Ajax’s Clio Integration: Everything You Need to Know
Every hour a lawyer works but doesn't bill is revenue that disappears. And the culprit is the five-minute reply to opposing counsel between drafting sessions, the quick case law search before lunch, the ten-minute call with a client that happens right as you're wrapping up something else.
None of it gets logged because none of it feels worth stopping to record.
We built our Clio integration to close that gap. Ajax captures your work as it happens. It drafts time entries in your voice, matches them to the right Clio matters and activity codes, and syncs everything with a single click.
This blog walks through how the Ajax Clio integration works - what syncs, the step-by-step workflow, security, and the financial impact firms on Clio are seeing.
What Is Ajax?
Ajax is a native desktop application that reads the words on your screen in real time, pixel by pixel. From there, it automatically generates time entries across every application - no separate integration needed for each one:
Writes client-ready narratives in your firm's style
Groups related tasks into coherent entries instead of a chronological list
Attributes work to the correct matter, even when key people aren't in your CRM
This approach is different from integration-based AI timekeepers, which pull metadata from specific apps via APIs. Integration-based tools have a real advantage in simplicity - they're lighter-weight and easier to deploy.
But if you're working in an application they haven't built a connector for, that work doesn't get captured. We read the screen itself, so we capture work across any application. Our blind spot is anything that never touches a screen - handwritten notes, in-person conversations, pen-and-paper brainstorming.
Ajax reads your screen but nothing it captures sticks around. Screen content is processed, used to generate entries, and automatically deleted.
We don't use your data to train our models, and our infrastructure vendors (including AI providers) are contractually prohibited from retaining or training on anything that passes through our system. We're SOC 2 compliant, and nobody else can see what's in your Ajax - not even managing partners.
What Is Clio?
Clio is a cloud-based practice management platform - and if you're reading this, you're probably already using it to manage your cases and send invoices. It handles case management, billing, calendaring, and client communication in one system.
Clio includes built-in time tracking - manual timers and after-the-fact entry. These work fine if you remember to use them consistently.
But most lawyers don't stop mid-draft to start a timer for a quick email reply or log the eight-minute phone call that came in while reviewing a contract. Repeat it ten times a day and you're looking at close to an hour of billable work that never makes it to an invoice.
That's the gap this integration closes.
What the Ajax Clio Integration Syncs
We built a deep, two-way sync between Ajax and Clio - not a one-way data push:
Release an entry from Ajax → it becomes an Activity in Clio
Edit that Activity in Clio → the change shows up in Ajax
Add a new Activity in Clio → it appears in Ajax
Change a matter name or activity code in Clio → Ajax updates accordingly
The full list of what syncs: Matters, Activities, activity categories (Custom and UTBMS), users, narratives, and Clio Calendar events. Changes flow in both directions.
Many AI timekeeping integrations use a one-way sync - entries push into your billing system, and that's it. One-way integrations are simpler to build and maintain, which is a genuine advantage.
The tradeoff is that if you edit an entry afterward in Clio, the change doesn't flow back. Our integration syncs both ways, so edits in either system stay consistent.
We also built a side-by-side view that shows your existing Clio Activities alongside Ajax drafts in a two-column layout. From there, you can:
Merge drafts into existing entries
Edit Clio entries from inside Ajax
Release new entries to Clio
All without switching tabs.
How the Ajax Clio Integration Works - Step by Step
Four stages: data pull, real-time drafting, attorney review, and sync back to Clio. Three of them are fully automated. The only step that requires your attention is the review, which typically takes a few minutes per day.
Step 1 - Ajax Pulls Your Matter Data And Contact from Clio
When you connect Ajax to Clio, we import your matters, existing time entry history, activity codes (Custom and UTBMS), users, narratives, and calendar events.
From there, three things happen:
Narrative customization. We read your prior Activities to match your writing style. If you always write "Review and analyze correspondence from Opposing Counsel re: motion to compel" rather than "Reviewed email from Jane Doe about discovery," we pick up that pattern.
No model training. We don't train models on your data. We build a set of plain-English rules that describe your preferences, then delete the source data under our rolling deletion policy.
Pre-kickoff background run. Ajax runs silently for approximately two days before your firm's official kickoff. Your first experience is real entries already waiting - not a blank tool.
Step 2 - Ajax Drafts Entries as You Work
As you work throughout the day - switching between email, documents, calls, research - Ajax captures your screen activity, calendar events, and emails in real time. Two things make this different from a timer or activity tracker:
Intelligent grouping: Say you spend 20 minutes reviewing a motion before your 10 AM call, 45 minutes after lunch researching the same motion, and a final 15-minute editing pass before end of day.
Ajax combines that into a single 1-hour-and-20-minute entry with a coherent narrative. You don't have to piece it together yourself. This is configurable - choose block billing or itemized entries depending on your preference or your client's billing guidelines.
Matter attribution: Our system identifies relevant names, addresses, and case-specific keywords from your screen content. Even if opposing counsel's name or a property address isn't in your Clio contacts, we pick it up from the documents and emails you're working with. When we can't attribute something confidently, we flag it for you to assign - and then learn from that correction for next time.
