Canadian legaltech leader Clio is adding judicial experience to its leadership ranks as the company expands beyond law firms and deeper into the court system.
The Burnaby-founded company has appointed former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack as General Manager, Judiciary. She will lead the market and commercial strategy for Clio’s emerging judiciary business when she joins the company in October.
McCormack will work alongside Pablo Arredondo, who joined Clio as Senior Vice President, Judiciary, in August to oversee the division’s product and strategic direction.
“The judiciary represents one of the largest opportunities to strengthen how the legal system works, and we are building for it with long-term ambition,” said Clio founder and CEO Jack Newton.
Newton said McCormack’s experience leading courts and working across the justice system would help Clio earn the confidence of institutions where trust, transparency and reliability are essential.
McCormack served nearly a decade on the Michigan Supreme Court, including four years as Chief Justice. In that role, she oversaw the state’s court system and supported initiatives designed to modernize court operations and improve public access.
As General Manager, she will lead Clio’s growth among courts, judicial officers and dispute-resolution organizations. Her responsibilities will include helping the company understand institutional needs, establish relationships and build a sustainable commercial strategy for a complex market.
“Courts have been operating under structural pressure for years, and technology now gives us a chance to rethink what support can look like,” McCormack said.
Clio’s move into the judiciary builds on its transformation from a practice-management software provider into a broader legal technology platform. Its acquisition of legal research company vLex added case law, court records, dockets and research capabilities to a platform now used by more than 400,000 legal professionals across 130 countries.
That combination gives Clio both the underlying legal data and the global reach needed to pursue court technology as a new growth market.
Before joining the Michigan Supreme Court, McCormack represented people who could not afford legal counsel and helped establish the Michigan Innocence Clinic, described as the first innocence clinic in the United States focused on cases without DNA evidence. The clinic exonerated 12 people during her four years as its leader.
She said better technology could help courts serve people more effectively while strengthening public confidence in the justice system.
“If we do this well, the impact won’t be about efficiency,” McCormack said. “It will be the strengthening of the public justice system’s service to the people who depend on it, and the corresponding growth in public trust.”