Clio Grow vs Firm Central

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Our analysts compared Clio Grow vs Firm Central based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Legal Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Firm Central Software Tool

Product Basics

Clio Grow is a cloud-based solution for firms to attract and retain clients. Users can manage all aspects of their client relationships with its secure contact database, email lists, alerts and secure communication modules. It automates appointment scheduling, with reminders and follow-ups to minimize no-shows and cancellations. Users can accept payments upfront with a Clio Manage integration. It also handles the entire client intake process with customizable intake forms and e-signatures.

Users can utilize its intuitive dashboards to get actionable intelligence on client intake, leads, revenue and productivity. Cloud-based and compliant, it provides robust cybersecurity for teams to securely collaborate from anywhere. Firms can leverage its exceptional support and referral network to enrich client intake.
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Firm Central is an end-to-end cloud-based solution that provides firms with a centralized interface to manage legal matters, accounting, calendaring, time tracking, billing and client communication. Users can track time and expenses efficiently from multiple devices and create flexible payment options and custom invoices for clients. Monitor legal workflows using its legal calendar with custom rules templates, deadline assistance, permissions-based access and multiple viewing options. Dashboards and reports provide up-to-date data-driven insights.

It offers robust data security with encryption, compliant servers and 24/7 security monitoring. It also provides continuous data backups and seamless integrations. Users can access it from anywhere, from any device.
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$49/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$40/User, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Strategic Automation: Leverage automated workflows for engagement agreements, emails and CRM. Pick and choose from a range of templates and customize them according to requirements. 
  • Easy Firm Collaboration: Connect with other legal practitioners through the Clio Referral Network. Refer cases to other lawyers and accept referrals while building a professional network. 
  • Seamless Data Sync: Sync with Clio Manage to directly access legal matters, contacts, bills, payments and time. Avoid repeatedly switching between platforms to save time and reduce errors. 
  • Streamlined Intake: Simplify the intake process using smart templates via the Quick Intake option. 
  • Multiple Integration Options: Strengthen CRM by integrating with Smith.ai and Lawlytics. 
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  • Comprehensive Reports: Get detailed daily, weekly and monthly reports of billable and non-billable time tracked. Maximize accuracy by cross-checking before billing. 
  • Easy Access: Directly access Westlaw’s legal research network from the homepage. 
  • Customizable Dashboard: Customize the dashboard with status bars for crucial functions. 
  • Simplify Collaboration: Collaborate with clients and team members by integrating with SharePoint. 
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  • Client Management: Improve customer experience for existing clients and follow up with potential customers via the legal customer relationship management portal. Always keep track of tasks, client requirements and opportunities. 
    • Contact Management: Tag and organize retained clients, professional contacts and potential customers to get an organized overview of their contact and matter details on the dashboard. Encourage potential contacts to show up for consultations with a simplified scheduling process and automated reminders. 
    • Client Services: Choose from a variety of customizable intake forms and create documents instantly. Automatically set up tasks, reminders and personalized multi-step email campaigns to keep clients up-to-date about case proceedings, increase engagement and convert potential leads. 
    • Client Insights: Get detailed reports on client referrals, high-value contacts, conversion rates and profitable practice areas to improve client retention rates and advertise efficiently. 
  • Intake Management: Streamline the intake process with a completely digital client intake portal. Eliminate paper usage, redundant PDF forms and in-person consultations, organize important details about new clients and track their status in real time. 
    • Intake Processing: Create a public intake form, link it to the firm website and share it with clients via email or SMS. Automatically create to-do lists, documents and emails to speed up the intake process. All contact and matter information is automatically categorized in the client relationship management portal. 
    • Lead Tracking: Get status updates and matter overviews of potential clients in the Lead Inbox and Matter Pipeline portals. Identify exactly which prospective clients require a follow-up and when in order to sign retainers. 
    • Intake Tasks: Schedule appointments and follow up on meetings with the Scheduler extension. Check potential contacts against the firm’s records to identify conflicts of interest and repeat clients. 
    • Synchronization: After completion of the intake process, synchronize all documents, notes, events, intake form details, and related contacts with the firm database through the cloud. 
  • E-signature: Automatically prepare documents with integrated e-signature capabilities. Send and approve e-signatures securely in order to speed up business processes and remove bottlenecks. 
