How to set up a Clio Manage integration that routes calls to responsible staff
Set up a Clio Manage integration with Upfirst so incoming calls are automatically matched to the responsible staff on a caller's matter and transferred without manual lookup.
When a client calls your firm, they usually know who they want to talk to. Their attorney, their case manager, the person handling their matter. But getting them there means someone has to ask, look it up, and manually transfer the call.
If you're in court or your receptionist is on another line, that client either waits on hold or leaves a voicemail. A Clio Manage integration with Upfirst's AI answering service handles the Clio call routing automatically so that doesn't happen.
The receptionist looks up the caller in Clio Manage, finds the responsible staff on their matter, and completes the responsible attorney call transfer without anyone lifting a finger. This guide walks through the full Clio Manage integration setup, step by step.
You'll build two Clio custom actions and a set of call transfer rules. The first action finds the caller's contact in Clio, the second finds their responsible staff, and the transfer rules route the call to the right phone number.
If you'd rather not set this up yourself, Upfirst's support team can do it for you on a video call. But if you're comfortable following a technical tutorial, everything you need is below.
What this Clio Manage custom action setup does
Here's the Clio call routing flow in plain terms:
- A client calls your firm's number.
- Your AI receptionist answers and silently runs a lookup in Clio Manage using the last four digits of the caller's phone number.
- Clio returns the matching contact record with their contact ID.
- The receptionist uses that contact ID to query the caller's matter and find the responsible staff assigned to it.
- When the caller asks to speak with their attorney, the receptionist already knows who that is and completes the responsible attorney call transfer immediately.
The key concept is chaining two Clio custom actions together. The output of the first action (the contact ID) becomes the input of the second (the responsible staff lookup). This is what makes the Clio call routing workflow possible.
Think of Upfirst as a Clio answering service that already knows your client roster. Instead of a receptionist asking "who's your attorney?" and flipping through a directory, the system handles the lookup silently in the background.
What you'll need before starting
A few things should be in place before you set up the Clio integration and start using Upfirst as your Clio answering service:
- A Clio Manage account with API access. This Clio Manage integration is for Clio Manage, not Clio Grow. They're two separate products. Clio Grow handles client intake, while Clio Manage is the practice management side for active clients.
- An Upfirst account. If you don't have one yet, you can sign up here .
- Phone numbers stored on your Clio contacts. The last-four-digit matching only works if the data is there. Make sure your contacts have phone numbers saved in a format that matches the numbers your clients call from.
Once you have those three things, you're ready to connect Clio to Upfirst.
How to connect Clio Manage to Upfirst
Before building any Clio custom actions, Upfirst needs permission to communicate with your Clio Manage account. This is a one-time OAuth setup that enables the Clio Manage integration.
1. Create a developer app in Clio
Log into Clio Manage and head to the Developer Portal at https://developers.clio.com/apps. On that page, click "Create new app."
You'll fill in a few fields:
- App name: Something you'll recognize later, like "Upfirst Integration."
- Redirect URI:
https://app.upfirst.ai/oauth/callback(this comes from Upfirst). - Website URL:
https://upfirst.ai/ - Permissions/scopes: Grant read access to contacts and matters at minimum. Those are the two data types the Clio custom actions need.
After saving the app, Clio generates two values: a Client ID and a Client Secret. Treat the secret like a password. Copy both somewhere safe for the next step.
2. Add the OAuth connection in Upfirst
In your Upfirst dashboard, go to Agent > Custom Actions and click the OAuth Connections tab. Click "Add connection."
Fill in the fields:
- Connection name: "Clio Manage"
- Provider: "Clio"
- Client ID: Paste the Client ID from the previous step.
- Client Secret: Paste the Client Secret.
- Authorization URL:
https://app.clio.com/oauth/authorize - Token URL:
https://app.clio.com/oauth/token - Token Auth Method: Select "Client Secret Basic."
Click "Save" when you're done.
3. Authorize the connection
After saving the connection details, click the "Connect" button. This takes you through a login flow with Clio where you'll see an authorization screen asking you to allow access.
Click "Allow access," and you'll be redirected back to Upfirst. You should see a "Connected" status, which means your Clio custom actions can now authenticate automatically without manual headers.
How to build the contact lookup action
This is the first of two Clio custom actions in your Clio Manage integration. Its job is simple: take the caller's phone number, search for the last four digits in Clio, and return the matching contact ID.
1. Create the action and set instructions
In your Upfirst dashboard, go to Agent > Custom Actions and create a new action. Select "During call" so the action runs while on the call with the client.
Name the action "Find contact by phone" so it's easy to identify later.
In the instructions for the receptionist, add:
"As soon a call comes in, run this action silently in the background using the caller ID so that if the caller asks to be transferred, you can immediately find who their responsible party is and transfer them."
Click "Next."
2. Add the variable
Click "Add variable." Mark it as required and name it last_4.
For the description, enter: "Take the user's caller ID (the number that they are calling from) and search for their contact in Clio using the last 4 digits of their ID."
Add an example value like 2171.
3. Configure the API request
Set up the request with these values:
- Method: GET (you're retrieving data, not changing anything).
