Migrate from Clio to Odoo CRM

Clio clients map to Odoo res.partner. Primary address, email, phone, and company name transfer directly. For multi-contact firms, the primary contact becomes the partner record, and any secondary contacts are stored as child_ids on that partner. The original Clio client ID is preserved as a custom field for reference and de-duplication.

Clio matters map to Odoo crm.lead records. Matter title becomes lead name, practice area maps to Odoo lead tag (crm.tag), and billing type stored as a custom field on the lead. The original Clio matter ID is saved as external_ref for traceability, and the matter create date is recorded in a custom datetime field to preserve historical reporting continuity.

Multiple time entries aggregate into Odoo account.move lines (invoice or vendor bill lines depending on billing direction). Each line carries date, hours, rate, and a reference to the originating crm.lead id, enabling direct traceability. The original entry description is stored in the line name field, and any tax amounts are preserved as part of the move.

Clio contact custom fields become Odoo custom ir.model.fields on res.partner. Field type (char, date, selection, float, boolean) is preserved during migration. Selection fields require value-by-value mapping to Odoo selection options, and each option label is matched to the corresponding Odoo selection key. Custom fields must be pre-created in developer mode or via Studio before the migration run so the field technical names are available for xmlrpc imports.

Clio matter custom fields become Odoo custom ir.model.fields on crm.lead. Field types (char, date, selection, float, boolean) are preserved, and selection fields are mapped value-by-value to Odoo selection keys. These custom fields must be pre-created in developer mode or via Studio before the migration run so that field technical names resolve correctly and data can be imported via xmlrpc without errors.

Clio documents are downloaded and re-uploaded to Odoo ir.attachment records linked to the parent crm.lead or res.partner via res_model and res_id. Original filenames, create dates, and MIME types are preserved. Files are stored in Odoo's filestore path, and the ir.attachment store method defaults to database or file on disk depending on Odoo configuration.

Clio staff are resolved by email match against Odoo res.users. If a staff member's email matches an existing Odoo user, the record is linked to that user. Unmatched staff records are flagged in the migration plan, and the Odoo administrator must either create new user accounts or assign those records to a fallback user before the full migration run proceeds.

Clio's nested rate hierarchies (client-based, matter-based, activity-based) have no direct Odoo equivalent. We export the full rate structure as JSON and map the most-used rate to Odoo product.pricelist items. The remaining hierarchy levels must be rebuilt manually in Odoo Sales > Pricing, using product.pricelist and product.pricelist.item records to approximate the original structure.

Clio trust ledger entries migrate as Odoo account.payment records linked to a dedicated trust bank journal. Each client's trust balance is preserved as a custom Decimal currency field on res.partner for reconciliation. Trust receipts and disbursements are recorded as inbound and outbound payments respectively, and full trust ledger reporting requires Odoo accounting configuration, including chart of accounts setup and journal definitions.

Clio matter templates do not have a direct Odoo equivalent. The template structure, field values, and default settings are exported as JSON for the Odoo administrator to manually recreate lead templates. This export includes all custom field defaults, stage assignments, and tag associations, enabling the administrator to rebuild comparable templates using Odoo Studio or developer mode.

Clio workflows and automation rules do not transfer to Odoo because they rely on Clio-specific event models. We export the complete workflow definitions, including triggers, conditions, and actions, as JSON blueprints. The Odoo administrator can use these blueprints to rebuild equivalent automations using ir.actions.server, base.action.rules, or Odoo Studio, adapting the logic to Odoo's action framework.

Clio bills map to Odoo account.move records with type='out_invoice' for client-facing bills. Line items are derived from time entries and flat-rate matter configurations, and each line includes the original description, quantity, unit price, and tax. Clio bill status (draft, sent, paid) is mapped to Odoo account.move state (draft, posted, paid), preserving the payment lifecycle across the migration.