Just got exciting news from Jack Newton of the Themis Solutions/Clio team: they are rolling out “Clio ClientConnect“ today at  LegalTech 2009 in  New York.

Clio ClientConnect works seamlessly as a value-added feature of the main Clio system. It allows Clio users to share information and collaborate with clients through an easy-to-use online interface. ClientConnect will also enable online bill-paying for the attorney’s clients. Attorneys simply send their clients a link to an outstanding invoice, and the client can easily pay the invoice via PayPal or other online payment systems.

I talked to Jack about a Basecamp like feature back when I first learned about Clio.  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one!  This is a monumental announcement for Basecamp lovers who are looking for a comprehensive solution. The bill paying component sounds like a formidable challenge to Freshbooks as well but we’ll have to wait for the official rollout.

Clio is a web based practice management application that can be accessed from any internet connection (so it is “platform independent”).

I covered the early release news of RocketMatter which beat Clio to the punch with good initial PR, but Clio has made things very interesting.  Clio ClientConnect will likely be a real crowd pleaser and possible game-changer.

I haven’t seen it in action yet, but the team at Clio is surely jumping out of their pants to show it off at LegalTech New York today.  Stay tuned for screenshots and a screencast.

Read the whole story:  Announcing Client Collaboration and Online Bill Paying: Clio ClientConnect.