Amicus Attorney to Clio: one product name, three different migrations
What Clio can migrate from Amicus depends entirely on which Amicus you run — Premium, Cloud, or Small Firm Edition. Each edition exports differently, each carries a different data list, and none of the three standard paths includes your documents. Here's the honest scope for each, plus a playbook for the document side.
An Amicus-to-Clio switch is really two migrations
Structured data is a database handoff. Documents are a separate problem with separate trade-offs.
Amicus Attorney has been filing matters for law firms since the early 1990s — it was long sold by AbacusNext, whose corporate site now redirects to CARET (getcaret.com). Firms moving off it today are usually leaving a desktop-and-server world for a cloud one, and the move splits cleanly in two.
The first migration is the structured one: contacts, matters, notes, tasks, calendar events, unbilled work, and outstanding balances. Clio's migrations team handles that from your Amicus export — but the export itself, and the exact data list, depend on which of the three Amicus editions you run. That's the single most important fact on this page, and it's why the next section exists.
The second migration is documents. Clio's Amicus migration guide lists what each edition can hand over, and documents appear on none of the three lists. They're not lost — on the desktop editions they're sitting as ordinary files on your firm's server — but they take a different path out of Amicus and a different path into Clio.
For the broader migration playbook beyond just Amicus, see our general guide to migrating to Clio. The rest of this page focuses on the Amicus-specific moving parts.
Which Amicus are you on?
Clio's migration guide treats the three editions as three different systems. Find your row before you plan anything.
| Edition | What Clio can migrate | How the export works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amicus Attorney (Premium, desktop) |
11 types: contacts, matters, notes, related contacts, tasks, email communications, phone communications, unbilled time entries, unbilled expense entries, calendar events, outstanding balances | SQL database backup run on your server (Office module > Firm Settings > Maintenance > Utilities > Backup) → BcAmicus_*.bak files | All users must be logged out; backup destination must be on the server's drive; can take a long time on a big database |
| Amicus Cloud (Online) |
9 types: contacts, matters, matter notes, related contacts, tasks, unbilled time entries, unbilled expense entries, calendar events, outstanding balances | No export function in the interface — you request a .bacpac (Microsoft Azure database) backup from Amicus | The backup comes from the vendor, not from you; a fee may apply; build the request lead-time into your schedule |
| Amicus Small Firm (Edition) |
4 types: matters, contacts, tasks, calendar events | Run a report for each type from File > Reports, then save the files with a .csv extension | Clio's guide warns the exports are not guaranteed, and some options may be unavailable without Amicus Administrator — validate early |
What a standard Clio migration covers
From Clio's data migration overview — the same scope frame applies whichever Amicus you're leaving.
- ✓ Contacts and related contacts
- ✓ Matters
- ✓ Notes, tasks, and calendar events
- ✓ Emails and phone logs (where your edition exports them)
- ✓ Unbilled activities
- ✓ A/R and trust balances — a single summative line item per matter or contact at export time
Your Amicus edition's own list (table above) is the ceiling — Small Firm Edition, for instance, only hands over four of these types.
Documents — scoped separately. Clio's overview lists documents as migratable subject to scoping and additional fees based on volume. They're outside the standard self-serve path, not impossible — raise them on your onboarding call.
Not migrated at all: accounting and financial history (trust transactions, invoices, billed time, A/R ledgers, bill payments, historical bills), billable rates, reports, user permissions, and settings.
Per Clio's Data Migration Overview. We cover three realistic document paths below.
How each edition's data actually gets out
Three editions, three mechanisms — none of them a click-and-download.
Amicus Attorney (Premium). The export is a SQL database backup that your firm runs on its own server. Per Clio's guide: confirm all users are logged out, open the Firm Settings view of the Office module, go to Maintenance > Utilities, browse to a backup destination on the same drive as the server, apply, and click Backup Now. The backup can take a significant amount of time on a large database, and it produces up to five files named BcAmicus_XXXX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX.bak. Clio asks you to provide those files to your data migration specialist ahead of the export call to speed things up.
