Guide

How to migrate from Clio to Notion: a step-by-step plan with a field map

How to migrate from Clio to Notion: what to export, a field map, import order, a month-long parallel run and the records to keep before you cancel.

By Raghav R Handa, practising lawyer3 October 202620 min read

TL;DR

Move in this order: decide what moves, export and archive everything, build the Notion structure, import contacts and open matters, run both systems in parallel on new matters, then retire the old one.
Migrate open matters only. Archive closed matters as exports, and keep trust and billing records as your regulator requires.
Documents, trust ledgers and billing history do not move cleanly. Plan them separately, and never rebuild trust accounting in Notion.
Confirm the vendor's current export options and your contract terms before you start, and re-verify every deadline after import.

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Migrate from Clio to Notion in six moves: decide what moves, export and archive everything, build the Notion structure, clean and import contacts then open matters, run both systems in parallel for about a month, then retire the old one. Move open matters only; archive closed ones as exports; and keep trust and billing records as your regulator requires. The same plan works for MyCase, PracticePanther or Smokeball. Vendor export features change, so confirm the current options and your contract terms before you begin. If you are still deciding whether to move, read can Notion replace Clio? This guide gives the plan, the field map, the cleaning steps, the checks and a rollback.

Before you start: a go or no-go checklist

Question	Needed answer
Do I know which features I use? (audit)	Yes; see the audit table in the Clio guide
Is trust accounting staying in dedicated software?	Yes
Do I have a billing and payments plan outside Notion?	Yes, or I do not need one
Do I know my contract term, notice period and renewal date?	Yes
Can I export my data, and have I tested it?	Yes
Is there a quiet window of about six weeks?	Yes, not at a trial or year-end close
Is someone named to own the new system?	Yes
Do I know how long I must retain records?	Yes, from my regulator

What moves, what archives, what stays

Data	Plan
Contacts and organisations	Migrate
Open matters	Migrate
Open tasks and deadlines	Migrate, then re-verify every date against its source
Time entries (unbilled)	Migrate
Closed matters	Archive as exports; migrate only if needed for conflicts
Bills and payments history	Archive; keep as your regulator requires
Trust account history	Keep in accounting software or an archive; never rebuild it in Notion
Documents	Move or link separately (see below)
Notes and communications	Migrate recent ones on open matters; archive the rest

A field map

Names differ by product; use this as a template and match your own export columns.

Old system field	Notion database	Notion property type
Contact name, email, phone	Contacts	Title, Email, Phone
Contact type (person, company)	Contacts	Select
Company a person works for	Contacts	Relation to Contacts
Addresses	Contacts	Text
Custom contact fields	Contacts	Select, Text, Date as appropriate
Matter name / number	Matters	Title, Text
Client	Matters	Relation to Contacts
Other parties (opposing, related)	Matters	Relation to Contacts (multi)
Practice area	Matters	Select
Status (open, pending, closed)	Matters	Select
Responsible attorney, originating attorney	Matters	Person
Open / close date	Matters	Date
Billing arrangement	Matters	Select, Text
Tasks and due dates	Tasks / Deadlines	Title, Date, Relation to Matters
Calendar events	Deadlines or Events	Title, Date (with time), Relation
Time entry (date, hours, rate, description, user)	Time entries	Date, Number, Number, Text, Person, Relation
Billed or not, invoice number	Time entries	Select or checkbox, Text
Notes	Matters or Notes	Page content or Text
Document list	Documents	Title, Relation, URL

A timeline for a small firm

Week	Work
Week 0	Audit usage; check contract, notice and export options; decide scope; name an owner
Week 1	Export and archive everything; build the Notion structure; test with five records
Week 2	Clean the exports; import contacts; import open matters and relate them
Week 3	Verify counts and deadlines; train the team; go live for new matters in Notion
Weeks 4 to 6	Parallel run: new matters in Notion; old matters readable in the old system; compare
Week 7	Go or no-go review; final export; confirm retention; cancel at a contract-friendly date

Step by step

Archive first. Export everything the old system lets you, and store a dated copy somewhere safe before you change anything. Check how long your regulator requires records to be kept.
Build the structure. Create the five databases (see the best way to use Notion for lawyers) before importing, so you import into the right shape.
Clean in a spreadsheet. Remove duplicates, fix date formats, put multi-value fields in a separate sheet, and make names consistent so relations can match.
Import contacts first, then matters, then relate them. Test with five rows and check relations, dates and select options before importing the rest.
Verify every deadline against its source. A migrated date with no recorded trigger and rule should be treated as unconfirmed.
Run in parallel for a month. New matters go only into Notion; old matters stay readable in the old system. Compare what you actually open.
Retire safely. Take a final export, confirm retention obligations are met and that you can produce trust and billing records on request, then cancel.

