It’s time to part ways with PCLaw and Time Matters

PCLaw offers phone support from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, as part of an ongoing paid service. PCLaw users report that it can take days or weeks before they receive assistance.

Clio offers unlimited support from an award-winning team, at no additional cost. Our North American-based customer support team is available 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday via phone, email, or live chat.

In addition to the cost of the licenses, you must purchase an annual maintenance plan that offers a variety of self-guided training.

With 1:1 live training, on-demand videos, a comprehensive list of articles in our help centre accessible 24/7, and access to our growing legal community of like-minded legal professionals—you and your practice can learn and optimize your firm at your own pace.

PClaw is an on-premise solution that can only be accessed from computers in your office or a virtual desktop. When it comes to smartphone access, PCLaw has a mobile app at an additional cost. PCLaw isn’t able to provide an uptime guarantee. In the event of a physical threat, you may lose access to your data.

Clio is cloud-based technology so you’re not tied to a single location. The system can be accessed securely from any device, and anywhere—all you need is an internet connection. The flexible, mobile infrastructure enables firms to work remotely and on-the-go. Clio offers a financially-backed 99.9% uptime guarantee, so you’ll always be able to get access to your work—even in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

PCLaw is an on-premise server that requires IT support. It is open to physical threats and requires in-person maintenance and updates. With client data physically located in your office, it’s your responsibility to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. Using outdated technology puts your firm at risk of data security threats.

Clio’s dedicated security team upholds the tightest security standards to keep your data safe. Over 150,000 legal professionals and 90 bar associations trust Clio to protect their firm and client data every day. Clio performs regular, automatic backups and makes use of geo-redundant servers to protect from physical threats.

As of December 2023, old versions of PCLaw will not be supported. Customers are forced to purchase the latest version and potentially pay a "true-up fee" for missed updates. Unless firms upgrade to the latest version, PCLaw warns that users are at risk of data corruption, incompatibility with other critical systems, higher costs, and eventual degradation.

You will automatically receive new features with your subscription without disruption and at no additional cost. With the leading legal software, you’ll continually receive innovative solutions to help you manage your firm more efficiently.

In addition to annual maintenance plan fees, users are subject to costs related to hardware, installation, IT, security, and more.

Clio provides users with the ability to keep overhead low. All of Clio’s offerings include maintenance and support costs. Any device can be used so hardware upgrades are unnecessary.

PCLaw doesn’t offer online payments natively. Customers must use and pay for a separate service that may not meet the requirements necessary for the legal industry.

Clio makes it easy for your clients to pay their bill online, saving them a trip to the bank and to your office. Payments automatically get recorded in the client’s account and are synced to your accounting ledger—saving you time and effort. Send trust payment requests and maintain evergreen retainers knowing Clio keeps you compliant with trust accounting rules.