Amicus Cloud (Online). The Cloud interface has no export function. Instead, you request a backup of your data from Amicus in .bacpac format — a Microsoft Azure database backup — and a fee may apply. The practical consequence: your timeline has a dependency on the vendor's turnaround, so make the request early.
Amicus Small Firm Edition. The lightest path and the most fragile one. You log in, go to File > Reports, and run a report each for Contacts, Matters, Calendars, and Tasks, saving the files with a .csv extension. Clio's guide attaches a caveat worth taking at face value: the exports are not guaranteed, and without Amicus Administrator some options may not be available. Run the reports weeks before cutover and inspect the CSVs — discovering a hollow export on migration day is the worst version of this story.
Notice what's absent from all three: documents. The database backup and the CSV reports carry your structured data. Your actual files take the separate path covered next.
Three realistic paths for your historical documents
On the desktop editions your documents are files on the firm's server — which means you have options.
Clio-scoped document migration
Clio's overview lists documents as migratable subject to scoping and additional fees based on volume. Raise it on your onboarding call and get a quote for your library alongside the structured import.
BEST FOR
- • Firms that want one vendor accountable
- • Large libraries with clean per-matter structure
- • Migrations already using Clio's assisted path
Priced per firm after scoping — not published.
Third-party paid migrator
Specialist migration shops move documents from legacy desktop systems into Clio with folder structure preserved. Typically four-figure engagements priced by volume.
BEST FOR
- • Very large document libraries
- • Complex folder hierarchies worth preserving exactly
- • Firms that want it done by someone else
Get the Amicus edition and document volume into the first scoping email.
Locate the files + bulk-upload tool
On the desktop editions, documents live as ordinary files on your firm's server. Organize them one folder per matter, then bulk-upload each folder to its Clio matter with a tool like Send to Case.
BEST FOR
- • Small to mid-size firms
- • Server documents you can already browse
- • Migrating matter-by-matter
No per-GB fees, no scoping calls — but you do the work.
One more native option worth knowing. The Clio Drive desktop app (Windows and Mac) has a built-in Bulk File Upload feature that pushes large quantities of documents — or large individual files — into Clio in the background, with progress shown in a "Pending Upload Queue." It slots naturally into path C once your files are sitting on a machine that runs Clio Drive. One caveat from Clio's own guidance: moving large amounts of files in bulk may cause the system to freeze, so move them in smaller chunks. Clio Drive is a virtual drive that streams from Clio's cloud, so it needs a live connection; for files that aren't already local, a browser-based tool like Send to Case is the simpler route. Confirm current details in Clio's help center.
Pre-cutover checklist + seven-step playbook
A scannable plan, in order, with the edition fork and the document path baked in.
Pre-cutover checklist
- ☐ Confirm your Amicus edition. Premium, Cloud, or Small Firm — everything downstream depends on it.
- ☐ Book Clio's migration consultation. First call sets the timeline, confirms scope for your edition, and is where you raise document scoping.
- ☐ Dry-run your export early. Small Firm: run the four CSV reports and inspect them. Cloud: request the .bacpac from Amicus now — vendor turnaround is on your critical path. Premium: schedule the server backup window with IT.
- ☐ Find your documents on the server. Confirm where Amicus has been storing matter files and that you can browse them outside Amicus before you lose anyone who knows the system.
- ☐ Export billing reports for your records. Accounting and financial history doesn't migrate — only summative balances do. Keep reports (or read access to Amicus) for historical reference.
- ☐ Communicate with your team. Cutover dates, where to log time during the gap, when Amicus becomes read-only.
The seven-step playbook
Identify your edition
Premium, Cloud, or Small Firm Edition. The data list, the export mechanism, and the risks all fork here — check the table above.
Book Clio's migration consultation
Schedule it as soon as you've decided to switch. Confirm your edition's scope, and ask for document-migration scoping in the same conversation.
