Disbo is the referral fee payment & ethics layer for Clio firms
Keep Clio for the matter, billing, and ledger entries. Add Disbo on top to calculate the split, generate the per-state referral agreement, disclosure, and consent, and actually pay the referring attorney over ACH, FedNow, wire, or check as part of the settlement disbursement. Native Clio integration coming soon.
We don't compete with Clio — we add the payment and ethics documentation layer on top.
Clio is the most widely adopted legal practice management platform in the U.S. — strong in matter management, billing, intake, and document automation. Its trust accounting module (Clio Accounting) handles ledger entries and reconciliation. Both products are well-built for what they do, and we're not trying to replace either.
What Clio doesn't do — in either Manage or Accounting — is execute the referral fee payment or generate the ethics paperwork the bar will look for. The referral arrangement gets noted in a matter field; the trust ledger shows a pending obligation; the actual payment to the referring attorney happens outside the platform. Disbo plugs that work in as a layer on top: structured agreement, jurisdiction-specific disclosure and consent documents, and the payment itself, all as part of the settlement disbursement. Clio stays the system of record for the matter. A native Clio integration is on the roadmap.
About Clio's referral fee handling
Clio is a cloud-based legal practice management platform with two financial products: Clio Manage (matter management, billing, intake) and Clio Accounting (trust and operating account ledgers). Referral fees can be tracked as custom matter fields or noted on invoices, and Clio Accounting can record a referral fee as a trust ledger line item — but the actual payment to the referring attorney requires a separate disbursement step using external banking, a paper check, or a third-party payment tool.
Referral fees feature-by-feature: Disbo vs. Clio
Defaults out of the box — not maximum capability after custom configuration.
| Capability | Clio | Disbo |
|---|---|---|
Track that a referral fee is owed | Yes — via custom matter fields or invoice memo lines | Structured referral fee agreements with status, party, and split |
Auto-calculate fee splits | Manual — enter the amount on the invoice or ledger | Calculated from the agreement percentage and settlement amount |
Generate ethics documentation | No — firm drafts agreements, disclosures, and consents externally | Written agreement, client disclosure, and consent generated per state |
Actually pay the referring attorney | No — payment happens outside Clio (check, ACH, online banking) | Paid as part of the settlement disbursement workflow |
Same-day payment rails | No native referral fee disbursement rails | ACH, FedNow, wire, and check from a single screen |
Multi-attorney / co-counsel splits | Tracked manually if at all — no native multi-payee referral logic | Multi-recipient splits handled inside the disbursement |
50-state ethics rule alignment | Generic workflow — firm tracks each state's fee-sharing rules manually | Jurisdiction-aware: applies the matter state's fee-sharing rules |
Bar-ready audit trail for fee shares | Activity log + invoice export; firm assembles the package | One immutable record per fee-share — agreement, consent, payment |
Clio tracks the matter and the obligation. Disbo is the referral fee payment and ethics documentation layer that runs on top.
Track-only, not track-and-pay
Clio's referral fee story ends at the ledger entry or invoice memo. The actual payment to the referring lawyer is always a separate step — typically a check from the trust account or an ACH initiated through online banking. Every payment outside the system is a place a mistake can happen.
No automated ethics documentation
All 50 states require some form of written referral agreement, client disclosure, and consent for fee sharing. Clio does not generate these documents. Your firm drafts them in Word, signs them, and stores copies — and hopes the audit pulls the right one.
Compliance interpretation sits on the firm
Each state bar has its own fee-sharing rules — some require proportionality, some require joint responsibility, some have specific disclosure language. Clio applies no jurisdiction logic to referrals. Disbo applies the matter's state rules automatically.
Tracking, ethics documentation, and payment — one workflow
We pay the referring attorney
Disbo executes the actual payment to the referring lawyer through ACH, FedNow, wire, or check — directly from the settlement disbursement. There is no separate step, no second system, no check to cut.
50-state ethics documentation
Every fee-share generates the written referral agreement, client disclosure and consent letter, and proportionality documentation required by the matter's jurisdiction — created automatically as part of the workflow.
One audit-ready trail
Tracking, calculation, ethics documentation, and payment all live in a single immutable record. When the bar asks how a referral fee was handled, the answer is one click — not an email and spreadsheet hunt.
Choosing between Disbo and Clio for referral fees
Clio is best for
Clio is best for firms that want a single platform for matter management, billing, intake, and document automation — and intend to keep Clio as their primary system of record for the matter and the obligation.
Disbo is best for
Disbo is best for any firm running on Clio that wants the referral fee payment and ethics documentation handled inside one workflow — calculated splits, per-state agreement, disclosure, and consent, and the actual ACH/FedNow/wire/check to the referring attorney as part of the settlement disbursement. Added as a layer on top, not as a replacement. Native Clio integration is coming soon.
Disbo vs. Clio for referral fees — FAQ
Do I have to leave Clio to use Disbo for referral fees?
No. Disbo is built to sit on top of your existing practice management platform. Clio stays the system of record for the matter, billing, and ledger entries. Disbo handles the referral fee work that Clio isn't designed for — calculating the split, generating the per-state ethics documentation, and paying the referring attorney as part of the settlement disbursement. A native Clio integration is on the roadmap.
What does Disbo add on top of Clio for referral fees?
Three things Clio doesn't do natively: (1) calculate the fee split as a structured agreement on the matter, (2) generate the written referral agreement, client disclosure, and consent required by the matter's state bar, and (3) pay the referring attorney over ACH, FedNow, wire, or check as part of the settlement disbursement — with one immutable record covering agreement, consent, and payment.
Does Clio pay attorney referral fees on its own?
No. Clio Manage can track that a referral fee is owed and Clio Accounting can record it as a ledger entry, but the actual payment to the referring attorney happens outside the platform — typically a check from the trust account or an ACH initiated through online banking. Disbo runs the payment as a line in the settlement disbursement so tracking and payment are one workflow.
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 automated ethics documentation and on-platform payment still significantly outweighs the friction.
Compare Disbo's referral fee workflow to other platforms
See how Disbo's track-and-pay model stacks up against other tools.
Ready to stop tracking referral fees and start paying them?
See how Disbo calculates the split, generates the ethics documentation, and pays the referring attorney — all from the settlement disbursement.