Set Up Evergreen Management (Retainers)

Set up evergreen management (retainer)

Evergreen management is the process of retaining and replenishing client funds to pay for the work done on a client's case and ensuring consistent cash flow for continued work, all without having to approve and send your client a bill first.

In Clio Manage, you can send your client a client funds request to start their retainer, receive automatic notifications when the retainer reaches a minimum threshold, view a detailed client funds management report, generate and bill and share a copy with your client, use the retained client funds to pay the bill, and then send the client a new client funds request to replenish their retainer for continued work.

Step 1: Send your client a client funds request to start the retainer

To start a retainer in Clio Manage, you will need to send your client a client funds request and have them make a payment. Once the client funds request is paid, the paid amount will be available on the client or matter level, depending on where you want to store them. 

1. Create a client funds request. Learn more here.
2. Send your client the client funds request. Learn more here.
   • If you are using Clio Payments, your client can pay the client funds request amount directly from their client funds request email via credit card. Otherwise, you can manually record a payment on the client funds request after your client pays you. Learn more about out Clio Payments here and more about recording payments here.

Step 2: Set up client funds balance notification (OPTIONAL)

The next step to managing an evergreen retainer is optional, but we do recommend it. By setting up a minimum client fund threshold for the matter, you can specify which firm user should receive a notification if the client funds drop below the minimum threshold, allowing you to keep track of when the funds are low and replenish them.

Once this is set up, the minimum threshold, current matter client funds, and indication of when the matter client funds drop below the threshold will be visible in the Financial section of the matter's Dashboard.

1. Go to the matter for which you want to specify a minimum client fund threshold.
2. Click Edit matter.
3. Scroll down to the Billing preference section.
4. Under client balance notification, check the box for Notify firm users when matter client funds are low.
5. Under Notify when client funds are below... enter the minimum client funds balance threshold for this matter.
6. Under Notification recipients, search for and select the firm users who will receive a notification for when the matter's client funds balance drops below the minimum threshold.
7. Click Save matter.

Step 3: Generate client funds management report:

The client funds management report gives firms a view of unbilled activities, client funds account balances, and minimum client funds thresholds. You can use this report to perform a cashflow analysis regarding your billable work and client fund holdings. Learn more about generating reports in Clio Manage here and more about this report here.

Step 4: Send your client a bill and use the retained client funds to pay the bill

After doing work on your client's case, you can generate a bill, use your client's retained client funds to pay the bill, and then send a copy of the bill to your client for their records.

1. Generate a bill. Learn more here.
2. Apply client funds to the bill. Learn more here.
3. Send the bill to your client. Learn more here.

Step 5: Replenish matter client funds:

If you set up a client funds balance notification (optional step 2), you will be notified when your client's balance drops below the minimum threshold that you specified for the matter. To replenish the matter client funds, you can generate a new client request and continue billing for the matter. 

1. Create a client funds request. Learn more here.
2. Send your client the client funds request. Learn more here.
   • If you are using Clio Payments, your client can pay the client funds request amount directly from their client funds request email via credit card. Otherwise, you can manually record a payment on the client funds request after your client pays you. Learn more about out Clio Payments here and more about recording payments here.