Run the edition-specific export
Premium: all users out, Office module > Firm Settings > Maintenance > Utilities > Backup, destination on the server's drive — collect the BcAmicus_*.bak files. Cloud: request the .bacpac backup from Amicus (fee may apply). Small Firm: File > Reports for Contacts, Matters, Calendars, Tasks; save as .csv and verify the contents.
Hand the export to Clio's migrations team
They convert your backup or CSVs into a Clio-compatible format and import it. Processing time depends on database size; the team quotes a timeline once they have your data. Stop entering data into Amicus once you export — anything added afterward must be transferred by hand.
Review the import before touching it
Check contacts, matters, tasks, calendars, and balances. Don't modify imported data until you've confirmed it's accurate — edits can prevent the import from being reverted for corrections.
Pull your documents off the server
Locate the folders where Amicus stored matter files (desktop editions keep them as ordinary files on the firm's server) and organize them one folder per matter on a machine you control.
Upload documents to corresponding Clio matters
Move each matter folder into the matching Clio matter using your chosen path. If uploads fail, the Clio upload troubleshooting guide covers the common causes.
Gotchas and common pitfalls
The things that bite firms a week after cutover.
Edition confusion is the root of most Amicus migration surprises. "We use Amicus" can mean three materially different data lists. A firm that planned around Premium's 11 types and turns out to be on Small Firm Edition's 4 will discover, mid-migration, that its email history and unbilled work aren't coming along. Settle the edition question on day one.
Small Firm Edition's exports are not guaranteed. That's Clio's own caveat, and it's a real switching risk, not boilerplate. Some export options may be unavailable without Amicus Administrator. Run the reports early, open the CSVs, count rows against what you expect — and escalate gaps while the system (and whoever administers it) is still around.
Billing history doesn't migrate — only balances do. Per Clio's overview, accounting and financial history (trust transactions, invoices, billed time, A/R ledgers, bill payments, historical bills) cannot be migrated. Outstanding balances come across as a single summative line item per matter or contact. Reconcile balances before export, and keep your own historical billing records.
The export is a point-in-time snapshot. Clio's process says to stop using the old system the moment you export — anything entered into Amicus afterward isn't captured and has to be moved by hand. Schedule the export against a real freeze, not a soft one.
Cloud's backup has vendor lead-time and possibly a fee. Amicus Cloud has no self-serve export; the .bacpac backup comes from Amicus on request. Treat the request as the first task of the migration, not a mid-project errand.
Common pitfalls
- Planning the migration before confirming which Amicus edition you actually run.
- Trusting Small Firm CSVs without opening them — the exports are not guaranteed.
- Decommissioning the Amicus server before pulling the document files off it — the database backup doesn't contain them.
- Assuming invoices and billed time will appear in Clio — financial history is out of scope; only summative balances migrate.
An honest cost note
Clio's own framing is the right anchor here: "Clio offers a complimentary data migration service for many common systems. However, the cost can vary for more complex migrations or systems not directly supported." Amicus is a documented path in Clio's migration guides, but two line items commonly sit outside the complimentary core: a document migration (scoped, with fees based on volume) and — on Amicus Cloud — the vendor's possible fee for producing the .bacpac backup. Third-party document migrators are typically four-figure engagements priced by volume. The do-it-yourself path (locate the files, bulk-upload per matter) trades money for your time. See Send to Case pricing.
How Send to Case fits
Send to Case is a free Chrome extension that uploads files from your browser into a Clio matter. It is not a migration service — it doesn't read Amicus databases, parse .bak files, or move matters, contacts, calendars, or balances. Once your Amicus documents are sitting in folders on a machine you control, Send to Case lets you bulk-upload each matter's folder straight to the right Clio matter, or pull files from the browser without downloading them first.
That's the only role it plays in an Amicus-to-Clio switch: closing the document side after Clio's migrations team handles the structured data. Learn more about the extension or see how bulk upload works.
Coming from a different practice management system? See the guide to migrating to Clio, or the AbacusLaw and Needles guides.
Which Amicus edition am I on, and does it matter for the migration?