  • Document Management: Prepare and send documents and retainers for e-signatures. Clients can even sign the legal documents securely from their phones and tablets without ever having to download, print or mail them. 
  • Task Automation: Stay on top of matter updates, client appointments and pending requests with real-time tracking and alerts. Keep current and prospective clients in the loop with timed-delivery email scheduling, unlimited email templates and automated reminders. 
  • Client Intake Insights: Identify the most successful practice areas, matter types, referral sources and top-performing firm members and clients with advanced reporting and analytics modules. Organize client intake reports and lead sources to improve financial forecasting and eliminate redundancies. 
  • Calendar Management: Optimize schedules to prevent same day, back-to-back and last minute appointments. Book meetings and appointments online with the easy-to-use, calendar extension that automatically sends event reminders and appointment confirmation alerts and provides firm-wide visibility. 
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  • Matter Management: Manage legal matters, tasks, contacts, deadlines and documents from a single platform. Automate the client intake process and store an unlimited amount of documentation and files. 
    • Matter Search: Identify specific legal documents and files with the global search function. 
  • Collaboration: Securely share case files and calendar entries with all team members and counsels. Encourage collaboration between counsels and clients with a dedicated client portal. 
  • Task Management: Assign tasks to staff members, set reminders for important events and appointments and keep track of notifications. Monitor document reviews and updates and perform conflict checks across the client database. 
  • Time Tracking and Billing: Track every single minute of billable time with the Firm Central Time & BIlling portal. Create and operate trust funds, run reports and issue expedited invoices for faster payments. 
    • Financial Reporting: Generate reports with custom datasets to identify profitable practice areas, aging receivables, referral values, important clients and more. 
    • Financial Dashboard: Get real-time access to firm financials, outstanding bills, WIP, year-end reconciliations and more through a single interface. Use the dashboard insights for agile decision-making and strategic future planning. 
    • Time and Expense: Log billable hours with multiple timers from any computer or mobile device. Integrate time tracking and billing capabilities to directly invoice for the time entries. 
    • Billing: Prepare tailored payment plans and payment options for clients. Edit invoices and accept credit card payments with the ClientPay portal. 
  • Accounting: Manage separate trust and operating accounts with purpose-built accounting software. Process invoices ethically and in compliance with industry standards. 
    • Reports: Run regular accounting reports to measure profitability, discounts, write-offs, bank reconciliations, account transactions and more. Stay on top of the firm’s financial health to make informed decisions. 
    • Eliminate Error: Automate data entry to eliminate duplicate data and human errors. 
    • Compliance: Prepare an audit trail for all trust account transactions and simplify year-end reconciliations. Set up internal controls to protect financial data from leaks. 
  • Legal Calendar: Manage deadlines, events, hearings and more with the integrated legal calendar tool. 
    • Deadlines: The Deadlines Assistant automatically computes the deadlines of ongoing projects based on the rules set by the firm’s jurisdiction. Set up custom rules if required. 
    • Calendar Sync: Add, edit and update events in either the built-in calendar or Microsoft Outlook and automatically synchronize entries. 
    • Multiple Calendar Views: Allow all staff members to view the legal calendar for a holistic awareness of deadlines and appointments. Drill down on specific entries by matter and permissions. 
  • Mobile Application: Retain full control over legal matters and tasks while away from the office. Use the mobile application to securely access legal documents, matters, contacts, calendars and more. Track time and process expenses on the go. 
  • Security: Secure firm files and documentation in transit as well as in storage. Additionally, solve any data residency requirements with U.S.-based servers hosted by Thomson Reuters. 
    • Data Encryption: All connections to Firm Central servers are routed via HTTPS sessions with 256-bit SSL and TLS encryption. 
    • Compliance: Ensure the data security standards of the firm are compliant with SOC 2 Type II and AICPA regulations. Physical data centers are ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified. 
  • Client Portal: Provide clients with an encrypted communication environment for secure collaboration with counsels. 
    • Communications: Share documents, bills, case updates, messages and more with clients in real time. Monitor all client activity and maintain a record of all communications. 
    • Self-service: Clients can check case files and matter information, receive push notifications and upload documents. 
    • Security: Maintain ABA ethics mandates with the self-service portal. Use permission-based controls to decide who gets access to what items and documents. 
  • Westlaw Compatibility: Subscribe to Westlaw for built-in case citation flags and integrated global search and research tools. 
  • Integrations: Integrate with multiple Thomson Reuters applications under the same platform. Available inclusions include Westlaw legal research, Westlaw Form Builder, Practical Law and Drafting Assistant. 
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Product Ranking

