Reviewing and cleaning your data before migration ensures that records transfer accurately into Clio Manage. Clio's migrations team does not clean or modify your data. Any errors or duplicates in your previous system will carry over on import.
Important: Set a firm-wide cut-off time before your scheduled export. Once you export data from your previous system, stop using it immediately. Any data entered after the export will not be captured in Clio Manage. You will need to manually transfer the data entered after the export. Do not enable contact or calendar syncs, or any Clio integrations, until your migration is complete.
Contacts
Verify that data appears in the correct column before exporting. Phone numbers should not appear in email fields, and company names should not appear in name fields. Check a sample of records, including the first and last rows, to confirm data is correctly placed. Include the following fields.
- First name
- Last name
- Company name (required for company contacts)
Matters
Matters without a description will be assigned a placeholder description on import. Matters without an assigned client will be assigned to an unknown client. Include the following fields.
- Matter status (Open, Pending, or Closed)
- Matter custom number
- Matter description
- Client
Activities
Time entries without an assigned user will not import. If you need to import data for a user who will not be added to the Clio account, contact your migrations representative. Include the following fields.
- Date
- Quantity
- Rate
- User
Calendar events
Verify that your calendar events have exported correctly by checking a sample of past and future events, including court dates and scheduled meetings. Include the following fields.
- Calendar summary
- Start date and start time
- End date and end time
- Destination or user calendar
Contact and matter notes
Contact notes will not import without a contact or company name. Matter notes will not import without a matter number. Include the following fields.
- Contact notes
Date, subject, note description, and first name, last name, or company name.
- Matter notes
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Date, subject, note description, and matter number.
Related contacts
Each related contact requires a matter. Include the following fields.
- Matter
- First name
- Last name
- Company name
Tasks
Tasks without an assigned user will not import. If your tasks do not have an assigned user, remove them from the data set or confirm with your migrations representative. Include the following fields.
- Status (Pending, In-Progress, or Complete)
- Task name
- Due date
- Assigned user
Accounts receivable balances
Verify that the balances exported from your previous system are correct before submitting. If your export includes multiple columns with outstanding amounts, identify which amount should be imported and confirm this with your migrations representative. Include the following fields.
- Balance
- User
- Date
Manage the firm during the transition period
Data processing typically takes several business days, depending on the size and complexity of your data. During this period, your firm will need to continue recording time and expenses in Clio Manage. Records added during the transition period will need to be reconciled after migration is complete.
Use one of the following methods to track activities during the transition period.
Method 1: Placeholder matter
Create a temporary matter to record time entries while waiting for the migration to complete. Once migration is confirmed accurate, an administrator can move the time entries in bulk to their respective matters.
- In Clio Manage, click Contacts.
- Create a new company contact using your firm's name.
- Create a new matter for this contact and enter Placeholder - Migrations as the matter description.
- Add time entries to this matter, using the Description field to specify which matter each entry belongs to.
- Once migration is complete and data accuracy is confirmed, move the time entries in bulk to their respective matters.
Method 2: Import templates
You can track activities and matter notes using Clio's migration import templates, then upload the completed spreadsheet into Clio Manage and link entries to their respective matters after migration. See Get Started with Migration Templates for template downloads and import instructions.
Note: Generate bills for any outstanding time and expense entries in your previous software before the cut-off date to obtain the most current outstanding balances. Apply credits and trust payments to outstanding bills before exporting, as credits and trust balances will not be migrated. Export any historical banking and trust reports you want to retain as reference documents and upload them to Clio Manage under the Documents tab.
Up Next
Once migration is complete, review Manage Clio Manage Data After Migration for steps to verify your imported data and process outstanding accounts receivable balances.