The problem
Commercial matters involve companies, directors, shareholders and counterparties, and a conflict can hide in any of them. If a firm opens 25 matters a month and searching old files, email and the accounts system takes 20 minutes each, that's 500 minutes, about 8.3 hours a month.
What the AI does
Clio Manage includes a conflict check on all plans, which searches the firm's contacts and matters. When a matter is opened, the fee earner adds the client, its directors and main shareholders and the other side as contacts, runs the check and saves the result on the matter. Matter templates set up the standard steps for each type of commercial work. Whether there is a conflict, and what to do about it, is decided by the solicitor and, where needed, the COLP.
A worked example
A three-solicitor commercial firm in Leicester opens about 25 matters a month. It moves to Clio Core, adds every party to each new matter as a contact, and runs Clio's conflict check before sending the engagement letter.
Before
20 minutes per new matter searching spreadsheets, email and accounts: about 8.3 hours a month
After
About 5 minutes per matter to add the parties and review the results: about 2.1 hours a month
What it's worth
About $499£375€446A$720C$705 a month of fee-earner time, if it is worth $80£60€71A$115C$113 an hour: 15 minutes saved on each of 25 matters is 375 minutes, 6.25 hours. Clio Core is from $105£79€94A$152C$149 per user a month, so $315£237€282A$455C$446 for three, leaving about $184£138€164A$265C$259; it is worth it as part of moving your case management to Clio, not for the conflict check alone.
How to set it up
- Book a Clio demo and get written pricing for Core, the contract term and where data is hosted.
- Import your past clients and matters, including the other side on each, so the check has something to search.
- Make it the rule that every new matter lists the client, its directors and main shareholders, and the other parties.
- Run the conflict check before the engagement letter goes out, and save the result on the matter.
- Send any possible match to the solicitor, and to the COLP where needed, to decide under the SRA Code of Conduct.
What goes wrong
- The check only finds names that are in Clio. Old matters left out of the import, or a counterparty never added, mean a missed conflict.
- A name match is not a conflict decision, and no match is not clearance. The SRA's conflict rules need a person's judgment.
- Company names change and get spelled in different ways. Search former names and other spellings too.
- Pricing is per user, and the page doesn't say whether $105£79€94A$152C$149 is the monthly or annual price or whether it includes VAT.