#8

among all
Legal Software

#37

among all
Legal Software

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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 1165 reviews
Good User Sentiment 141 reviews
94%
of users recommend this product

Clio Grow has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 94% when considering 1165 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

74%
of users recommend this product

Firm Central has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 74% when considering 141 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

n/a
4.1 (5)
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3.8 (11)
4.7 (1147)
3.68 (62)
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3.7 (62)
4.7 (18)
3.0 (1)

Awards

Clio Grow stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Simplified Intake: Clio Grow makes it easier for legal professionals to manage the often cumbersome client intake process.
Lead Management: Users praise the software for its effectiveness in managing leads, enabling them to track and nurture potential clients.
Seamless Integrations: Clio Grow receives positive feedback for its ability to integrate with other tools, streamlining workflows for legal professionals.
Excellent Support: Users consistently highlight the strong customer support provided by Clio Grow, ensuring they receive assistance when needed.
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Data Management: It provides easy and secure access to client records and legal matters, according to 100% of users mentioning data management.
Ease of Use: According to 83% of users who reviewed this aspect, the platform is user-friendly and easy to learn.
Sharing and Collaboration: All reviewers who mentioned this benefit said they found it easy to share and collaborate on legal matters, especially with access to SharePoint.
Task Management: According to 67% of users who reviewed this feature, the legal calendar simplifies tracking pending tasks, assignments and deadlines.
KPI Monitoring: Everyone reviewing this element said that the customizable dashboard made it easy to track KPIs.
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Price: Some users find the pricing structure of Clio Grow to be expensive, especially for smaller law firms or solo practitioners with limited budgets.
Learning Curve: New users unfamiliar with legal practice management software may face a learning curve when adapting to Clio Grow's features and interface, potentially requiring additional time for training and adjustment.
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Functionality: Without integrations, it has limited functionalities, according to 57% of users mentioning this element.
Integrations: According to 71% of users who reviewed this feature, integrations can be buggy and expensive.
Service and Support: 64% of users who mentioned this aspect said they found the technical support lacking in knowledge and responsiveness.
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Will Clio Grow help your law firm grow its client base? Many users say yes. Clio Grow is lauded for its user-friendly interface and seamless integrations, which simplify the often-cumbersome client intake process. For instance, users praise its ability to automate tasks like sending engagement letters and collecting information through online forms, saving them valuable time and reducing errors. This streamlined approach not only enhances efficiency but also allows lawyers to focus on what matters most: their clients. However, some users have pointed out that Clio Grow can be a bit pricey, especially for smaller firms or solo practitioners. Additionally, occasional bugs and feature limitations have been reported, though these appear to be relatively infrequent. Think of it like a well-maintained car: it might have a few minor hiccups now and then, but overall, it gets you where you need to go reliably. Clio Grow's emphasis on automation and client relationship management makes it stand out from the crowd. Unlike some competitors that focus primarily on case management, Clio Grow prioritizes nurturing leads and converting them into paying clients. This is achieved through features like automated email sequences, appointment scheduling, and personalized communication tools, all designed to enhance the client experience from the very first interaction. This makes it an ideal solution for firms looking to boost their client acquisition efforts and build stronger relationships that translate into long-term success. In conclusion, Clio Grow is best suited for law firms that place a premium on efficiency, automation, and providing a stellar client experience. While it may not be the cheapest option on the market, its robust features and user-friendly design make it a worthwhile investment for those looking to streamline their intake process and grow their client base effectively.

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Firm Central provides legal practitioners with a capable practice management solution with direct access to Westlaw. It offers secure and fast web access to basic features, including time tracking, billing, accounting, and matter and task management modules. Access to Westlaw is an important asset and should weigh heavily on any acquisition decision. That said, multiple integrations can drive up costs and put a lot of pressure on the platform. Implementation and technical support can be hard to reach at times. Unless a Westlaw integration is absolutely essential to the firm, there are better options available in this price range.

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