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Gavel’s Clio integration lets you run a document automation workflow with a single click by pulling client and matter data directly from Clio Manage. Instead of re-typing contact names, addresses, matter details, and custom field values, you select a matter and/or multiple contacts in the Gavel questionnaire, and Gavel fills in every tagged field automatically. You can also send the generated documents back to the Clio matter using Clio’s maildrop address feature.
Workflows that contain Clio Contact or Clio Matter questions are only accessible by Builder users who are logged into your Gavel subdomain. End-users cannot access these workflows directly, which protects the sensitive data stored in Clio.
1

Go to the Integrations page

From your Gavel dashboard, click Integrations in the left navigation sidebar.
2

Select your Clio server region (if applicable)

If your Clio account is hosted in Canada, the European Union, or Australia, choose the appropriate region from the dropdown. Leave the dropdown blank if you are on the default US servers.
3

Click Link Account

Click the Link Account button in the Clio integration module.
4

Authorize Gavel in Clio

You will be redirected to a Clio login page. Sign in to your Clio account and click Allow Access. You will then be returned to the Gavel integrations page.
Clio connections are global for your Gavel instance. Linking Clio from one Builder seat also links all other Builder seats on the same account. All new contacts, matters, and custom fields sync automatically.

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Add Clio Contact and Clio Matter questions

Once your accounts are linked, you can add Clio data to any workflow by inserting a Clio Matter and/or multiple Clio Contact question types. You will only select one matter to connect but you can have multiple contacts added to the workflow. When a user runs the workflow, the Clio question appears as a searchable list of all contact or matter records from Clio. The user selects the relevant record, and Gavel automatically maps all of its fields to your document template.

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Tag your documents with Clio field syntax

Clio fields appear in the Word Gavel Document Tagger and use the following syntax structure: 
GavelVariableName['ClioFieldSet'].ClioFieldName
For example, if you created a Clio Contact question with the variable name ClioContact, a contact’s first name would be referenced as: 
ClioContact['client'].firstname

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Common Clio field sets

Field setDescription
clientStandard contact fields (name, address, phone, email)
dateDate fields on the contact or matter
custom_fieldsAny custom fields you have configured in Clio

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Using Clio variables in document templates

Insert Clio variable syntax using double curly braces in your document template: 
{{ ClioContact['client'].firstname }} {{ ClioContact['client'].lastname }}

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Advanced Clio variable syntax

Clio passes all data to Gavel as text strings, not typed values. Use the following syntax patterns to perform calculations, format dates, and add conditional logic.
You can also use this syntax for CSV questions!
Wrap the Clio field in the currency() function:
{{ currency(ClioContact["client"].salary) }}
Clio numeric fields arrive as strings. Cast them to integers with |int before performing math:
{{ (ClioContact["client"].salary|int) / 40 }}
This example divides the salary field by 40.
Clio date fields arrive as text strings. Use as_datetime() and strftime() to format them:
{{ as_datetime(ClioContact["date"].open_date).strftime("%B %d, %Y") }}
To write the date as “the 5th day of March, 2025”:
the {{ ordinal_number(as_datetime(ClioContact["date"].open_date).strftime("%d"), use_word=False) }}{{ as_datetime(ClioContact["date"].open_date).strftime(" day of %B, %Y") }}
Use standard Gavel if logic with Clio field references:
{% if ClioContact["custom_fields"].maritalstatus == "Married" %}The client is married.{% endif %}

{% if ClioContact["client"].firstname %}Conditional text if the field is not blank.{% endif %}
To see all available Clio fields and variable names for your account, create a short “mini workflow” in Gavel with a single Clio Contact or Clio Matter question and preview it. The Word add-in will show you the complete list of field paths available.

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