# Clio Matter Contacts API

**Canonical:** https://apis.io/apis/clio/clio-matter-contacts-api/  
**Provider:** Clio — https://apis.io/providers/clio/  
**Base URL:** https://app.clio.com/api/v4  
**Documentation:** https://docs.developers.clio.com/

Clio Matter Contacts API is one of 85 APIs that [Clio](https://apis.io/providers/clio/) publishes on the [APIs.io](https://apis.io/) network, described by a machine-readable OpenAPI specification. Tagged areas include Matter Contacts. The published artifact set on APIs.io includes an OpenAPI specification, API documentation, an API reference, and authentication docs.

All clients, prospective clients, companies, and external co-counsels can be viewed as Contacts under the Contacts tab in Clio Manage. [Support Link](https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9290486281627-Clio-Manage-Contacts-Overview) ## Contact Name When creating a contact of type "Person" you must provide at least a first name or a last name. This can be done in one of two ways: 1. Providing the name components explicitly (preferred): Using the `first_name` and `last_name` parameters. 2. Providing the full name (discouraged): Using the `name` parameter, you can provide the person's full name (e.g. "John Smith") and Clio will attempt to infer the individual components of the name. If it is unable to do so, you will receive a "422 Unprocessable Entity: At least one of first name or last name must be provided" Error. **We recommend using the individual name fields when possible to avoid any ambiguities.** ## Associations A Contact can be persisted with its associations in a single request. The followings detail the nested attributes to persist the associations. ### Addresses Checkout the sample request to update the Addresses of a Contact: ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { addresses: [ // update { id: 1, name: "Work", country: "Canada" }, // create { name: "Home", street: "1234 Main Street", city: "Burnaby", province: "BC", country: "Canada", postal_code: "V1A 1A1" }, // destroy { id: 2, _destroy: true } ] } ``` ### Custom Field Values A CustomFieldValue contains the value of a CustomField for a Contact. Below are some examples of how to create, read, update, and destroy the CustomFieldValues of a Contact: #### Create Note: The value of `id` used here is the value of the `id` parameter in the response received when [creating a new CustomField](https://docs.developers.clio.com/clio-manage/api-reference/#tag/Custom-Fields/operation/CustomField#create) or one returned in a [query of an existing CustomField](https://docs.developers.clio.com/clio-manage/api-reference/#tag/Custom-Fields/operation/CustomField#show). ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { custom_field_values: [ { custom_field: { id: 2 }, value: "Initial value" } ] } } ``` #### Read Note: The `id` of the CustomFieldValue is a composite value including the custom field type. Use this `id` to update and destroy the CustomFieldValue. The `id` of the associated Custom Field can be found by querying the `custom_field` for all CustomFieldValues related to the Contact, e.g.: `/api/v4/contacts/1?fields=id,display_number,custom_field_values{id,value,custom_field}` Note: The `id` may be `NULL` when the CustomField is displayed by default but has not yet been given a value. ```json Request GET /api/v4/contacts/1.json?fields=custom_field_values{id,value,custom_field} { data: { custom_field_values: [ { id: "text_line-1", value: "Current value", custom_field: { id: 2 } } ] } } ``` #### Update Note: The value of the CustomFieldValue `id` used here is a composite value and can be found by querying for all CustomFieldValues related to the Contact, e.g.: `/api/v4/contacts/1?fields=id,name,custom_field_values{id,value,custom_field}` Note: If the `id` is `NULL`, you must provide `custom_field{id}` to create the CustomFieldValue and assign a value (see **Create**). ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { custom_field_values: [ { id: "text_line-1", value: "Updated value" } ] } } ``` #### Destroy Note: The value of the CustomFieldValue `id` used here is a composite value and can be found by querying for all CustomFieldValues related to the Contact, e.g.: `/api/v4/contacts/1?fields=id,name,custom_field_values{id,value}` ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { custom_field_values: [ { id: "picklist-2", _destroy: true } ] } } ``` ### Email Addresses Checkout the sample request to update the Email Addresses of a Contact: ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { email_addresses: [ // update { id: 1, name: "Work", address: "demo@clio.com" }, // create { name: "Home", address: "home@clio.com" }, // destroy { id: 2, _destroy: true } ] } ``` ### Instant Messengers Checkout the sample request to update the Instant Messengers of a Contact: ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { instant_messengers: [ // update { id: 1, name: "Work", address: "https://twitter.com/goclio" }, // create { name: "Other", address: "https://www.facebook.com/GoClio/" }, // destroy { id: 2, _destroy: true } ] } ``` ### Phone Numbers Checkout the sample request to update the Phone Numbers of a Contact: ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { phone_numbers: [ // update { id: 1, name: "Work", number: "123-456-7890" }, // create { name: "Other", number: "000-000-0000" }, // destroy { id: 2, _destroy: true } ] } ``` ### Web Site Checkout the sample request to update the Web Site of a Contact: ```json Request PATCH /api/v4/contacts/1.json { data: { web_sites: [ // update { id: 1, name: "Work", address: "https://help.clio.com/" }, // create { name: "Other", address: "https://www.clio.com/about/careers/" }, // destroy { id: 2, _destroy: true } ] } ```

## Machine-readable artifacts (5)

- **OpenAPI** — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/clio/refs/heads/main/openapi/clio-matter-contacts-api-openapi.yml
- **Documentation** — https://docs.developers.clio.com/
- **Reference** — https://docs.developers.clio.com/api-docs/
- **Authentication** — https://app.clio.com/oauth/authorize
- **GraphQL** — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/clio/refs/heads/main/graphql/clio-graphql.md

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## Tags

Matter Contacts

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Profiled by [API Evangelist](https://apievangelist.com) and published on [APIs.io](https://apis.io/apis/clio/clio-matter-contacts-api/). The API's provider profile, Kin Score and agent-readiness rating are at https://apis.io/providers/clio/.