The Clio Manage integration connects Aloware with Clio Manage to synchronize contacts and matters between the two platforms.
Once configured, Aloware automatically creates a Contact and a linked Matter in Clio Manage when a contact reaches a configured disposition. Custom intake fields collected in Aloware can also be mapped to Clio Matter custom fields.
Before you begin
Before configuring the integration, make sure the following requirements are met:
A Clio Manage account is required.
Matter custom fields must already exist in Clio Manage before configuring field mappings in Aloware.
Only one CRM integration can be active in an Aloware account at a time. Clio Manage cannot be used simultaneously with HubSpot, Salesforce, or other CRM integrations.
Only Clio Manage accounts in the United States are supported in the current release. Customers using Clio Manage accounts in Canada, Europe, or Australia cannot connect to the integration.
How the Aloware-Clio integration works
The Clio Manage integration securely connects Aloware to Clio Manage using OAuth 2.0 authentication.
After the integration has been configured, Aloware automatically synchronizes qualified contacts to Clio Manage when they reach the configured trigger disposition.
During the initial synchronization, Aloware creates a Contact and a linked Matter in Clio Manage, then populates any configured Matter custom fields using the intake information collected in Aloware.
After the initial synchronization, supported Contact information continues to synchronize between Aloware and Clio Manage according to the configured Contact property mappings.
For contacts that have already been synchronized, the Clio Manage Integration Card appears in the Aloware contact record. The card provides quick access to linked Contact and Matter information, direct links to the corresponding Clio records, and a manual refresh option to retrieve the latest information from Clio Manage.
Synchronization behavior
Direction | Behavior |
Aloware ← Clio | Enabled by default. Contacts from Clio Manage are automatically available in Aloware. Contact updates can also synchronize based on the configured Contact property mappings. |
Aloware → Clio | A Contact and linked Matter are created when a contact reaches the configured trigger disposition.
After the initial synchronization, supported Contact fields continue to synchronize according to the configured Contact property mappings. |
Configure the integration
Step 1. Connect Clio Manage
Go to Integrations > Clio Manage > Settings.
Select Authenticate Clio.
Sign in to Clio and approve the requested permissions.
Verify that the connection status displays Connected. If the integration later shows Disconnected or Error, reconnect the Clio account before attempting another synchronization.
Step 2. Configure the trigger disposition
Open the Sync tab.
Under Aloware to Clio, select the disposition that should trigger synchronization. Configure only one disposition to trigger synchronization.
Common examples include Signed Retainer or another disposition representing a qualified client.
Save the configuration.
Step 3. Configure matter property mapping
Important: Matter custom fields must already exist in Clio Manage before they can be mapped in Aloware. Aloware maps data only to existing Clio Matter custom fields and does not create them automatically.
If your firm plans to synchronize intake information to Clio Matters, create the required custom fields in Clio Manage before continuing.
Open the Matter Property Mapping tab.
Review the default mappings.
By default, the Aloware Notes field is mapped to the Clio Matter Description. You can keep this mapping, remove it, or add additional mappings as needed.
Click Add Mapping to map Aloware custom fields to Clio Matter custom fields.
Ensure the mapped fields use compatible data types.
Save the mappings.
Notes - If an incompatible Matter field is mapped, the Matter is still created. The incompatible field is skipped and an error is logged.
(Optional) Configure contact property mapping
If you want to synchronize additional Contact information between Aloware and Clio Manage, you can configure Contact property mappings. This step is optional.
Open the Contact Property Mapping tab.
Click Add Mapping to map an Aloware Contact property to a Clio Contact field.
Select the synchronization direction for each mapping:
Aloware → Clio
Aloware ← Clio
Both ↔
Repeat these steps for any additional Contact properties you want to synchronize.
Save your changes.
Notes:
Synchronization direction is configured per mapped field, allowing each Contact property to synchronize independently.
Use compatible field types whenever possible. The field type displayed beside each Clio field can help you select the appropriate mapping.
Some Clio Contact field types, such as certain picklists, integer fields, and date fields, may reject incompatible values without returning an error. This is a limitation of the Clio API.
How intake representatives use the integration
After the integration has been configured, intake representatives continue using their normal Aloware workflow. They do not need to perform any actions directly in Clio Manage.
When an intake representative changes a contact's disposition to the configured trigger value and saves the record, Aloware automatically starts the synchronization process.
Creates a Contact in Clio Manage.
Creates a linked Matter.
Populates configured Matter custom fields.
Stores the Clio Contact ID on the Aloware contact record.
Continues synchronizing supported Contact information, including the contact's name, phone number, and email address, based on the configured synchronization settings.
How synchronization works
Once your firm has configured the integration, intake representatives continue working entirely in Aloware. No additional actions are required to create records in Clio Manage.
1. A prospective client is captured in Aloware
New leads can enter Aloware through incoming calls, SMS conversations, web forms, or manual entry.
During the intake process, representatives qualify the lead and collect the information required by the firm using Aloware Contact and custom intake fields.
Depending on the firm's workflow, this may include questions such as:
Were you injured in a motor vehicle accident?
When did the accident happen?
Was a police report filed?
Who was at fault?
Have you received medical treatment as a result of the accident?
When the contact reaches the configured trigger disposition, the collected information is automatically mapped to the corresponding Matter custom fields in Clio Manage, based on the Matter property mappings configured by the admin.
