Disbo is the disbursements & IOLTA compliance layer for Clio firms
Keep Clio for matter management, billing, intake, and document automation. Add Disbo on top for client and vendor disbursements, 50-state IOLTA enforcement, and bar-ready audit packages in under 60 seconds — with extra muscle for personal injury workflows like settlements and medical lien negotiation. Native Clio integration coming soon.
We don't compete with Clio — we add the disbursements and compliance layer it doesn't have.
Clio is the most widely adopted legal practice management platform in the U.S. — strong in matter management, billing, intake, and document automation. For most of a firm's day-to-day, that's the right tool. We don't try to replace it.
Where Clio stops short — for any firm that holds client funds — is the trust side: enforcing state-bar IOLTA rules at the transaction level and running real disbursements to clients, vendors, co-counsel, and other payees. Disbo plugs that work in as a layer on top, with deeper personal-injury-specific workflows like multi-recipient settlement disbursements and medical lien negotiation built in for firms that need them. Clio stays the system of record for the matter. A native Clio integration is on the roadmap.
What Clio does — and where it stops.
Clio is a full-featured legal practice management platform built around general law firm workflows — matter management, billing, intake, and document handling. Trust accounting is a feature within Clio Manage and Clio Accounting, covering per-matter ledgers, transfers, and periodic bank reconciliation. It is not designed to enforce state-specific IOLTA rules at the transaction level or to run real disbursement workflows — and personal injury practices, where settlement disbursements and medical lien negotiation come into play, hit those limits hardest. Disbo is built for that work and complements Clio rather than replacing it.
Feature comparison: Disbo vs. Clio
Defaults out of the box — not maximum capability after custom configuration.
| Feature | Clio | Disbo |
|---|---|---|
Disbursement workflow (clients, vendors, payees) | Manual disbursement entries — one ledger line at a time | Full disbursement workflow with multi-recipient breakdown and audit-ready records |
PI workflows: settlements & medical lien negotiation | Not supported — tracked in matter notes and external tools | Settlement disbursements, lien intake, negotiation, and lienholder payments built in |
Negative balance prevention | Discovered after the fact during reconciliation | Blocked automatically before the transaction processes |
50-state IOLTA rules engine | No jurisdiction logic — firm tracks rules manually | 50+ jurisdiction rules applied automatically per matter |
Three-way reconciliation | Manual workflow — typically monthly | Continuous and automated — runs in real time |
Audit package generation | Export raw data; attorney assembles manually | Complete audit package generated in under 60 seconds |
Native Clio integration | — | Coming soon — sync matters, parties, and disbursement events |
Best used as | System of record for matters, billing, intake, and documents | Layer on top for trust, disbursements, liens, and IOLTA compliance |
Clio runs the firm. Disbo is the disbursements, lien negotiation, and IOLTA compliance layer that sits on top.
Disbursements are a manual lift in Clio
Clio can record trust ledger entries, but real disbursement work — paying clients, vendors, co-counsel, or (for PI firms) splitting a settlement across multiple recipients — is a manual sequence done outside the platform. Disbo runs the whole disbursement in one workflow with audit-ready breakdown.
No native settlement or lien negotiation workflow
Personal injury firms hit this hardest: medical lien tracking, negotiation, and payment aren't part of Clio. Most firms bridge it with spreadsheets and email. Disbo runs settlements, lien intake, negotiation, and lienholder payments in one place — and works alongside Clio rather than replacing it.
Trust compliance still sits on the firm
Clio's trust module supports bookkeeping but doesn't enforce state-bar IOLTA rules at the transaction level. Disbo adds that enforcement layer for any firm holding client funds: jurisdiction-aware rules, real-time prevention, and one-click bar audit packages.
IOLTA compliance as a system — not a feature checkbox.
Prevention, not detection
Disbo blocks negative balances before the transaction processes. Discovery at month-end is already a violation.
50-state IOLTA rules engine
Every matter carries a governing jurisdiction. Disbo applies that state's IOLTA reconciliation, retention, and notification rules automatically.
Audit-ready in 60 seconds
A complete audit package — client ledgers, three-way reconciliation, disbursement histories — generates from an immutable trail in under a minute.
Choosing between Disbo and Clio
Clio is best for
Clio is best for firms that want a broad practice management platform across matter management, billing, intake, and document workflows — and intend to keep using it as their primary system of record.
Disbo is best for
Disbo is best for any firm running on Clio that holds client funds and wants a real disbursements engine plus automated IOLTA compliance on top — with extra workflows like settlement disbursements and medical lien negotiation for personal injury practices. Added as a layer on top, not as a replacement. Native Clio integration is coming soon.
Disbo vs. Clio FAQ
Do I have to leave Clio to use Disbo?
No. Disbo is built to sit on top of your existing practice management platform. Clio stays the system of record for matters, billing, intake, and documents. Disbo runs the trust, disbursement, and IOLTA compliance work that Clio isn't designed for — with extra settlement and lien negotiation workflows for personal injury firms. A native Clio integration is on the roadmap so matters and parties sync automatically.
Is Disbo only for personal injury firms?
No. Disbo's disbursements engine and 50-state IOLTA compliance layer are valuable to any firm that holds client funds — general practice, family law, real estate, estate planning, immigration, and more. Personal injury firms get additional purpose-built workflows on top, like multi-recipient settlement disbursements and medical lien negotiation, because those are the highest-volume, highest-risk disbursement scenarios.
What does Disbo add on top of Clio?
Three things Clio doesn't do natively: (1) a real disbursement workflow for paying clients, vendors, co-counsel, and other payees with audit-ready records, (2) PI-specific workflows like settlement disbursements and medical lien negotiation, and (3) a 50-state IOLTA rules engine with real-time negative balance prevention and one-click bar-ready audit packages.
Is there a Clio integration with Disbo?
A native Clio integration is on our near-term roadmap — matter sync, party sync, and disbursement events flowing back into the Clio matter. Until that's live, firms typically run Disbo alongside Clio with light manual hand-off; the value of disbursements and IOLTA compliance still significantly outweighs the friction.
Does Disbo help Clio firms stay bar-compliant?
That's exactly the goal. Clio's trust module is record-keeping; Disbo is the compliance enforcement layer. Negative balances are blocked at entry, the correct state's IOLTA rules apply automatically per matter, and a bar-ready audit package is one click — so firms running on Clio can confidently handle trust work without re-platforming.
Compare Disbo to other platforms
See how Disbo's IOLTA compliance approach stacks up against other practice management tools.
Ready to move beyond Clio's trust accounting to full IOLTA compliance?
See how Disbo's compliance engine prevents violations, enforces 50-state bar rules, and generates audit-ready reports automatically.
256-bit Encryption · IOLTA Ready · SOC 2 (Coming Soon)