Clio Con Clips 2025 – Sarah Murphy – E11

Transcript

Robert Hanna  0:00  

Welcome to Clio con clips 2025 recorded live from Boston and proudly sponsored by Clio, the world’s leading legal technology company, transforming the legal experience for all. I’m your host, Rob Hanna, and over this special legally speaking podcast series, we’ll be bringing you exclusive conversation with the brilliant minds behind Clio, the innovators, strategists, visionaries, driving one of the most transformative companies in legal tech. Across these interviews, we’ll explore how Clio is uniting brilliance across teams, technology and communities worldwide, from AI and data to leadership culture and the future of client experience, you’ll hear from people shaping what’s next for law and redefining what’s possible for legal professionals everywhere. So whether you’re a lawyer, technologist or leader passionate about innovation, you’re in the right place. This Clio conclips 2025 is where brilliance meets purpose and the future of law take shape. Let’s get into it. The Sarah, welcome to the legally speaking podcast recording live here from Boston for our Clio con clips series. 2025 sponsored by Clio. And I am joined by name, title and organisation.

Sarah Murphy  1:14  

I am Sarah Murphy, and I am Jenner, manager for international business at Clio.

Robert Hanna  1:18  

You sure are and are very welcome back to the show. I remember sitting down 12 months ago, and what an incredible year it’s been for Clio before we talk about that, and this year’s Clio con, I’d love to know a fun fact about you that folks here at Clio con may not know. Well,

Sarah Murphy  1:32  

actually, Clio con has obviously taken place in Boston. This year. I lived in Boston previously, so straight after university, I moved over to Boston for a time. So it’s really great having them back here for about 15 years. And what a great city it is.

Robert Hanna  1:45  

Incredible city. Yeah, I loved it, and I loved the after dark last night. Really good energy. Yeah, I can imagine it’s a great place to spend time. Okay, let’s talk all things Cleo, though, because Clio is now serving in over 130 countries. How do you adapt to such a diverse legal systems and cultures?

Sarah Murphy  2:03  

Yeah, that’s a great question. So we have, as you said, customers in over 130 countries globally, and there’s a lot of different legal systems within that region. There’s a lot of different cultures and needs in those regions, but we’ve been really lucky because we have scaled a global platform, but we’ve also invested in local nuances to support those regions. We’ve also invested in local teams to be able to really understand the needs of our customers in all those regions. And I think the great opportunity is as well as we leverage our customers in those regions to help build our products for the industry.

Robert Hanna  2:36  

Yeah, and what impresses me, year after year coming to the Clio cons is the one percenters that Clio really pays attention to to ensure that super inclusive understanding of everyone’s environments. And I think it’s fantastic growth story the last 12 months, specifically, because this year’s theme is about uniting brilliance. And there’s been some huge plays and some huge moves. So yeah, what does uniting brilliance look like when you’re managing teams and markets across different continents.

Sarah Murphy  3:02  

So I think, you know, we have teams that are based out of Ireland and the UK. We also have a team based out of Sydney serving the APAC region, yeah. And I think the one wonderful thing that I love about Clio is, is that we are very founder and mission led business, and we all operate with a real belief in our overall mission, which is to transform the legal experience for all. And I think when you have a team that has a clear vision and a clear strategy, it’s very easy to build out local strategies with local teams who drive impact and but you know, I think you can feel it from the Clio team here today, we are all so excited about the future opportunity our mission and what lies ahead for

Robert Hanna  3:43  

us all. Yeah, and you just get that sense from everyone and putting my own sort of recruitment hats on, you don’t just hire for people that want to work for Clio. They genuinely have to believe in that mission. And everyone here today believes in it, supports it. They see their contribution, how that has a direct impact to it. And there’s just a real nice cohesion and energy related to all the cleons on the ground that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting over the years at these Clio cons. Okay, what are some of the most exciting international trends in legal tech you’re seeing right now? I dare you not to say, AI,

Sarah Murphy  4:12  

oh, you take taking my answer away. I actually think it’s the importance, or, sorry, I should say the growing importance of client experience and not to hone in on AI, but I think by people leveraging technology and AI, it’s actually freeing up lawyers to spend more time on the things that they really want to do, which is case strategy and client service. And I think client experience now is a differentiator in the market, and I think it’s something that people are really leaning into. So I’m excited to see how that goes. Because obviously at Clio, we are obsessed with customers and customer centricity,

Robert Hanna  4:46  

and we see that from, you know, partnering with the organisation since 2021 that there really is that kind of investment in human capital, relationship capital and and wanting to build a genuine, authentic relationship, and keeping that high level of human touch. I think that’s super and even the quality of the speakers, and Esther Perel her keynote, and some of the sort of nuggets that you can share, again, you share, you know, get somebody of that calibre coming on stage, sharing that wisdom. When it comes to trust relationships, you really think things through, how you can add value to and continue to be client centred for your people and your customers. I love it. Okay, how do you ensure cleo’s mission stays consistent globally, while respecting a lot of the local needs, because there’s a lot of things going

Sarah Murphy  5:23  

1. So I think the fact that we do have a very clear mission, which is to transform a legal experience for all we also have a very clear company vision and strategy. But like you said, you need to break it down by region. You know, we really look at the needs for our regions and our teams. We build a local strategy. But like I said, our mission is of global impact. Our platform is for global impact.