Cleaning the export: a recipe

Keep the original export untouched; work on a copy.
Trim spaces and standardise case in name columns (in a spreadsheet, functions such as TRIM and PROPER help).
Convert dates to a single unambiguous format (year-month-day) and check a sample against the originals.
Split multi-valued cells (several parties in one cell) into separate rows on a related sheet.
Build a unique list of contacts and a lookup so each matter points to exactly one contact name.
Decide your matter number format; keep the old number in a separate column for reference.
Remove closed matters and old rows to an archive sheet.
Save each cleaned sheet as CSV (UTF-8) and import one database at a time.

Relations on import

Notion can match a relation column to existing pages by their titles when you import, which is why contacts go in first and why names must match exactly. Test with five rows: confirm the relations resolve, and fix mismatches (extra spaces, spelling variants) in the sheet, not in Notion. Verify behaviour on a small sample, because import features change.

Validation checks before you trust it

Check	How	Pass
Counts	Compare number of contacts, matters, tasks, time entries in the export and Notion	Equal, or differences explained
Field-by-field spot check	Open 20 random records and compare every field with the old system	No discrepancies
Relations	Open five matters; check client, parties and linked rows	All correct
Deadlines	Re-verify every open deadline against its source; add trigger and rule	All confirmed
Conflict search	Search for 10 known parties, including name variants	All found
Time and billing	Compare unbilled totals by matter with the old system	Equal
Permissions	Test member and guest access	As designed

Documents

Documents rarely import cleanly. Either leave them in their current store and link to them from matters, or move them in batches into your chosen store and keep the folder structure referenced in a Documents database. See from Word and folders to a matter database.

Billing and trust: what to do

Unbilled time: migrate it, so you can bill it from the new system.
Billed history: archive the invoices and ledgers as exports; keep them for the required period.
Trust: keep ledgers and reconciliations in trust accounting software or a compliant archive; Notion holds only a link and a flag.
Payments: choose a payments and billing tool before you cancel, so clients are not left without a way to pay.

Communicating the change

Team: a short training, a cheat sheet and a named person to ask.
Clients: if the client portal or payment links change, tell them what to expect and when.
Vendors and accountants: tell them if exports or integrations change.

Rollback plan

Keep the old system active and read-only through the parallel run.
Keep your dated export, untouched.
Set a go or no-go review at the end of the run with defined criteria (counts reconcile, no missed deadlines, time capture holds, the team can find things).
If it fails, stay and fix; cancel only when it passes.

Pitfalls

Importing everything: you carry the mess with you.
Skipping the parallel run: you find the gap on a live deadline.
Cancelling before you have exported and checked retention.
Rebuilding trust accounting in Notion. Do not.
Letting time capture slip during the change: measure it.

Also see Notion as a Clio alternative, should you leave your practice-management software?, the switching ROI calculator and the four-way comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How do I move from Clio to Notion?

Export your data from Clio, keep a full dated archive, build the matching structure in Notion, clean the export in a spreadsheet and import contacts then open matters, run both systems in parallel on new matters for about a month, and only then cancel. Keep trust and billing records as your regulator requires.

Can I import Clio data into Notion directly?

Notion imports CSV files, so the usual route is to export from Clio as CSV, clean the data and import it. Documents, trust ledgers and billing history generally need separate handling. Check Clio's current export options.

How long does a migration take?

For a small firm, a weekend to build the structure and a few days to clean and import, followed by roughly a month of parallel running before you cancel. Plan more if you have many open matters or complex billing.

What should I not migrate?

Closed matters (archive them as exports), trust account history (keep it in accounting software or an archive as your regulator requires), and anything you cannot verify after import.

What happens to my trust accounting records?

They stay with trust accounting software or a compliant archive. Do not rebuild them in Notion. Confirm before you cancel that you can produce the records your regulator requires for the required retention period.

How do I move documents?

Either leave them in their current store and link to them from a Documents database, or move them in batches into your chosen store and then link. Do not upload thousands of files into Notion pages.

How do I check that the import worked?

Reconcile counts (contacts, matters, tasks) between the export and Notion, spot-check twenty records field by field, verify every deadline against its source, and test searches for conflict checks.

Can I roll back if it goes wrong?

Yes, if you follow the plan: keep the old system active and read-only until the parallel run proves the new one, keep your dated export, and set a go or no-go checkpoint before you cancel.

Does this also work for MyCase, PracticePanther or Smokeball?

Yes. The plan is the same for any practice-management product: confirm export options, archive, clean, import in order, run in parallel and retire safely. Field names differ; use the map as a template.

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