Step 3 - Review Entries in the Side-by-Side View
We surface your draft entries in a two-column layout: Ajax drafts on the left, your existing Clio Activities on the right. From here, you can:
Merge a draft directly into an existing Clio entry
Edit narratives in place
Approve and release with a click
Instead of reconstructing your entire day from memory, you're reviewing entries that are already written. Most of our users spend a few minutes on this step.
Step 4 - Approved Entries Sync to Clio
Once you release an entry, it becomes an Activity in Clio, ready for invoicing. Any edits you make afterward - in either Ajax or Clio - stay in sync. You won't end up with duplicate entries or need to copy-paste between systems.
How We Keep Your Client Data Secure Within the Integration
Connecting Ajax to Clio doesn't create new data exposure. Every privacy protection we described above, be it rolling deletion, no model training, no vendor retention, SOC 2 compliance, individual silos - applies equally to data flowing through the integration.
Entries you release from Ajax to Clio travel over encrypted connections. Once in Clio, they're governed by Clio's own security policies. The OAuth connection can be revoked at any time from either side.
This matters for your ethical obligations. ABA Model Rule 1.1 (Comment [8]) requires competence with technology, and Rule 1.6 requires safeguarding confidential client information.
Our architecture - encryption in transit and at rest, automatic deletion, no third-party retention - supports both. If your firm requires a Business Associate Agreement, reach out during onboarding.
The Financial Impact for Clio Firms
The math on AI timekeeping works out quickly for Clio firms. Ramage Law Group added $1,700 in monthly billables per timekeeper after adopting Ajax - a $20,000 annual increase per timekeeper, representing a 12x return on investment.
Across our user base, the averages tell a similar story: Ajax pays for itself in about 11 days, firms find 12% more billable hours, and each user saves roughly 2.4 hours of admin time per month.
Here's what that looks like at different firm sizes, with Ajax starting at $150/month per user:
Solo practitioner billing at $300+/hour - recovering even two or three hours of previously unbilled work per month more than covers the cost.
20-person firm - if each timekeeper recovers $1,700/month in billables, that's $34,000/month in additional revenue against roughly $3,000/month in Ajax fees.
100+ timekeepers - the numbers scale linearly, and the consistency benefit compounds when every lawyer at the firm is actually using the tool, not just the 40% who bothered with the old system.
Kevin Buckley, Founder and Senior US Patent Attorney at Torrey Pines Law Group, raised his personal billing target after starting Ajax - and is already exceeding it. Heather O'Connor, Managing Partner at O'Connor Family Law, described the recovered revenue as instrumental in allowing her firm to grow and open a pro bono division.
We offer 14-day pilots with full ROI reporting. 97% of firms that piloted in 2025 and 2026 are now happy users.
How Ajax Compares to Other AI Timekeepers on Clio
Several AI timekeepers integrate with Clio. The differences come down to capture method, sync depth, and how much of the timekeeping process the tool handles for you.
Capture: Integration-based tools pull metadata from specific apps via APIs - lighter-weight and easier to deploy, which is a genuine advantage. The tradeoff is coverage: if you're working in an app without a connector, that work doesn't get captured. Ajax reads the screen itself, so it works across any application.
Sync depth: Most competitors offer a one-way push. Ajax syncs in both directions. One-way is simpler: two-way keeps your systems consistent.
Entry generation: Some tools track activities but still leave the writing and grouping to you. Ajax writes complete narratives, groups fragmented work into coherent entries, and attributes work to the correct matter using case-specific learning.
If your firm needs basic activity tracking and wants the lightest-weight option, a simpler tool might be the better fit. If you want the capture, grouping, writing, and attribution handled for you so that timekeeping is a few-minute review at the end of the day, that's what we built.
Common Questions About the Ajax Clio Integration
How long does setup take?
Our team handles installation, billing guidelines intake, and the Clio connection. Ajax runs in the background for about two days before kickoff, so your first experience is real entries - not configuration.
What if I already have entries in Clio?
Ajax imports your existing history and uses it to customize narrative output. Existing entries aren't duplicated or overwritten.
Can I pause tracking?
Yes. Ajax can be paused or stopped at any time. Lawyers use this frequently for personal browsing or breaks.
What happens if the sync breaks?
OAuth tokens can expire after extended inactivity. Re-authenticate from Ajax's settings - draft entries are stored locally and won't be lost. Our support team handles integration issues directly.
Final Thoughts
The gap between doing your work and billing for it gets smaller when the capture, drafting, attribution, and sync happen automatically. Our Clio integration runs in both directions, stays in sync in real time, and handles the narrative writing and matter attribution that make manual timekeeping such a grind.
The firms that recover the most billable time aren't the ones with the best intentions about timekeeping - they're the ones that remove friction from the process entirely. Two-way sync with your existing billing system is what makes that possible.
If you want to see what it looks like with your own Clio data, book a demo and we'll walk you through it.