Robert Hanna  5:45  

Yeah, and I want to talk, zoom out a moment and talk about the awards, because this year there was some really cool awards for more over our side of the pond. So we’d love for you to tell us about some of the winners and some of the work that they’ve

Sarah Murphy  5:55  

been doing absolutely so it was really delighted to see that we had a UK law firm win at best. New Law Firm, Adam Benedict. They are, you know, really focused on driving innovation, but also in driving value for their customers, and really in focusing on the overall client experience. I think it’s also so awesome for a UK company to be recognised in this way. And over the years, we’ve had a number of different UK winners. Aaron chahan from tenet law also Gita daswani. So really thrilled to see people from the UK being recognised on the global stage

Robert Hanna  6:31  

here. Yeah, and it’s lovely seeing them come up, pick up the awards and the smiles on their faces, and seeing Jack and all of that good stuff. And I think it’s exciting for that part of the world as well to really kind of come over here and experience Clio con and the magic of it all. Okay, what lessons from scaling in UK and Europe are sort of informing clio’s next expansion moves? Because there’s definitely no signs of slowing down. There

Sarah Murphy  6:53  

are no signs slowing down at all, and I’m really excited for that. So I think two things stand out for me. And firstly, the importance of local customers, informing our product strategy and our overall strategies and region, and really putting that first in terms of entry into new markets, I think also the importance of building local relationships and leveraging local expertise. So we’ve been very, very intentional about building relationships with local bar associations, local media partnerships, to really build a community in these regions. And over every interview we’ve had, we’ve always talked about the importance of community. I know it’s something that’s really important to you, and it’s something that’s really central to me and what we do at Cleo. So I think that has really been the secret sauce for our success in building locally

Robert Hanna  7:38  

and really going deep as well into those relationships as well. I think it’s very easy to sort of spread yourself quite thin, but I think the level of sort of investment Clio makes into those relationships really shines through and why they all continue to flourish. Okay, how do you develop then leadership talent that thrives in a sort of multicultural environment?

Sarah Murphy  7:56  

Yeah, well, you just said it there. I think it’s around going deep locally as well. So I think making sure that leaders are getting out there and speaking in all of the local regions, getting the experience at events with our partnerships. I think it’s also really intentional hiring. And so I think we’ve been very intentional in the type of people that we hire into Clio, people that are really excited about our product and our strategy, and also they have amazing experience working at global tech companies are scaling in this way, and experience hyper growth like Cleo is,

Robert Hanna  8:28  

yeah, and it is hyper growth and on that, then are there plans to continue hiring expansion? Tell us more.

Sarah Murphy  8:34  

There’s lots of plans to continue hiring. So we have a number of open roles at the moment. Globally, there’s, there’s over 85 roles that are available. So if you’re excited about what we’re doing, if you want to come on board and build something special, definitely check out our careers page or get in touch. And also, I’m really, really excited that we are about to hit a new milestone in our EMEA business. At the moment, we are opening our brand new EMEA HQ in Dublin, which is such a fantastic space, and the space also really represents the growth in this region and the investment that we have made in Ireland, the UK and beyond. And so I’m really excited to celebrate that next month, and also just continuing to go from strength to strength within our business here, yeah, I want to ask you a sort of personal

Robert Hanna  9:18  

question. Then it’s a business related question, because I think it’s also linked to people thinking about joy. People thinking about joining Clio. You’ve had rapid career progression within the organisation, have just continued to do fantastically well. How’s that felt, sort of coming from Clio to where you are today, and the role that you’ve had? How does that feel to you?