2. The lead is qualified
When the representative determines that the lead is ready to become a client, they update the contact to the configured trigger disposition (for example, Signed Retainer) and save the record.
This action automatically starts the synchronization process with Clio Manage.
Before creating a new contact, Aloware searches Clio Manage for an existing record using the contact's primary phone number and email address. If a matching contact is found, the existing record is updated instead of creating a duplicate.
Note: Newly created Contacts in Clio Manage may take a few minutes before they can be found in searches. During this time, another synchronization may create a duplicate Contact. This is a known limitation of the Clio API.
3. A client record and Matter are created
If no matching contact exists, Aloware creates a new Contact in Clio Manage. Immediately afterward, Aloware creates a linked Matter for that Contact and populates it with the intake information collected during qualification.
During Matter creation:
The Matter description is populated using the first available value:
The contact's Notes field
The contact's First Name and Last Name
"This matter was synced from Aloware." if neither value is available
Any configured Matter property mappings populate the corresponding Clio Matter custom fields.
A Matter is created only during the initial synchronization. After it has been created, the Matter description and Matter custom fields are not updated automatically.
4. The contact remains connected between both systems
After the initial synchronization is complete, the Clio Contact ID is stored on the Aloware contact record. This links the records in both systems and allows future Contact updates to remain synchronized.
5. Contact information stays up to date
After the client has been synchronized, supported Contact information continues to synchronize according to the configured Contact property mappings.
Supported fields include:
First name
Last name
Phone numbers
Email address
If a contact has multiple phone numbers, each number is synchronized to Clio Manage. Phone labels are mapped to the closest supported Clio type, such as Home, Mobile, Work, or Fax. Unrecognized labels are assigned the Other type.
Only one primary email address is synchronized to Clio Manage.
After the initial synchronization, each platform manages its own primary phone number and primary email designation independently.
Viewing synchronized records
Clio Manage Integration Card
Once a contact has been synchronized with Clio Manage, the Clio Manage Integration Card appears automatically in the right sidebar of the contact record.
The Integration Card provides quick access to related Clio information without leaving Aloware.
The integration card includes the following information:
Clio Contact information to identify the linked contact record in Clio Manage.
Linked Matters associated with the contact.
Matter status.
Matter open date.
Direct links to open the Contact or Matter in Clio Manage.
A Sync with Clio Manage button that manually refreshes the Contact and Matter information displayed on the card by retrieving the latest data from Clio Manage.
When the integration card appears
The Clio Manage Integration Card is displayed only when the contact has already been synchronized with Clio Manage.
Contacts with a valid Clio Contact ID automatically display the card.
Contacts that have not yet been synchronized do not display the card because no linked Clio record exists.
If the Clio connection expires or authentication fails, the card displays an error indicating that the integration must be reconnected before data can be retrieved.
The card retrieves the latest Contact and Matter information each time the contact record is opened.
Reviewing synchronization issues
Most synchronization issues are handled automatically, but some situations require admin review.
Reviewing synchronization errors
Synchronization failures, including API errors, Matter creation failures, and field mapping issues, are logged by the integration. Administrators can review these errors from the Clio Manage integration settings to identify and resolve synchronization problems.
Matter field mapping errors
If a mapped Matter custom field is incompatible with its corresponding field in Clio Manage, Aloware skips that field and continues creating the Matter. The synchronization error is logged so the administrator can review and correct the field mapping.
Contact field mapping errors
Some Contact custom field values may be rejected by the Clio API if the field types are incompatible. In these cases, Clio does not return an error, so Aloware cannot detect or report the rejected value. This is a limitation of the Clio API.
How this integration works with other Aloware features
Feature | How it works with Clio Manage |
Contact dispositions | Determines when Contacts are synchronized to Clio. |
Custom fields | Provides the data used to populate Clio Matter custom fields. |
Clio Grow | Works alongside this integration for web-based lead capture and intake forms. |
HubSpot or Salesforce | Cannot be enabled at the same time as the Clio Manage integration. |
Clio Manage integration card | Displays linked Clio Contact and Matter information in the contact sidebar. |
Limitations of Aloware-Clio integration
The following behaviors and limitations are important to understand when using the Clio Manage integration.
Only one CRM integration can be active at a time. If Clio Manage is enabled, other CRM integrations such as HubSpot or Salesforce cannot be connected simultaneously.
Matter custom fields must be created in Clio Manage before they can be mapped in Aloware. The integration maps data to existing Clio fields but does not create new custom fields.
A Matter is created only during the initial synchronization. Once a Matter has been created, its description and custom fields are not updated by subsequent synchronizations.
Only Contact information continues to synchronize after Matter creation. Updates to supported Contact fields, such as the contact's name, phone number, and email address, continue to sync based on the configured synchronization settings.
Recently created Clio Contacts may not appear in search results immediately. It can take up to five minutes before a newly created Contact becomes searchable in Clio. During this time, another synchronization may create a duplicate Contact.
Some Contact custom field values may not synchronize if the field types are incompatible. In these cases, the Clio API may silently ignore the value without returning an error, so Aloware cannot detect or report the issue.
Inbound Contact updates from Clio Manage are not available in the initial release. Contacts created in Clio are imported into Aloware, but changes made to those Contacts in Clio are not automatically synchronized back to Aloware through webhooks in this version.