+It matters more than anything else on this page. Amicus Attorney Premium is the desktop, SQL-Server-backed edition installed on your firm's server; Amicus Cloud (Online) runs in the browser; Amicus Small Firm Edition is the lighter desktop product. Clio's migration guide treats them as three separate systems with three different data lists and three different export mechanics — Premium hands over a database backup, Cloud requires a backup requested from the vendor, and Small Firm exports CSV reports. Confirm your edition before booking the migration call.
Amicus Small Firm Edition says exports are not guaranteed — what does that mean in practice?
+Clio's migration guide carries a blunt caveat for Small Firm Edition: the exports are not guaranteed, and without Amicus Administrator some export options may not be available. Practically, that means you should run the Contacts, Matters, Calendars, and Tasks reports early — well before cutover — open the resulting CSVs, and verify the data is actually there and complete. If a report won't run or comes out partial, you want to discover that while you still have time to involve your Amicus administrator, not the week you planned to switch.
Does my billing history migrate from Amicus to Clio?
+No. Clio's data migration overview is explicit that accounting and financial history — trust account transactions, operating account transactions, invoices, billed time entries, A/R ledgers, bill payments, and historical bills — cannot be migrated. What does come across is forward-looking: unbilled time entries and summative outstanding balances (a single line item per matter or contact at the time of export). Plan to keep read access to Amicus, or export reports, for historical billing reference.
Where are my Amicus documents, and do they migrate?
+Documents don't appear on any of the three Amicus data lists in Clio's migration guide — they're not part of the standard path for any edition. That doesn't make them impossible to migrate: Clio's overview says documents can be migrated subject to scoping and additional fees based on volume, so raise it with your onboarding rep. On the desktop editions, your documents live as ordinary files on the firm's server, which means you can also locate them yourself and bulk-upload them into Clio matters.
Who actually runs the Amicus Premium database backup — us or Clio?
+Your firm does, on your own server. The backup runs from inside Amicus (Office module > Firm Settings > Maintenance > Utilities > Backup) with all users logged out, and the destination must be on the same drive as the server. It produces files named BcAmicus_*.bak — up to five of them — which you then hand to your Clio data migration specialist. If your Amicus server is managed by an IT provider, loop them in early; the backup can take a significant amount of time on a large database.
Do my emails and calendar entries come across?
+It depends on the edition. Amicus Premium's list is the richest: it includes email communications and phone communications alongside contacts, matters, notes, tasks, calendar events, unbilled time and expenses, and outstanding balances. Amicus Cloud's list covers calendar events but not email or phone communications. Small Firm Edition is narrowest — just matters, contacts, tasks, and calendar events. If email history matters to your practice, that difference may shape how much you archive separately before cutover.
How long does an Amicus Attorney to Clio migration take?
+Budget a couple of weeks of hands-on work, with the document upload continuing after cutover. The structured import itself depends on database size — Clio's team quotes a timeline after they receive your export. The long poles are usually edition-specific: getting the .bacpac back from Amicus on Cloud, validating Small Firm CSVs, and — on every edition — pulling documents off the server and uploading them to the right Clio matters.
Is there a maximum file size for documents in Clio?
+Yes. Clio limits a single file to 5 GB, the same whether you upload via the web Documents area or the Clio Drive desktop app. A file over 5 GB must be split or kept in external storage and referenced from the matter — no upload method raises the ceiling, and a zip seldom makes a file that big much smaller. It only matters for outsized media such as a long recorded deposition.
Keep going
Migrating to Clio (pillar)
The system-agnostic playbook — scope, sequencing, and the document gap in every migration.
Read guide →Documents in a Clio migration
Why documents are scoped separately in nearly every migration, and the realistic paths.
Read guide →AbacusLaw to Clio
The sister product's migration path — also a database-backup handoff with documents on the server.
Read guide →Needles to Clio
Another long-lived desktop system with a database export and a separate document story.
Read guide →Migrating from Amicus Attorney?
Your documents aren't in the database backup. Don't upload them one at a time.