Developing on Clio
More than 150,000 legal professionals use Clio to run their legal practices. They come in all sizes, specializing in every field of law, and each one has unique needs. Clio solves many of their biggest problems out of the box–but every legal practice is different.
That’s where you come in.
Ways to build as an app developer
There are two main ways of building apps for Clio users:
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Public apps |
Private apps |
| Public apps are tailored for a wide audience, with the option to publish it on the Clio App Directory. |
Private apps use the Clio API to unlock advanced functionality or integrations and are typically built for a single law firm and not listed in the Clio App Directory. |
Learn more about the different types of app development at Clio.
How to start as a public app developer
At this point, you should have a basic understanding of the legal challenge you aim to solve.
The next step is to understand how you can solve it with Clio.
Step 1: Get your developer account
As an app developer, you can sign up for a free Clio account which will help you learn the platform and scope the integration.
Apply for a free developer account
Please note: Clio has US, Canada, and UK servers. If you intend on serving multiple regions, you must create independent trial accounts for each region with unique email addresses (e.g. developer+na@app.com, developer+eu@app.com, developer+ca@app.com) You can sign up for each here:
Step 2: Start building
You do not need to wait for approval before you begin building your integration. This stage is largely self-directed.
A few things to keep in mind:
Security
We will ask you to complete a security questionnaire via OneTrust prior to launching your integration. As you build, reference MVSP as a baseline for security and privacy standards.
Accessibility
We believe that Clio and our integrations should be available to everyone who wants to use them. While we don’t have requirements for launching an integration in the Clio App Directory, we do ask that you meet certain standards as part of the App Partner Program. Here is a resource to reference as you build.
User experience
How a user interacts with your app and your integration is paramount to your overall success. While we don't have any baseline usability requirements, we will assess the user experience during the demo.
Technical specifications
To ensure the best user experience, we require that your integration support the latest two (2) versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari if it's a web-based app or is compatible with the latest OS version if it's a desktop app. We will ask for this to be demonstrated before launch.
API Versioning
We strongly encourage making versioned requests when using Clio's API to ensure stability in your integration. Read Clio's API versioning policy for a detailed understanding of how API versioning works and how we release, support, and deprecate versions of our API.
Testing
We highly recommend testing your app before launch. Make sure you test your app functionality on your developer account. Avoid using customer accounts for testing and troubleshooting. Clio does not provide a test/sandbox environment at this time.
Step 3: Launching your integration
Once your integration build is complete, the next step is to get it in front of Clio customers. Clio’s launch process ensures that our customers are getting excellent solutions to their problems.
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Requirements to be listed in Clio's App Directory:
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The launch process includes four phases:
Security review
When you are ready to launch, email us with a request for a security review. We will send you a form via OneTrust that you can complete. Once submitted, our Application Security Team will review the responses and may reach out for clarification. We aim to review submissions within 2 business days.
For information on what we’re looking for during a review, reference MVSP.
Demo
Once our team has reviewed and signed off on security, you'll be invited to book a 30-minute demo with our team.
This is an opportunity for you to showcase your integration for our team and for us to ask you questions and provide feedback.
These demos are attended by multiple Clio team members, including members from our App Ecosystem team and Sales Engineering.
For more information on the structure of the demo, see here.
Listing submission
After a successful demo, we will share your App Directory listing outline for you to complete. This will be reviewed by our team to ensure that the value of your app is shining through.
For more information on how to write a great listing, see here.
Launch!
With the App Directory listing finalized and live, the launch is underway. We will share with you some resources to support your launch publicly.
If you are launching a public app in multiple Clio regions, you must create a unique Developer Application for your app in each Clio region your app should be available in.
You may also opt to feature your app directly within Clio Manage by building Add to Clio and allowing users to integrate more efficiently. Learn more about featuring your app within Clio Manage here.
How to start as a private app developer
Private apps are meant to be apps built for the specific needs of a single client or law firm. Some examples of when you'll want to build a private app are when you need to access the Clio API to integrate with another tool to access advanced functionalities, or when you need to migrate data from one account to another.
Learn more about building as a private app developer here.
FAQ
Can you tell me what to build?
Clio does not currently publicize our roadmap or whitespace. If you are curious about trends in the legal technology space, you can reference our Legal Trends Report.
Can Clio help me build my app?
Clio cannot offer resources towards building an integration at this time. Clio offers an open API, so anyone can build on it and there are no approvals or gates preventing you from getting started today.
If you need additional assistance with building your integration, a Clio Certified Consultant may be able to assist.
What happens if I don’t pass the security review?
The Clio team will highlight areas that need attention so you can build a safe and secure app. Our team will work with you to ensure that you are meeting the right standards.
I’ve launched my app, how can I strengthen my relationship with Clio?
Great question! Our App Partner Program is currently being revised and will be live soon!
Getting Support
Technical support: api@clio.com
Partnership questions: api.partnerships@clio.com