Practice Perspectives

Your response to your AI matter assistant Archie has been thrilling, so we’re launching an Archie Halloween contest! From now until midnight on October 31, every time you ask Archie to work its AI matter magic, you’ll conjure a chance to win.  How to Play:Ask Archie to draft correspondence, review documents, and summon matter summaries at least 10 times before midnight on October 31. Use this list of ideas and prompts if you’re a little newer to Archie. Most active users win!   Prizes to Die For: ️🧙‍♀️ Champion Conjurer: the user with the most Archie inquiries wins a $250 Amazon gift card. 😈 Devils in the Details: the user that crafts the most correspondence (emails, letters, documents, etc.) using Archie wins a $250 Amazon gift card.👻 Boo Crew: the firm with the most overall usage wins lunch on Smokeball, plus a special swag pack.     So grab your fellow ghouls and let Archie handle the heavy lifting this Halloween. May the most spirited users win! ✨ 

We released Smokeball AI at the end of July, and the response has been overwhelming! We’re so glad you’re seeing the power and benefits of Archie, your AI matter assistant. In addition to this supercharged productivity tool, we’ve released several other key features in July and August:  Appointment booking via intakeNow clients can schedule meetings with you directly through your custom intake forms. Streamline scheduling for your clients and avoid double booking!   Document search improvementsYou can now preview documents from the advanced search tab to ensure you’ve selected the right one. Additionally, you can now advance filter by contact to search for a document across all matters a contact is part of.  Interface updateTo improve speed and reliability, we’ve changed the user interface in Smokeball’s native desktop app. While this might initially affect how you navigate the software, these updates will boost performance and enhance your Smokeball experience.   Billing updates Soft

I’m thrilled to announce the 2024 Beacon Award winners!Grand Prize Winner: Mikye MillerMikye has centered his legal practice around pro bono work since 2010, dedicating 100+ hours annually to pro bono and reduced-fee services. Additionally, he volunteers his time at monthly legal clinics and offers legal education to the gender diverse community on the name change process and associated resources. To honor his work, Mikye will receive a $2,500 check, plus a $2,500 donation made in his honor to the legal aid organization of his choice.  People’s Choice Winner: Candice IhemeCandice offers daily free consultations through her law firm, helping pro se applicants and those who can’t afford legal services get the representation they need. She additionally dedicates weekly hours working for the Office of Public Defender. Alongside Mikye and Candice, we celebrate the work of the 2024 finalists: Colleen Contreras, Ted Donner, Molly Hargrove, Andrea Keifer, Anthony Naro, Jerry Novak, and Scott W

Smokeball AI is coming and bringing game-changing functionality. Soon, you’ll be able to digitize and tailor intake forms in a click; draft client correspondence in seconds; query your Smokeball matter to quickly get the information you need; and so much more.  In the meantime, here are a few resources to help you get AI-ready:  AI 101: Legal Edition – this pithy eBook walks you through the basics of what AI is, what it can do, and how you can use it professionally and personally.  AI Glossary – helpful AI terms to know (because there isn’t enough legal jargon already 😉)  AI is changing how the legal profession works. As lawyers, we have an ethical obligation to maintain competence across all technologies, which now includes the use of generative AI according to the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The exciting news is that these tools will save time, streamline tasks, enhance client service, and keep you on the cutting edge in an increasingly competitive landscape.  

Our teams have been busy putting finishing touches on Smokeball AI, and we can't wait to share it in just a few weeks' time. From lead intake and case management to billing, you'll be able to do more in less time with this suite of powerful tools. Keep an eye here for the big release! Other exiting product updates include:  The debut of Smokeball Payments  Smokeball Payments helps you get paid faster by giving your clients the option to pay online. Now you can create custom payment pages, extend automatic payment plans, and offer myriad payment options all within your Smokeball account.  Ongoing new functionality for Smokeball Intake  Google Analytics (GA) tracking for Lead Intake forms allows you to see data like the number of form submissions and form titles in your GA profile. Additionally, intake forms are now accessible via QR code.   Calendar bookings will also be available via intake forms. Your clients can select available time slots to book, which will then sync to your Smokeb

I’m thrilled to share the 2024 Smokeball Beacon Award Finalists! These nine legal professionals significantly improve their community through legal services and pro bono work.  The Beacon judging panel will determine the Grand Prize Winner but YOU will vote for the People's Choice Winner! Read about the finalists’ work and vote for a winner. ​ Voting is open to the public and closes on July 8.  There were so many fabulous Beacon Award nominations. We’re proud to partner with so many legal professionals and law firms that are making a difference.  

AI is everywhere these days—and debuting in Smokeball soon! Yet many of us aren’t exactly sure how generative AI works or how to use it to our benefit.  Attorney and Smokeball legal technology advisory Jordan Turk shares how to get started with AI to get your work done faster. In this CLE, she encourages us to not be afraid of AI. Experimenting and learning AI can be a lot of fun and will be incredibly beneficial. (Just remember to not enter any client data into models like ChatGPT where that information could potentially be shared with a third party.)  Watch the recording to dive into...Part 1: Generative AI  What it is and what it can do  Avoiding hallucinations  Protecting your client’s data Part 2: Prompt Writing  You get out of AI what you put in Uses cases – from ideation to drafting  Dos & Don'ts of prompt writing  Example prompts Part 3: Tone  Why tone matters   How to use it to your advantage Part 4: The Future of AI in Practice Management Software  Introducing Smokeball’s

