ClioCon 2026 Day Two: Was it worth it?

By Danial Alam, LegalMate. Written in Boston the night ClioCon 2026 wrapped.

After a couple of long days, I can definitely say my first ClioCon was a resounding success.

Day two went much like day one. Keynote speeches that were filled with new product announcements, a lot of cool merch, some delicious conference food, and a few really great conversations.

But there was one question I kept hearing all day - how much is Clio really going to do? We’ll talk more about that in a bit.

What Day Two of ClioCon actually looked like

Day one was the big news day. Jack Newton, CEO of Clio, took the main stage, and announced a lot. I covered all of it in my day one recap.

ClioCon spared no expense to treat attendees well. It was much grander than I imagined. From the merch to the after-party, they definitely know how to put on a fun show.

Day two was set up differently than day one. Instead of one big keynote, the day was split into focused tracks: Business of Law, Tech & Innovation, Solo & Small Firms, Mid-to-Large Firms, etc.

This gave attendees the opportunity to spend the day on whatever matters most to their firms. It was a smart way to navigate the different types of firms attending to the right places.

Is ClioCon worth the trip?

At the end of the day, ClioCon is made for networking and creating authentic relationships with new people. Everyone is so happy to be there and excited to meet new people. It’s a really positive vibe.

I got to meet people I'd been trying to track down for months. The people I'd been trying to reach by phone were much easier to connect with in person at the event. That alone made the trip worth it for our team.

If you're going next year, here's what worked best for me: Grab a drink or some food, and just park yourself at a table. People will come up and talk to you! It's much easier to have open, honest conversations than standing in front of a booth.

We also hosted a LegalMate happy hour mixer, and we were happy to see that a lot of people showed up - all from different areas. A lot of them hadn't heard of LegalMate before, including some other vendors, which gave me the opportunity to do a lot of talking.

The thing that surprised me the most from the mixer we hosted was the opportunities: making connections with other vendors and Legal tech platforms. It created a new sense of community that we haven’t seen a lot of before, where teams are more open to helping each other out. It gave us the chance to share our learnings, fears, and our frustrations.

"I think at the end of the day ClioCon is made for networking, meeting new people. Everyone is so happy to be there and excited to meet new people." - Danial Alam, Day 2 of ClioCon

The question everyone was asking: How much is Clio going to do?

Clio speaking about their new products was exciting. But I saw many people questioning it, too. How much is Clio going to really do? Are they planning on taking over the entire industry?

Clio Phones was the big one. Everyone was talking about it. At the same time, a lot of people were hesitant about it. I heard "Clio is doing way too much" more than once. One attorney told me, "As soon as I learn Clio, they change it." A fair argument.

The other thing I heard a lot was about AI receptionists. People love the idea, but many people already have a sour taste in their mouth because the ones they tried didn't live up to their expectations.

It's an honest conversation to have. One that we can’t afford to avoid.

On day one, Clio announced its own phone system: a unified inbox for email and texts, an AI assistant, built-in document management, and timekeeping. That's a lot of elements that firms used to manage with a variety of tools. I wrote a separate post on what we know (and don't) about Clio Phones, if you want to read more.

Now, while that question may still need to be answered, if you run a firm, here's how I'd think about it: You don't have to pick a side this week.

Most of what was announced rolls out over the next several months. When it lands, judge it the same way you'd judge any tool. Does it do the job your team needs every day? Does it do it better than what you have now? That's it. Let the proof be in the pudding, as it were.

What's next for Clio, LegalMate, and me

I'm definitely excited for what's to come, and for the continued growth of both Clio and LegalMate. Most of all, I'm excited to see where the future brings us.

Next year's ClioCon is in Seattle. So, hopefully I can see lots of you in the Emerald City in 2027!

Until then, I'm posting behind-the-scenes info on Instagram, so follow me at: @danial_with_legalmate.

About the author

I'm Danial Alam, and I'm on the sales and growth team at LegalMate, where I spend my days talking to firms about how calls, texts, and intake actually get into Clio and Filevine. I post the behind-the-scenes version of that work, including ClioCon this week, on Instagram (follow me at @danial_with_legalmate).