Clarra now connects directly to DocketBird, so new court filings show up in ClarraDocs automatically instead of being manually downloaded and uploaded.

What Court Docket Integration does

If your firm uses a court docket monitoring service, you no longer have to download filings from that service and re-upload them to Clarra by hand. Once a Matter is linked to a case, Clarra automatically pulls each new filing into ClarraDocs as it's entered on the court docket.

DocketBird is the first supported provider, with more to follow. Your firm can connect more than one provider at the same time, since different providers cover different courts.

Turning on Court Docket Integrations

A Firm Administrator or Super Admin turns the integration on for the firm:

1. Go to Account Settings > Integrations > Court Docket Integrations.
2. Find the provider you want to connect (for example, DocketBird) and select Enable.
3. Enter the firm's service account token for that provider, then select Test Connection to verify it.
4. Once connected, set the firm-wide defaults for that provider:
   • Default tag. The tag applied to everything the provider ingests. It's pre-filled with the provider's name (for example, "Docketbird") and can be changed, though changes only apply to documents ingested after the change.
   • AI processing. Whether Clarra's AI is allowed to process documents ingested by this provider. This option only appears if your firm has AI enabled.
   • File naming convention. Choose which of five elements (Document No., Type, Date, Docket Text, Attachment Name) to include in the file name Clarra builds for each ingested document, and drag them into the order you want. At least one element is required, and a live preview shows how the file name will look.

More than one provider can be enabled at the same time, since no single provider covers every court.

Linking a case to a Matter

Once a provider is enabled for your firm, users with the Manage Docket Integration on Matters permission can link a court case to a Matter:

1. Open the Matter and go to the Court Docket Integration section on the Matter Info page. You'll see a subsection for each enabled provider.
2. In the subsection for the provider you want, select Add Case.
3. Choose the Court from the list and enter the Case Number.
4. Clarra validates the case with the provider and shows you the resolved case title. Confirm it to save the link.

A Matter can have multiple cases linked across one or more providers, for example a district court case and a related appellate case. The same case can't be linked twice under the same provider.

When you link a case, you can also choose:

• Backfill. Import the case's entire historical docket in the background, not just filings going forward. A warning explains that the provider may charge fees for retrieving older documents, which are billed by the provider under your firm's account, not by Clarra.
• Import extracted deadlines. On by default. Automatically turns hearings, deadlines, and conferences that the provider extracts from filings into active Docketing Notes.
• AI Summarization. Off by default, and only shown if your firm has AI enabled. Turns on AI summarization and date extraction for documents ingested under this case link.

These settings are independent for each case link, so two cases on the same Matter can be configured differently, and you can change them at any time after the case is linked.

To unlink a case, open its row in the Court Docket Integration section on the Matter Info page and select Unlink, then confirm. Unlinking stops future filings from coming in for that case only; any other case linked to the same Matter is unaffected.

Unlinking never removes anything already ingested. ClarraDocs items and Docketing Notes created from that case stay exactly where they are.

How ingested filings appear in ClarraDocs

Each docket entry becomes a single ClarraDocs item, with every document the court filed under that entry (the main filing plus any exhibits) attached together, the same way the court grouped them. The item's title and description come from the docket entry's own text, and its date is set to the filing date.

Every ingested item carries two new fields:

• Source. Shows where the item came from (for example, Docketbird). This field is read-only.
• Document No. The court's own filing number for each attachment (for example, 18, 18-1, 18-2). Document No. is always available in ClarraDocs, whether or not your firm uses a docket integration; it's just populated automatically and locked for integration-sourced items, while manual uploads can have it entered and edited by hand.

If a docket entry has no filed document, such as a minute order, Clarra generates a simple PDF from the entry's own text so there's always something to open.

Source, Document No., the entry description, and the attachments on an integration-sourced item are locked from manual editing; a lock icon with a tooltip explains that the field is maintained by the integration. Tags and notes stay fully editable.

To see only docket filings, switch the view dropdown on ClarraDocs from ClarraDocs View to Docket View. Docket View shows integration-sourced items sorted by docket entry number, with Court/Case columns when a Matter has more than one linked case.

Finding and organizing docket filings

Source and Document No. work like any other ClarraDocs field:

• They're available as filters in the ClarraDocs filter bar and the All Filters popup, on both the main ClarraDocs page and a Matter's ClarraDocs page, and are supported in Saved Views.
• They're indexed for search, so you can search by matter and Document No. to find a specific filing. Document No. sorts in natural order, so 18-2 comes before 18-10.
• They're available as groupable, filterable fields in the Custom Report Builder.
• They're included in CSV, Excel, PDF, and Word exports when those columns are visible, and exports respect your active filters.

There's also a Court Docket Integration filter on the Matters list and in Global Search, so you can quickly find every Matter connected to a court docket service.

If a connection needs attention

If a provider credential expires or is revoked, Clarra will:

• Mark the provider's status in Account Settings as Attention required, reconnect, with a description of the issue.
• Show the same status on every affected Matter's Court Docket Integration section.
• Notify all Admins by in-app notification and email (no more than once per provider every 24 hours, so you won't be spammed).

While the credential is invalid, ingestion and deadline import pause safely; nothing is lost. Once an Admin saves a valid token, ingestion resumes automatically and Clarra catches up on anything that was missed while the connection was down.

FAQs

Q: Can my firm connect more than one docket provider at the same time? 

Yes. Unlike document management system connections, you can enable multiple court docket providers at once, since no single provider covers every court.

Q: Can the same Matter have more than one linked case? 

Yes. A Matter can have multiple cases linked across one or more providers, for example a district court case and a related appellate case. Each case link has its own independent settings and status.

Q: Will backfilling a large docket slow things down? 

No. Backfill runs as a background job and reports its progress; even a docket with thousands of entries won't degrade performance for your firm.

Q: Who pays if backfill retrieval fees apply? 

Any provider fees for retrieving historical documents are charged by the provider under your firm's own account with that provider. Clarra never charges or holds those fees.

Q: Can I edit a document that was ingested through the integration? 

Tags and notes are always editable. Source, Document No., the entry description, and the attachments are locked, since they come directly from the court docket. A lock icon explains why.

Q: What happens if a document is later sealed or removed on the court docket? 

Clarra doesn't automatically change or remove the ClarraDocs item that was already created. If the court later records the sealing or removal as its own docket entry, that entry is ingested like any other.

Q: Do I still need to manually enter a Document No. for documents I upload myself? 

Document No. is available on every ClarraDocs item whether or not your firm uses a docket integration. For manually uploaded documents, you can enter it yourself; for integration-sourced documents, it's filled in automatically.

Q: What happens to ingested documents and deadlines if I unlink a case? 

Nothing is deleted. Unlinking only stops new filings from coming in for that case going forward.

Q: Will I know if the integration stops working? 

Yes. If a credential fails, Clarra flags it in Account Settings and on every affected Matter, and emails your Admins. Ingestion resumes and catches up automatically once it's reconnected.