- Endpoint:
https://app.clio.com/api/v4/contacts.json?query={{last_4}}&fields=id,name,first_name,last_name,type,phone_numbers{number} - Authentication: Select OAuth and set the connection to "Clio Manage."
You don't need to fill out headers or query parameters for this action.
4. Test and save
Click "Run test" and wait for it to complete. If it comes back with data from Clio, the action is working.
On the next page, click "Deselect all" to uncheck every field. Then check only data.id, the Clio contact ID. This is the only piece of information the receptionist needs to run the next action.
Save the action.
How to build the responsible staff lookup action
This second Clio custom action takes the contact ID from the first action and uses it to find the caller's matter in Clio Manage. From the matter, it pulls the responsible staff assigned to that client's case. This is the action that makes responsible attorney call transfer possible through the Clio Manage integration.
1. Create the action and set instructions
Create another custom action. Name it "Find responsible staff." Select "During call" again.
For the receptionist instructions, enter:
"After finding a contact in Clio, find the responsible party so that you can transfer the call to the appropriate person."
2. Add the variable
Click "Add variable." Mark it as required and name it clio_contact_id.
For the description, enter: "The value that was returned after looking up a person in Clio."
Add an example value like 2512428500.
3. Configure the API request
Set up the request:
- Method: GET
- Endpoint:
https://app.clio.com/api/v4/matters?client_id={{clio_contact_id}}&fields=id,display_number,description,responsible_staff{id,name,email,phone_number} - Authentication: Select OAuth and set the connection to "Clio Manage."
No headers or query parameters needed here either.
4. Test and save
Run the test. If it pulls sample data from a matter in your Clio account and returns a success message, you're good.
On the next page, deselect all fields. Then check only data.responsible_staff.name. That's the only piece of information needed to initiate the correct responsible attorney call transfer.
Save the action. With this in place, your Clio answering service can identify the right attorney for each caller without asking.
How to set up Clio call routing rules
With both Clio custom actions built, the last step is creating call routing rules that tell the receptionist where to send the call based on the responsible staff name. This is where the Clio Manage integration comes together.
Go to Transfer calls under Agent. Click "Add transferring rule."
For each responsible staff member at your firm, you'll create a separate transfer rule. Here's how to set up the first one:
Name: The name of the person receiving the transfer (for example, "Felix Dubinsky").
Transfer instructions: Tell the receptionist when to initiate the responsible attorney call transfer. Something like:
"Transfer the call in the following scenarios: After finding a caller's responsible staff in Clio and their responsible staff is Felix Dubinsky. Also transfer if the caller is a current client and specifically asks to speak to Felix or Felix Dubinsky."
Message before transfer: This is what the receptionist says to the caller before initiating the transfer. Customize this to your preference.
Transfer destination: Enter the phone number of the responsible staff member.
Transfer preferences: You have several options for Clio call routing here:
- Warm transfer vs cold transfer : With a warm transfer, the receptionist briefs the attorney before connecting the caller. A cold transfer sends the call straight through.
- Caller ID display: Choose whether the receiving party sees the Upfirst agent's number or the actual caller's number.
- Unavailable handling: Decide what happens if the person can't pick up the transfer.
- Time restrictions: Restrict transfers to certain hours, like 9 AM to 5 PM.
Click "Save rule" when you're done. Repeat the process for each responsible staff member at your firm, swapping out the name and phone number in each rule. Once all your rules are saved, your Clio answering service is live and every incoming call from an existing client gets routed to their responsible staff automatically.
FAQ
Does this work with Clio Grow?
This specific custom action setup uses Clio Manage's API for contacts and matters, so it won't work with Clio Grow directly. But Upfirst's custom actions are flexible. You can build a separate custom action that connects to Clio Grow's API for client intake workflows. If you want to send leads to Clio Grow after a call, that's a different setup you can layer on top of this one.
What happens if the caller's number doesn't match anyone in Clio?
The receptionist handles the call normally, just like any other caller. It can take a message, answer questions from your knowledge base, or follow whatever instructions you've set up. The Clio call routing lookup happens silently in the background, so the caller won't notice if there's no match.
What if a contact has multiple matters?
The Clio API returns matters associated with the contact ID. If there are multiple matters, the responsible staff from the first returned matter is used. For firms where clients frequently have multiple open matters with different attorneys, you may want to add instructions for the receptionist to ask the caller which matter they're calling about.
Can Upfirst set this up for me?
Yes. If you're not comfortable with the technical setup, you can contact the Upfirst team and they'll configure the entire Clio Manage integration for you on a video call. You can also send a message through the chat widget in your Upfirst dashboard. This hands-on setup support is one of the things that sets Upfirst apart as a Clio answering service and law firm answering service .
How is this different from a standard answering service?
Most answering services for lawyers can take messages and transfer calls, but the transfer is manual. Someone asks the caller who they want to speak to, looks it up, and dials the number. With Upfirst's Clio Manage integration, the Clio call routing and responsible attorney call transfer happen automatically. The receptionist already knows who the caller's responsible staff is before the caller even asks to be transferred. That's the difference between a generic answering service and a Clio answering service connected to your practice management data.