Prepare a duplicate-contact review list
Get the source data and prepare the review

Documentation-checked proposed route; source collection and human approval required

WHAT WAS CHECKED
Official documentation checked; all routes are proposed and have not been run in a product account. No client data, account access, installs or account writes used. Native column names are distinguished from editorial kit contracts. Missing source evidence blocks completeness claims.

BEFORE YOU START
- Clio Manage contact export permission and authorized visibility of the selected matter/contact relationships.
- Approved matching policy, normalization rules and permitted identifier tokens. Shared household details are not person identity.
- Firm-approved Excel; optional Copilot entitlement and tenant approval for the exact minimized data. Native Excel analysis can be done manually if Copilot is absent.
- Keep raw exports and identifying source pointers in a separate restricted location. The AI workbook contains only approved alias-based tables and visible policy/scope text, never raw client records on another tab.

DATA ACQUISITION LIMITS
- Contact export includes basic/custom contact fields, not billing preferences or a guaranteed complete relationship graph. created_at/created_by_system/household_group must not be invented if absent.
- Candidate duplication does not authorize merge or deletion; clients, relatives and adverse parties may legitimately share contact details.

DECLARED INPUT CONTRACT
contacts.csv: contact_alias, normalized_identifier_token, household_group_if_known, created_at, created_by_system, relationship_role
matter-links.csv: contact_alias, matter_alias, role
matching-policy.txt

STEP 1: Download the actual contact list
Tool: Clio Manage
Open: Contacts > All / People / Companies > Filters > bottom Export > CSV > Export
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

Choose the authorized scope and all or selected visible columns. Retain raw headers and capture filters/time/count. Review related contacts on each relevant matter Dashboard separately; the contact CSV alone is not the matter-links table.

Expected output: Native contact CSV and manually checked matter/contact relationships.
Use it next: Keep identifiers restricted and prepare approved alias/token records.
Check: Do not assume matching names/emails mean one person; check People/Companies scope and hidden contacts.
Documentation limit: Official sources support named product features. Workflow-specific prompts, alias fields, mappings and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations, not native export promises.
Source documentation:
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9290532034843-Filter-and-Export-Contacts
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9285920226075-Get-Started-With-Matters

STEP 2: Map the observed records to the starter input
Tool: Excel and authorized staff
Open: Separate analysis workbook > Home > Format as Table
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

Map contacts.csv to contact_alias and normalized_identifier_token using the approved normalization policy locally. Assign an opaque equal-value token to identical normalized identifiers; do not expose the underlying email/phone/address. Preserve household_group_if_known,created_at,created_by_system and relationship_role only when observed. Build matter-links.csv from verified Dashboard relationships with contact_alias,matter_alias,role. Paste matching-policy.txt into Policy with scope exclusions. Create named tables for Contacts and MatterLinks. Put the policy and review scope in visible worksheets or paste them into the next prompt.

Expected output: Alias/token Contacts and MatterLinks tables; unknown creation metadata remains unknown.
Use it next: Check the mapping against each original source before using AI.
Check: Aliases and missing policy fields are staff-created; do not relabel a native export as the kit schema. Unknown stays blank/unknown, not false or zero.
Documentation limit: Official sources support named product features. Workflow-specific prompts, alias fields, mappings and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations, not native export promises.
Source documentation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/tutorial-import-data-into-excel-and-create-a-data-model

STEP 3: Review the bounded evidence with Copilot
Tool: Excel Copilot, optional
Open: Approved analysis workbook > Copilot icon at lower right > Chat only
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

Use Chat only and submit the prompt. Without Copilot: group identical approved tokens, then inspect relationship conflicts and policy exclusions.

PASTE THIS PROMPT
Apply the supplied matching Policy to Contacts and MatterLinks. Return candidate contact_alias pairs/groups, exact matching token evidence, relationship differences, conflicting facts and source rows. Separate shared-household or business contact details from possible duplicate persons. Unknown metadata stays unknown. Recommend human checks only; never merge contacts, infer identity or erase matter roles.

Expected output: Evidence-linked duplicate-candidate list, not merge instructions.
Use it next: Copy the draft exception list to the reviewer; retain row references.
Check: Check every flagged row and the scope. A fluent answer is not evidence of completeness; no automatic workbook or source-system edits.
Documentation limit: Official sources support named product features. Workflow-specific prompts, alias fields, mappings and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations, not native export promises.
Source documentation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/copilot/get-started-with-copilot-in-excel
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/copilot/frequently-asked-questions-about-copilot-in-excel

STEP 4: Approve the review result
Tool: Responsible staff reviewer
Open: Reviewed local worksheet
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

An authorized contact administrator opens both original contact records and their matter relationships, decides whether they are actually the same entity and records the evidence. Any merge is a separately reviewed action.

Expected output: Reviewed identity candidates and explicit keep-separate decisions.
Use it next: Any external message, source change, payment or deletion requires its own authorized process.
Check: Never merge client/adverse-party or family records based only on a shared email, address or phone.
Documentation limit: Editorial human-review gate; linked Excel documentation supports the worksheet used, not legal or accounting conclusions.
Source documentation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/tutorial-import-data-into-excel-and-create-a-data-model

ACCOUNT AND SOURCE CHECKS STILL NEEDED
- Actual account access, plan and source-data completeness have not been tested.

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.
