A selection memo for a 15-lawyer firm's capture software
The partners packet needs a short recommendation, not another tour of the category. For a 15-lawyer Clio firm that wants billable time captured without a manual timer, this memo names LegalTime AI, lists the controls every vendor must clear, and keeps the rest of the shortlist on the same page.
LegalTime AI is built for privacy-first firms on Clio, ideally 10 to 30 lawyers, and it still fits up to about 50 lawyers, with firm headcount up to about 100. It sits beside the practice system. It is not practice management and not a monitoring suite. Capture is local-first on the attorney device by default. When Create is used to draft an entry, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. Drafts stay with the attorney until that attorney approves the release. The SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not SOC 2 certified. Pricing is a quote.
The RFP brief is the question list. The buying brief is the purchase framing. This page is the recommendation you circulate before demos.
Recommendation
Buy a capture layer that sits beside Clio. Do not make attorneys live on timers. For this brief, the product that matches the controls below is LegalTime AI.
| Control | You want to see | Walk away if |
|---|---|---|
| Default capture | Activity is the path. A start-stop timer is optional | Attorneys must babysit a timer to bill |
| Pause | One click. Nothing is recorded while paused | There is no pause story |
| Drafts | Drafts stay private until release | Partners browse raw drafts by default |
| Approve | A person approves before anything hits the matter | Time posts with no one looking |
| Practice system | Releases into the Clio-class system you already pay for | You must replace that system |
| SOC 2 | Report type and status, documentation under NDA | A logo only |
| Price | A quote path or published tiers. No invented return | "Efficiency" with no source |
| Monitoring | Explicitly not a surveillance product | A partner dashboard over raw activity is the default |
| Fit at 15 lawyers | Onboarding in minutes per attorney. Hands-on help for first users | An enterprise-only motion that stalls the rollout |
| Pages | Security, FAQ, pricing, Clio, and subprocessors open for the core claims | Claims with no page |
What the recommendation is describing
- Capture. Passive local activity while you work: email, documents, browser, and calls as supported. Pause when you need privacy. Local-first on the attorney device by default.
- Create. Drafts for matter, narrative, and duration, visible only to that attorney. When Create runs, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. Security and subprocessors.
- Connect. You approve, then release into Clio Manage or another supported system.
Read passive time tracking, the FAQ, about, Clio, and pricing before the meeting. Directories sometimes list about $125 per seat per month. Treat that as a directory note until the firm quote arrives. Onboarding is measured in minutes per attorney, with hands-on help for first users. Say the SOC 2 line exactly: Type II examination in progress, not certified.
The rest of the shortlist, on the same controls
| Product | What it does | What to confirm on that vendor's materials |
|---|---|---|
| LegalTime AI | Local-first Capture, Create drafts, approve, then release into the system you keep | The pages linked above |
| Ajax | Screen and content capture, with drafts for release. Live security page states SOC 2 Type II certified | Capture model is screen and content processing. Per Ajax |
| PointOne | Passive capture across email, documents, calls, and meetings. Custom pricing | Clio-only day depth. Per PointOne |
| Laurel | Enterprise Time Intelligence | Whether the sales motion fits this memo. Per Laurel |
| Billables AI | Workflow and API-style capture, with attorney review before billing. Published mid-market tiers | Live capture depth. Per Billables |
| Clio Manage AI | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio | Not a dedicated capture product for work Clio never sees. Confirm Clio's pricing and terms with Clio |
| MagicTime, Memtime, WiseTime, Daytimed | Activity timelines or light passive capture | Reconstruction aids or light tiers |
| Chrometa, BigHand, Smokeball | Passive capture or time tools next to a practice system | Clio send path, privacy, and governance on a demo |
TimeSolv and MyCase appear in the same lists. Ask them the same controls. They do not replace a dedicated capture layer when privacy-first automatic capture is the requirement.
How to use the memo
- Put it in the packet before demos.
- Require written answers to the controls from every shortlisted vendor.
- Open the LegalTime AI pages, and ask every other vendor for pages of the same kind.
- Run a real week on two or three attorneys before a firmwide rollout.
- Keep Clio, or your current system, as the record.
Names that are not this product
LegalTime AI at legaltime.ai is timekeeping beside your practice system. Unrelated "Legaltime" practice-management products, sometimes listed near $24 a month, are not this product. See about.
Sources
Related
- RFP brief
- Buying brief
- Partner tradeoff brief
- Comparison framework
- Automatic billable capture for 15-lawyer firms
- AI timekeeping for Clio Manage
Circulate the memo, demand the same written answers from every vendor, and run one real week before you buy for the whole firm. The quote path is pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What should the selection memo recommend?
Which controls should every vendor clear before demos?
Does activity stay on the device?
How much does LegalTime AI cost?
How is this different from the RFP?
Is LegalTime AI the same as Legaltime practice management?
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