Clio offers web-based practice management, time & billing and client collaboration services (including document management) for small and mid-sized law firms. Because Clio is web-based, you always had the ability to access Clio using Safari on an iPhone or iPad. In September of 2013, Clio introduced an iPhone app to provide a customized interface for using Clio on that mobile device. In April of 2015, Clio introduced an iPad app. Yesterday, during Clio's Clio Cloud Conference 2016 in Chicago, Clio introduced a new version of its iPhone and iPad app. The new app reflects a complete rethinking of the app. I got to see a preview of it last week, and I was impressed.
Clio says that it learned from direct user feedback and from monitoring how attorneys used the app that most attorneys use the Clio app for quick access to data. Attorneys spend more time when they are using the full Clio web interface, but for the app they just want to quickly get in, get the information that they need, and then get out. Thus, they tell me that the goal of the new app was to have a Home Screen with all of the key functions in one place.
The new Home Screen shows you your upcoming events, your tasks due, and your recent matters.
If you want to access matters that are not already on the home screen (because, for example, you haven't been working on them recently), the app now features a global search at the top right. You can type and quickly find anything, such as matters, contacts, documents, notes, bills, expenses, tasks, etc.
The old version of the app had a menu that you accessed at the top left. Now the app puts buttons at the bottom to jump to the calendar, matters, and other functions.
The app also features persistence; the app remembers where you have been. For example, if you are in a matter view and then go to the calendar, when you return to the matter view you will still be looking at the same matter that you were looking at before.
The Tasks screen is per-filtered with easy to tap selections like today, next seven days, overdue, no due date, etc.
Finally, the Global Create button at the bottom right (the button that looks like a plus in a circle), allows you to create pretty much anything from anywhere. For example, while you are looking at a document, you can tap this button to create a new calendar entry.
We don't use Clio at my own law firm — I work for a large law firm, which is not the target audience for this service — so I haven't had the opportunity to use the Clio app in my own law practice. But I've heard from many other attorneys who are happy Clio users, and I was impressed when I saw the demo last week. I suspect that Clio users will greatly appreciate the new app because it lets them get what they need more quickly.
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