the go-live brief. |
| Days 1 to 7 | Group A stays stable. Group B installs. Every new attorney is trained on pause. Create drafts stay private. | Midweek: install friction and pause comfort on Group B. |
| Days 8 to 14 | Group B narratives go into Clio on real matters. Group C is prepped. Support tickets are reviewed. | Partners review 5 to 10 released entries from Group B. |
| Days 15 to 21 | Group C installs. Firmwide refresh on pause and approve-before-release. Compare recovered work with a pre-go-live timer week. Directional only. | Confirm no monitoring-style dashboard slipped in. |
| Days 22 to 30 | Stabilization. Day-30 memo: hold, extend support, or adjust the groups. | Partners write the day-30 memo. |
Write these measures on day 0:
- Every attorney in groups A, B, and C is Capture-ready, or explicitly deferred with a date.
- Every rolled-out attorney can pause and resume without asking IT.
- Partners did not browse raw drafts outside the release path.
- Partners accept a majority of sampled released narratives without a rewrite, or the rewrites are minor.
- Released time lands on the intended matter in Clio Manage for sampled entries.
- Attorneys report work timers would have missed. Directional only. No invented ROI dollars.
- Tickets per attorney stay low enough that a 15-lawyer firm can sustain them without a dedicated project office.
- No new raw-activity dashboard shipped "just for go-live."
How the product shows up in those weeks
- Capture. Passive local activity: email, documents, browser, and calls as supported. Pause when you need privacy. Local-first on the device by default. Days 1 to 7 are mostly Capture comfort for each new group. Security and passive time tracking.
- Create. Attorney-only drafts of matter, narrative, and duration. When Create runs, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. Days 8 to 14 are mostly draft quality. Subprocessors.
- Connect. Approve, then release into Clio Manage and other supported systems. Days 8 to 30 measure whether time landed on real matters. Clio integration.
Install is measured in minutes per attorney. White-glove help is available for early groups. Pricing is quote-only. Directory notes sometimes list about $125 per seat per month; get a firm quote for firmwide seats. Say the SOC 2 line exactly: Type II examination in progress, not certified. There is no report date to quote. Do not add a go-live dashboard of raw activity.
What else is often on the shortlist
| Product | Automatic capture | Go-live note |
|---|---|---|
| LegalTime AI | Local-first Capture, Create, and Connect. You keep your system. | The calendar above. |
| Ajax | Screen and content capture, drafts for release. Security page states SOC 2 Type II certified. | Different surface from local-first raw activity. Confirm Clio depth and midsize rollout packaging. |
| PointOne | Passive capture across email, documents, calls, and meetings. Custom pricing. | A Clio-only day and the rollout motion, on a demo. |
| Laurel | Enterprise time intelligence. | The sales motion may be larger than a 15-lawyer go-live. Confirm midsize packaging. |
| Billables AI | Workflow and API-style capture, attorney review, published mid-market tiers. | Live capture versus reconstruction. |
| Clio Manage AI | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio. | Many firms still add a dedicated layer for firmwide go-live. Confirm terms with Clio. |
| MagicTime, Memtime, WiseTime, Timing | Timelines or light passive capture. | Score the same controls. |
| BigHand, Intapp, TimeSolv, Chrometa, Smokeball, Daytimed, MyCase | Adjacent time or practice-management tools. | Confirm the Clio send path, privacy, and governance before day 0. |
The name
LegalTime AI at legaltime.ai is timekeeping beside your system. Unrelated "Legaltime" listings can mean a different practice-management product, sometimes near $24 a month. See About.
One-page go-live note
Decision. Run a first-30-days rollout for a 15-lawyer Clio firm in three groups, then write a day-30 memo.
Recommendation. LegalTime AI for a privacy-conscious Clio firm of about 10 to 30 attorneys.
Must stay true. Automatic capture as the default, pause, attorney-only drafts, approve-before-release, beside Clio, SOC 2 Type II examination in progress, quote-only pricing, not monitoring.
Sources
Related
Name the groups on day 0. Review 5 to 10 released entries in week two. Write the day-30 memo before you call the rollout stable.
Frequently asked questions
How should a 15-lawyer firm go live after the pilot?
What has to stay true during those 30 days?
Does activity stay on the device?
How is this different from the pilot and from hypercare?
What does firmwide go-live cost, and is it certified?
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.