Clio Moves on Big Law
Norma Harris, LawFuel contributing writer
Practice management company Clio has acquired UK-based ShareDo expanding its presence into its traditional small and mid-sized law firm base to the upper echelons of the legal market.
For 17 years, Clio has built its reputation as the “800-pound gorilla” in the small firm practice management space, steadily working toward its mission to “transform the legal experience for all.”
Last year, following a $900 million funding round, the company began extending its reach to mid-sized firms.
With the ShareDo acquisition, Clio is completing its market coverage by targeting the most prestigious and profitable segment of the law business.
Founded in 2011, ShareDo provides cloud-based enterprise case and matter management software specifically designed for large law firms.
Its client roster includes legal heavyweights like DLA Piper, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, serving approximately 13,000 legal professionals across more than 40 large law firms globally.
A Different Kind of Deal
Unlike Clio’s previous acquisitions—Lexicata (2018), CalendarRules (2021), and Lawyaw (2021)—which were integrated into Clio’s existing platform, ShareDo will remain a standalone product, reflecting the fundamental differences in how enterprise law firms approach technology.
Ronnie Gurion, (pictured) Clio’s COO, explained the reasoning: “As you go to the Am Law firms and the really large end of the spectrum, it’s a very different proposition. It’s either practice area specific or it’s best of breed.”
Large firms typically prefer specialized point solutions that integrate with their existing tech stack rather than all-in-one platforms favored by smaller practices.
ShareDo’s strength lies in its seamless integration capabilities with platforms already entrenched in Big Law, including NetDocuments, iManage, Aderant, and Elite. However, Clio sees opportunities to enhance ShareDo with its own innovations, particularly its payments technology and Clio Duo AI capabilities.
Why Big Law, Why Now?
The move into the large firm market isn’t just about fulfilling Clio’s mission—though Gurion emphasizes that “it’s hard to do that without servicing all types of law firms, especially the largest, most scaled law firms.” There’s also a compelling business case: while Big Law represents a smaller number of users compared to small firms, it commands a disproportionately high share of legal spending.
Gurion also believes the timing is right because the large-firm market remains underserved by existing cloud solutions. “There’s been a dearth of true cloud modern solutions that are built with a great UI and great customer experience and great flexibility for the enterprise market,” he said.
While small firms have embraced cloud technology (largely thanks to Clio’s pioneering efforts), Big Law has lagged behind—not necessarily due to resistance, but because the right combination of technology and support hasn’t been available.
For current Clio users, the acquisition promises potential benefits as capabilities flow both ways between the platforms. It also creates a natural migration path for growing firms that might eventually outgrow Clio’s core platform. “We have well over 1,000 mid-market firms on our platform and a lot of them are very fast growers,” Gurion pointed out.
The deal also opens new partnership opportunities, as ShareDo brings relationships with companies not currently in Clio’s integration ecosystem.
All of ShareDo’s approximately 70 employees will remain with the company, with founder and CEO Benjamin Nicholson taking the position of general manager at ShareDo.
Clio plans to significantly expand the ShareDo team over the coming year, though financial terms of the acquisition remain undisclosed.
As Nicholson said, “With the backing of such a dynamic global company, we are ready to begin this next chapter in the UK and beyond.”
