Clio is the legal practice management software that law firms actually use. Jack Newton built it in Vancouver because he thought it was insane that lawyers — people who bill $500/hour — were tracking their time on Post-It notes and managing cases in email. $410 million raised, 150,000+ legal professionals using it, and a $3 billion valuation. The most valuable legal tech company you’ve never heard of unless you’re a lawyer.
Founded
2008
HQ
Vancouver, Canada
Total Raised
$410 million
Founder
Jack Newton
Status
Private
Website
www.clio.comTHE ORIGIN STORY
Jack Newton was a tech entrepreneur in Vancouver who noticed that law firms — even big ones — ran their practices on a patchwork of spreadsheets, paper files, and outdated software. Legal practice management was stuck in the 1990s while every other industry had moved to the cloud.
He founded Clio in 2008, launching a cloud-based platform that handled time tracking, billing, case management, client communication, and document storage for law firms. The timing was perfect — cloud software was gaining acceptance and small law firms were ready for modern tools.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
SaaS subscription with per-user monthly pricing. Plans range from $39 to $129 per user per month.
The platform targets small to mid-size law firms (1-200 attorneys). 150,000+ legal professionals across 100+ countries.
Clio makes money from subscriptions and from Clio Payments — integrated payment processing that charges standard merchant fees when clients pay their legal bills through the platform.
THE PRODUCTS
Clio Manage — practice management including case management, time tracking, billing, and calendaring. Clio Grow — client intake and CRM for law firms.
Clio Payments — integrated legal payments processing. Clio Draft — AI-powered document drafting.
Clio Duo — AI assistant for legal professionals.
HOW THEY GREW
Clio grew by becoming essential to the small law firm workflow. Strong presence at legal industry conferences, bar association partnerships, and integrations with 250+ legal-specific tools.
The annual "Clio Legal Trends Report" became the most-cited data source on law firm performance, positioning Clio as a thought leader.
THE HARD PART
Convincing conservative law firms to adopt new technology is a multi-decade challenge. Lawyers are notoriously risk-averse about changing their tools.
Moving upmarket to serve larger firms means competing with Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis practice management tools.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2012 · Led by Bessemer Venture Partners
$6M raised
Series C
2019 · Led by TCV
$250M raised
Series D
2021 · Led by T. Rowe Price / OMERS
$110M raised
Series E
2023 · Led by New Enterprise Associates
$100M raised
WHO BACKED THEM
New Enterprise Associates led the $110 million Series E. Earlier investors include TCV, OMERS Growth Equity, and JMI Equity.
Valued at approximately $3 billion. Total funding of $410 million.
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