Sarah Murphy  9:34  

That’s such a great question, and it feels exciting. Actually, I’m four years in Clio today, and when I think back over on that four years, the one thing that has stayed true is I joined Cleo because I was really excited about the potential for growth, yeah, and not just in terms of the growth of the business, but in terms of the potential career growth for me. And I have really had the opportunity to work with amazing leaders who’ve supported me and challenged me in. The right way. I also have an amazing team that work around me, that challenge me every day. We have some amazing new leaders that bring a really fantastic experience and but I still feel as excited as I did on day one, and I feel like it’s still only the start. I am so excited to see how I will continue to be challenged and grow my career. Yeah, and but thank you for saying

Robert Hanna  10:20  

that. No, absolutely, and it’s richly deserved. And I guess sort of a moment. Then, is there a particular moment that stood out to you or you’re most proud of as part of your Clio journey? Thus far,

Sarah Murphy  10:30  

there’s been lots of moments I think, I think my most proud moment is going to come next month, when we have our official Dublin office opening, because it is a real milestone for our team. Everyone has worked so hard to grow our business, to really invest in the UK and the overall EMEA region, and to see such a fantastic space, to see so many new people and new faces join our team. I’m really proud because we’ve driven that you

Robert Hanna  10:58  

absolutely have and you know, you’re exceptionally humble, but it’s fantastic what you have achieved within Clio, and what you’re going to continue to do, I guess, for people that might be thinking of applying to Clio, what do you think some of the traits or characteristics that do well within the organisation, if people are thinking about applying,

Sarah Murphy  11:13  

sure, well, we’ve talked about hyper growth. So, you know, Clio works at a fast pace, and you need to really love that fast pace you need to be able to embrace change. I also think people that, you know, enjoy our product and can see the potential for growth. Because I think the fundamental basic for anyone working in a company, you need to love the product and believe in the products. And I think also people that just want to get involved and build something special and ideate and innovate. We have an amazing group of people. They’re all so lovely. And I know everyone says that working in a company, but you know, I think everyone that you meet just is passionate, is nice. And so yeah, we’d love to add more people to the team at the moment that could tick those boxes.

Robert Hanna  11:55  

And yeah, mental said to me very early on, like Rob, get around radiators, not drains. And everyone I see from a Cleon perspective, radiates energy, radiates excitement, and it just brings your mood up. You want to deliver. You want to do better. And I think it’s just a really good core kind of value that goes thrust Clio is everyone genuinely wants to deliver on that mission. So they bring their full self and energy time and time again. And even you and I were talking one of the after darks, which was absolutely amazing, by the way, in Boston, about the way Jack kind of delivered his keynote this year. There’s some real intentionality about that and real purpose. And you just admire that. You know, 17 years into leading the business, there’s an extra hunger almost to go even further. And do you feel that yourself?

Sarah Murphy  12:33  

Yeah, like, I think Jackson keynote was definitely a highlight for me. So it always is, because I think that keynote is a culmination of, you know, so much work by the Clio team, and I knew what the keynote was going to say. I knew the announcements that were called me, but I genuinely was blown away. And I could feel the energy there to see Jackson stage, and he has a fire and an excitement around the next stage of our growth. It’s impossible not to feel that it’s infectious. And I think the whole team really feel like this is an inflection point for Cleo. Absolutely are at the start of something really special and really big. And I just feel incredibly lucky to be part of that and to really lead our international teams into our next stage

Robert Hanna  13:12  

and leading you are. And I must say, it’s been an absolute pleasure working with you and seeing all the growth and all the exciting projects at Clio. So I guess another moment, obviously, you mentioned Jackson keynote, which is brilliant and an absolute highlight. Lots of people have mentioned that has been another standout moment or highlight for you of Clio

Sarah Murphy  13:27  

con 25 so I think Clio con is always an amazing chance to meet with so many customers, partners, friends in the industry. So that connection has just always been a highlight for me. I think in terms of programming, the highlight is coming up later this afternoon. Professor Richard Susskind is going to be on the keynote stage closing out Clio con, who’s incredible. And I’m so happy to see a UK thought leader here on this global stage as well. So can’t wait for that. Yeah,

Robert Hanna  13:53  

it doesn’t get much bigger than that. And with that, Sarah just needs me to say, thanks so much for joining me here live in Boston for a another episode of the legal stream podcast. If people want to get in touch or learn more about Clio, or potentially interested in getting involved from a hiring perspective and actually applying where the need to go, feel free to share any websites, any social links we’ll show in

Sarah Murphy  14:12  

this episode for you, too. Thank you. Well, www.clio.com, forward slash UK, is our website. You will get all of the details of all open roles there, or alternatively, reach out to me on LinkedIn. I would love to chat to anyone about Cleo, any open roles in our business.

Robert Hanna  14:27  

There we go. Well, thank you so so much for joining me once again, Sarah, it’s been absolute pleasure hosting you live here in Boston, but from all of us now on the legally speaking podcast sponsored by Cleo, over and out. Thank you for listening to this week’s episode. If you like the content here, why not check out our world leading content and Collaboration Hub, the legally speaking club, over on Discord. Go to our website, www.legallyspeakingpodcast.com, there’s a link to join our community there, over and out.