Skip to main content
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 contact or matter 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. Clio has selected Gavel as their recommended document automation integration.
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.

​
Add Clio Contact and Clio Matter questions

Once your accounts are linked, you can add Clio data to any workflow by inserting a Clio Contact or Clio Matter question type. You only need one such question per type to access all fields stored in that contact or matter. 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.

​
Tag your documents with Clio field syntax

Clio fields appear in the Word add-in 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

​
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

​
Using Clio variables in document templates

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

​
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.
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.

​
Send generated documents to a Clio matter

You can route your output documents directly into a Clio matter’s file using Clio’s maildrop address functionality.
1

Create a Clio Matter variable in your workflow

Add a Clio Matter question to your workflow and note the variable name you assign to it (for example, ClioMatter).
2

Create an Invisible Logic page

Add an Invisible Logic page to your workflow. On this page, create a new Text variable.
3

Set the variable to the maildrop address

In the new Text variable’s value field, enter the following syntax using your Clio Matter variable name:
{ClioMatter.maildrop_address}
This retrieves the unique maildrop email address for the selected Clio matter.
4

Configure the Output Documents tab

In your workflow’s Output Documents tab, click Send finalized documents to email address and select the Text variable you created in the previous step. You may also want to enable Include Docx format and Include File Uploads as Attachments.
5

Add Gavel as an email alias in Clio

In your Clio account, add no-reply@mail.docautomation.org as an email alias. This authorizes Gavel’s outbound email to be accepted by Clio’s maildrop system. Refer to Clio’s help documentation on adding email aliases for detailed instructions.
You must add no-reply@mail.docautomation.org as an alias in Clio before documents can be delivered to a matter. Documents sent to a maildrop address that does not recognize the sender will be silently dropped.