Migrate from Clio to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Clio Clients represent law firm counterparties (individuals or organizations). They map directly to Dynamics 365 Accounts. Client type (individual vs. organization) determines whether we also create a Contact record. Business organizations become Accounts with Contact records for primary attorneys or billing contacts.

Clio Contacts (people linked to Clients or standalone) map to Dynamics 365 Contacts. Email, phone, address, and attorney-bar-association fields translate directly. We create a Contact record and link it to the corresponding Account via the Parent AccountID lookup in Dynamics.

Clio Matters are the primary case container. We map them to Dynamics 365 Opportunities with a custom Matter_Number__c field to preserve the Clio identifier. Matter status (Open/Closed/Archived) maps to Opportunity status (Open Won/Lost). Practice area becomes a custom picklist field on the Opportunity.

Some Clio matters represent client disputes or litigation that map more naturally to Dynamics 365 Cases (Incidents). We offer a split strategy: revenue-generating matters go to Opportunities, litigation and disputes go to Cases. The split is configurable by practice area tag in Clio.

Clio Bills contain line items, taxes, adjustments, and payment status. They map to Dynamics 365 Invoices, but LEDES 1998B billing codes, trust accounting entries, and flat-fee structures require supplemental data packaging as custom fields on the Invoice record. Paid/unpaid/voided status maps via the Dynamics Invoice status field.

Clio time entries accumulate per matter with date, duration, attorney, rate, and description. We merge these into a custom Time_Entries__c child table linked to the Opportunity, preserving the full entry history including rate overrides and billable/non-billable flags. Individual entries also generate Activity records in Dynamics for timeline display.

Clio expenses (hard costs, filing fees, travel) map to Invoice line items with an Expense category type. Expense entries include vendor, amount, date, and matter link. We preserve the expense description as the line item description in Dynamics.

Clio documents (contracts, briefs, correspondence) have no native Dynamics 365 equivalent. We create a SharePoint Document Location record linked to the Opportunity and re-upload files. File size limits (10MB default in Dynamics) apply. A link back to the original Clio document URL is stored as a custom field for reference.

Clio tasks attached to matters map to Dynamics 365 Tasks with the Regarding field set to the corresponding Opportunity. Task status (Complete/Pending) translates directly. Due date and assigned-to (attorney) fields map to the OwnerId lookup in Dynamics.

Clio calendar events ( hearings, depositions, client meetings) map to Dynamics 365 Appointments. Start time, end time, location, and attendee lists translate. The Regarding field links to the related Opportunity or Contact record.

Clio custom fields on matters become custom columns on the Opportunity table in Dataverse. Field types (text, number, date, picklist) map to equivalent Dataverse column types. Custom field names are prefixed per Dynamics convention. Practice-area-specific fields (e.g., case number, jurisdiction) are mapped explicitly.

Clio attorneys and staff map to Dynamics 365 SystemUsers. Resolution is by email match. Clio role (Attorney, Paralegal, Admin) becomes a custom field on the SystemUser record. Unmatched users are flagged and assigned to a fallback owner.