Clio Workflows Every Virtual Legal Assistant Should Know

Clio is the most popular cloud based practice management platform in the legal industry. For virtual legal assistants, proficiency in Clio is often a baseline requirement. Firms expect their remote staff to navigate the platform confidently, entering data accurately and using its features to keep cases organized and moving forward.

Whether you are a virtual assistant building your Clio skills or a firm owner preparing to onboard remote staff, these are the essential workflows to master.

Matter Creation and Setup

Every case in Clio starts with a matter. A well structured matter setup saves time throughout the life of the case. When creating a new matter, virtual assistants should follow the firm's naming conventions consistently. Most firms use a format like "Last Name, First Name" or a matter number system.

Key fields to complete during setup include the practice area, responsible attorney, originating attorney, matter status, and billing method. Many firms also use custom fields to track case specific information like opposing counsel, court, and case number. Complete data entry at the matter level ensures that reports, filters, and searches work correctly throughout the platform.

Contact Management

Clio's contact database is the foundation of client relationship management. Virtual assistants should maintain clean, complete contact records for every person and organization associated with a matter. This includes clients, opposing parties, opposing counsel, judges, expert witnesses, and third party contacts like insurance adjusters.

Each contact record should include current phone numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, and the contact's relationship to the matter. Duplicate contacts should be merged, and outdated information should be updated promptly. Clean contact data supports accurate billing, efficient communication, and professional correspondence.

Task and Deadline Management

Clio's task system allows firms to track deadlines, to do items, and workflow steps for each matter. Virtual assistants should create tasks for every actionable item, assign them to the appropriate team member, and set due dates with advance reminders.

For deadline critical items like court filings, statute of limitations dates, and discovery responses, use Clio's calendar integration to ensure that deadlines appear on both the task list and the firm calendar. Set multiple reminders at intervals that give the responsible attorney enough time to act.

Document Management

Clio provides document storage directly within each matter. Virtual assistants should upload all case related documents to the appropriate matter folder, using consistent naming conventions and folder structures. Common folder structures include categories like "Correspondence," "Pleadings," "Discovery," "Medical Records," and "Client Documents."

When preparing documents, use Clio's document templates and merge fields to generate letters, cover sheets, and other routine documents directly from matter data. This saves time and reduces errors compared to manual document preparation.

Time Entry and Billing Support

Accurate time tracking is essential for firm revenue. Virtual assistants can support billing by entering their own time entries for each task they complete and by reviewing time entries from attorneys for completeness. Each entry should include the matter, the activity code, a clear description of the work performed, and the time spent.

Clio also supports billing workflows including invoice generation, trust account management, and payment tracking. Virtual assistants can prepare draft invoices for attorney review, apply pre approved discounts or write offs, and track outstanding balances.

Communication Tracking

Every client communication should be logged in Clio. Virtual assistants should record phone calls, emails, and other interactions as activities linked to the appropriate matter. This creates a complete communication history that any team member can reference.

Clio's email integration allows direct syncing of emails from Outlook or Gmail into matter records. Virtual assistants should ensure that client emails are consistently linked to the correct matters.

Reporting

Clio offers a range of reports that help firms monitor productivity, revenue, and case status. Virtual assistants can generate reports on open matters, upcoming deadlines, unbilled time, and accounts receivable. These reports support the firm's management decisions and help attorneys stay on top of their caseloads.

How DocketHire Prepares Assistants for Clio

DocketHire virtual assistants receive training on Clio workflows before they are placed with a firm. Our team ensures that your assistant is comfortable with matter setup, contact management, document handling, time entry, and all the daily tasks that keep your Clio database clean and current. If your firm runs on Clio, our staff are ready to contribute from day one.