Draft factual client-status updates from approved milestones
Get the source data and prepare the review

Documentation-verified native AI retrieval and portal route; draft adaptation not tested

WHAT WAS CHECKED
Public official product documentation only. No product login, account write, real client data, installation, or live workflow test. Prompts and schemas are proposed editorial adaptations; vendor documentation verifies component features, not these end-to-end recipes. Native exports retain their real headers; kit schemas require the explicit mapping steps below.

BEFORE YOU START
- Clio Manage access to the specific matter; AI Launchpad entitlement for the AI retrieval route.
- Firm-approved Acrobat AI/PDF Spaces access for the cited drafting step, or prepare the short draft manually from the reviewed ledger. Adobe cloud processing must be approved for any uploaded content.
- Responsible lawyer to approve what is client-shareable, exact client recipient, and any dates or next steps.

DATA ACQUISITION LIMITS
- The Clio summary can draw from internal information. It does not decide privilege, confidentiality, client shareability, or completeness.
- No native milestones.csv export is documented. That file is an editorial review ledger filled after source checking.

STEP 1: Retrieve the matter context
Tool: Clio Manage AI
Open: Diamond icon > AI Launchpad > Ask a question > Catch up on a matter
Access needed: See recipe prerequisites; exact firm subscription and account permissions not tested.

Enter the exact matter name and prompt. If AI is not enabled, open the matter and review its recorded notes, tasks and communications directly; manually capture only the relevant facts.

PASTE THIS PROMPT
Summarize [MATTER NAME] for [START DATE] through [END DATE]. List recorded completed work, recorded next steps, explicit client requests, and any stated timing. Keep these categories separate. If something is not recorded, say unknown. Identify the underlying record for each point where available. Do not send a message or change any matter data.

Expected output: Matter-specific AI summary grounded in accessible communications, activities, events, tasks, notes, bills and documents; completeness is not guaranteed.
Use it next: Check each candidate milestone in its actual source record before using it.
Check: Confirm the correct matter and period; absence from a summary is not proof of no activity.
Documentation limit: Linked official documentation supports the named feature/menu. The workflow-specific prompt, schema, mapping and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations.
Source documentation:
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/29658072890523-Clio-Duo-Ask-About-Matters-and-Contacts

STEP 2: Build the approved client-shareable ledger
Tool: Excel or text editor; original Clio records
Open: Supplied milestones.csv template
Access needed: See recipe prerequisites; exact firm subscription and account permissions not tested.

The responsible reviewer checks source records, assigns M001-style IDs and a matter alias, copies exact dates/status/next steps/client actions, and sets client_shareable only after review. Put approved timing wording in approved_timing_text. Exclude internal strategy and unnecessary sensitive details. Keep record pointers in an internal mapping note.

Expected output: milestone_id,matter_alias,date_recorded,status_text,next_step,explicit_client_action,client_shareable,approved_timing_text. These are manually reviewed columns, not native Clio fields.
Use it next: Use only the approved, deidentified rows in the drafting workspace.
Check: Do not let AI set client_shareable. Do not invent a next step, action or delivery date. If no current evidence exists, retain an explicit unknown.
Documentation limit: Linked official documentation supports the named feature/menu. The workflow-specific prompt, schema, mapping and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations.
Source documentation:
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/29658072890523-Clio-Duo-Ask-About-Matters-and-Contacts

STEP 3: Draft from the approved ledger
Tool: Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant
Open: Acrobat home > PDF Spaces > Create a PDF Space > Paste copied text > Add to PDF Space; AI Assistant message field
Access needed: See recipe prerequisites; exact firm subscription and account permissions not tested.

Paste the labeled approved ledger as text, or add an approved TXT/PDF version. Enter the prompt in the space chat. This step does not connect Acrobat to Clio.

PASTE THIS PROMPT
Use only the supplied milestone rows marked client_shareable=true. Draft a short plain-language update with placeholders for client and matter identity: what happened, what happens next, and any explicitly recorded client action. Use approved_timing_text verbatim when supplied. Do not promise dates or outcomes, invent progress, expose internal rows, or send anything. Return the draft and a separate appendix mapping each sentence to milestone_id. If the approved facts record no change, say that; if they do not establish whether there was a change, say the available update is incomplete.

Expected output: Plain-language draft plus a sentence-to-milestone reviewer appendix.
Use it next: Use the response Copy control to place the draft and appendix in an internal review document.
Check: Click the source numbers and compare every draft claim to the approved rows; remove unsupported wording.
Documentation limit: Linked official documentation supports the named feature/menu. The workflow-specific prompt, schema, mapping and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations.
Source documentation:
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/explore-pdf-spaces/create-pdf-spaces.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/use-acrobat-ai/generative-ai-features/ai-get-answers.html

STEP 4: Review and send only after approval
Tool: Clio Manage / Clio for Clients
Open: Selected matter > Communications > Go to client portal > Messages
Access needed: See recipe prerequisites; exact firm subscription and account permissions not tested.

Lawyer approves content and recipient. A human pastes only the approved client-facing draft, excluding the reviewer appendix, into the existing portal conversation. Inspect recipient and matter before selecting Send.

Expected output: One approved status message in the correct portal, only if the reviewer elects to send.
Use it next: Save the approved copy and source ledger internally.
Check: Check notification privacy: current Clio setup docs say new portal-message emails include the full message by default. Have an authorized administrator review the setting before sensitive content; do not assume portal text stays out of email.
Documentation limit: Linked official documentation supports the named feature/menu. The workflow-specific prompt, schema, mapping and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations.
Source documentation:
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9156698397467-Clio-for-Clients-Law-Firm-Actions
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9043484357147-Set-Up-Clio-for-Clients

ACCOUNT AND SOURCE CHECKS STILL NEEDED
- Firm AI access, matter permissions, Adobe approval and client-portal configuration were not tested.
- The exact account UI may vary by region/rollout; no automatic Clio-to-Acrobat transfer is claimed.

USING THE FILES IN THIS KIT
Use the exact files or source text named in the steps above. Native exports keep their own headers. The kit tables are editorial review worksheets; they are not a claim that a product exports those fields. Some routes use reviewed text directly or require additional original files. Never rename an unreviewed raw export to make it appear mapped. Keep expected-result files separate from inputs.

The source account, actual data, prompts and end-to-end workflow were not tested. Any final communication, filing, permission change, payment or publication needs its own authorized human action. This guide performs none.
