Questions to ask any Clio time capture add-on before you buy

Most Clio firms we talk to have already seen three or four time capture demos. WiseTime, MIRA Timekeeping AI, Daytimed, TimeSentry, Clio's own AI, and LegalTime AI all promise the same outcome: fewer missed hours and less end-of-day reconstruction. The demos blur together because every vendor shows its best day.

The way through is to ask every vendor the same questions, in writing, and compare the answers side by side. These are the questions we would ask if we were buying for a Clio firm. We answer each one for LegalTime AI at the end of its section, so you can hold us to the same standard.

1. Where is activity captured, and where is it stored?

Some tools capture through connections to email and document services. Some run a desktop app that records application activity. Some do both. The answer tells you what the tool can see, and where raw activity sits before anyone reviews it.

A clear answer names the sources (email, calendar, documents, browser, calls, desktop apps), says where raw activity is stored, and says how long it is kept.

LegalTime AI: Capture runs on the attorney's computer and is local-first by default. Raw activity is purged on a rolling schedule. See security.

2. What leaves the attorney's computer, and when?

This is the question partners care about most, and the one most often answered vaguely. Most tools that write narratives with AI send some activity off the computer to do it. Ask what is sent, at which step, to which processors, and under what retention terms.

A clear answer separates capture from drafting from release, and points to a published list of processors.

LegalTime AI: Capture is local-first by default. When an attorney uses Create to draft entries, relevant activity is sent for AI processing under zero data retention agreements. The processors are listed on subprocessors. When an entry is released, the finished entry (narrative, matter, billing code, duration) goes to Clio over TLS 1.2 or higher.

3. Who reviews a draft before it reaches Clio?

Ask whether entries can reach Clio without an attorney approving them, and whether a partner or admin can see an attorney's raw activity or unreleased drafts. A time tool that doubles as a monitoring tool will be resisted by the people it is meant to help.

A clear answer says who approves, whether anything syncs automatically, and who can see drafts.

LegalTime AI: Drafts are visible only to the attorney. Nothing syncs to Clio without the attorney's explicit release. Partners do not get a feed of raw activity, and capture pauses with one click. LegalTime AI is not a monitoring tool. See the FAQ.

4. How does it match work to the right Clio matter?

Matter matching is where a tool earns or loses attorney trust in the first week. Ask how the product decides which matter an activity belongs to, what happens when the matter number is not in a file name or email subject, and how it handles closed matters.

A clear answer explains the signals used, how corrections feed back, and what the attorney sees when the tool is unsure.

LegalTime AI: Each draft arrives with the matter and billing code already filled in, and the attorney confirms or changes it before release. Corrections improve future drafts for that firm. Our guide to matching a draft to the right open matter walks through the checks a 15-lawyer firm runs.

5. Is the narrative good enough to send a client?

Capturing time is half the job. If attorneys rewrite every narrative, the hours saved come back at month end. Ask to see real narratives from your own matters during the trial, not sample screenshots, and check them against your clients' billing guidelines.

A clear answer is a week of drafts from your own work that a billing partner would send with light edits.

LegalTime AI: Every draft includes a narrative written from the actual work, plus matter, billing code, and duration. The firm's corrections teach it the firm's format over time. Judge it on your own matters during the trial.

6. What is the security status today?

Ask for the current status in writing: which audits are complete, which are in progress, and what documentation you can review under NDA. "In progress" and "certified" are different statements, and a vendor should be comfortable saying which one applies.

LegalTime AI: A SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. We are not SOC 2 certified yet. Current controls and documentation are available under NDA. See security.

7. How is it priced, and what happens after the trial?

Ask whether pricing is per user or per attorney, monthly or annual, and whether onboarding costs extra. Ask what happens to captured data if you stop.

LegalTime AI: Pricing is per attorney, quoted per firm, with annual or monthly billing. There is no onboarding fee, and white-glove onboarding is included for the first attorneys. If you stop, uninstalling removes capture, locally stored raw data is purged, and entries already in Clio stay yours. See pricing.

A one-page version to print

Send this list to every vendor before the demo and ask for written answers:

  1. Which sources do you capture from, and where is raw activity stored? For how long?
  2. What leaves the attorney's computer, at which step, and which processors receive it?
  3. Can anything reach Clio without the attorney approving it? Who can see drafts or raw activity?
  4. How do you match work to a Clio matter when the matter number is not in the file name?
  5. Can we see a week of narratives from our own matters during the trial?
  6. Which security audits are complete, and which are in progress?
  7. How is pricing structured, and what happens to our data if we stop?

If you are still deciding whether you need an add-on at all, start with Is Clio Manage AI enough for automatic time capture? For a side-by-side of the products Clio firms usually compare, read How Clio firms compare WiseTime, MIRA, Daytimed, TimeSentry, and LegalTime AI.

Related

Start a free trial · Book a 15-minute demo

Frequently asked questions

What should a Clio firm ask before buying a time capture add-on?
Ask where activity is captured and stored, what leaves the attorney's computer and when, who reviews drafts before they reach Clio, how matters are matched, whether narratives are client-ready, what the security status is in writing, and how pricing works.
What leaves the computer with LegalTime AI?
Capture is local-first by default. When an attorney uses Create to draft entries, relevant activity is sent for AI processing under zero data retention agreements. When an entry is released, the finished entry goes to Clio. See security and subprocessors.
Can entries reach Clio without the attorney approving them?
Not with LegalTime AI. Drafts are visible only to the attorney, and nothing syncs to Clio until the attorney releases it. Partners do not get a feed of raw activity.
Is LegalTime AI SOC 2 certified?
No. A SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. Current controls and documentation are available under NDA. See security.
Is there an onboarding fee?
No. Pricing is per attorney, quoted per firm, and white-glove onboarding is included for the first attorneys. See pricing.

Start capturing the work you already do

Stop reconstructing your day from memory. Let capture run. Review in minutes. Release only what should bill.

Start a free trial

Capture → Create → Connect. Not a monitoring tool.

Start a free trial