Did you know 87% of people will hire the first lawyer they reach? This is why smooth client intake is essential to your firm’s success. Attorney and Smokeball legal technology advisory Jordan Turk offers her insight on the client intake process in this CLE. Her advice is to set the stage for success by providing a seamless and easy first client interaction. By pairing an empathetic, hands-on approach with automated intake tools, you’ll create exceptional working relationships with your clients.   Part 1: Potential Client 1. 10 tips for better bonding and assessing your client's history2. Discuss client’s needs and expectations3. Manage those expectations and adjust if not reasonable   Part 2: 12 Steps to Elevate Client Process   1. Standardize conflict check process  2. Narrow your lead sources  3. Provide client paperwork ahead to fill out online 4. Beware of waiver of privilege  5. Be clear about case costs   6. Give client a case roadmap and set expectations 7. Have fee agreement al

Nominations are now open for Smokeball’s Beacon Award! This honor recognizes legal professionals making a significant impact on their clients and communities through pro bono work, legal services, and more. I know many of you are committed to serving your clients and community, and we’d love for you to apply.  🌟 Apply now! 🌟 To celebrate the work of our community heroes, the Beacon Award prizes include:    One (1) Grand Prize Winner receives a $2,500 check and a $2,500 donation to the legal aid organization of their choosing.  One (1) People’s Choice Winner receives one year of personalized coffee from Mistobox and a personalized Yeti tumbler.   Five (5) random nominees receive an exclusive Smokeball prize pack   Plus, all finalists and winners receive an engraved Beacon Award statue and will be featured across Smokeball’s website and social media.  To participate, Smokeball clients can nominate themselves or another Smokeball user by June 3, 2024. The judging panel will evaluate

Smokeball’s legal configuration team has been working hard to create a collection of matter intake forms for your use. Below is a current list of those MatterFlow forms.If you're not familiar with or using Smokeball's intake forms, here's a helpful overview of these powerful new features, LeadPro and MatterFlow.If you don't see the form you need, please reply in the comments with what you're looking for. We'll add it to our priority list and update you regularly as we release new matter intake forms.Business Business General (all states) Contract Dispute (all states) Civil Civil Dispute (all states, except CA) Criminal DUI (all states) DWI (all states) Felony (all states) Misdemeanor (all states) Traffic Violation (all states) Employment Employment Claim (all states) Employment General (all states) Estate Planning Estate Planning (all states) Trust (IL) Will (IL) Family Custody, Support & Visitation (all states) General (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, MO,

Some major efficiency-boosting, time-saving enhancements have hit Smokeball over the last six weeks. Haven’t seen them? We walk you through what’s new, so you can start using these powerful features.  Revamped Intake. We received awesome user feedback on Smokeball Intake and implemented those suggestions to help you get the exact client information you need to jumpstart a matter. Updates include:   Duplicate contact checks. When a form is submitted with a potential duplicate contact, you’ll get an alert and have the ability to create a new contact or use a current one.  Intuitive new form builder. Now you can fully customize your forms with our drag & drop builder, which includes conditional logic!   Copy & edit forms. For even faster form creation, you can now duplicate and edit your own template—or one of Smokeball’s standard templates.  Send forms via a Lead. Speed up client onboarding and get additional information by sending a matter intake forms via a Lead.   Folder

We’re excited to share Smokeball Marketplace, a new way to quickly find integrations that meet your firm’s needs and drive your business goals forward. In Marketplace, you can easily find every Smokeball integration, discover their benefits, and learn how to connect your Smokeball account. If there’s a specific partner you’re looking for, just search by name. Or if you’re browsing more generally, search by practice area or solution type.   We welcome your feedback on Marketplace, as well as any integrations you’d like Smokeball to partner with. Drop @ChelseyLambert a comment below!   

You might have heard about Smokeball’s new intake features, LeadPro and MatterFlow. These tools were designed based on client feedback to improve your intake process and streamline your clients’ experience. The Law Offices of Yale Lewis used to spend 45 minutes gathering new client information over the phone. Smokeball Intake has allowed them to cut this admin time by 90%. Now the firm sends the client a link to their customized LeadPro intake form. As the client completes it, their responses automatically sync to Smokeball, saving staff almost 40 minutes of manual data entry per new client. The firm also experienced a 400% increase in completed intakes using the LeadPro forms compared to the Word document they previously used! If you want to watch LeadPro and MatterFlow in action, trainer Roy Clifton recently demonstrated how these tools save time, eliminate double data entry, and offer a better client experience.  ​LeadPro and MatterFlow are included in the Prosper plan, and all clie

When Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways,” we’re certain she was talking about Document Automation.  Okay, maybe not...but you can! Tell us why you love Smokeball in a Google or Capterra review by Friday, February 16. We’ll randomly select one reviewer to receive a $250 gift card. Review us both places for two drawing entries!  In the meantime, here are five reasons we love YOU:You’re dedicated to helping your community. You care about your clients and work to deliver the best possible outcome for them.  You’re passionate about learning. You’re curious and want to know why. You willingly share knowledge, expertise, and feedback.💖

In a recent round table discussion on artificial intelligence, Smokeball users and experts discussed the artificial intelligence (AI) tools they’re experimenting with to make their practice more efficient.  These includes:  ChatGPT - to jumpstart legal research, document drafting, case summaries, and more.  Otter.ai - to record and summarize client consults or quickly scan large amount of text or video footage.  CoCounsel from Casetext - for document review, deposition preparation, contract analysis, and timeline creation.  Foundation AI - to automate document intake and process large amounts of files.  Briefpoint - to draft discovery documents.  Legalyze.ai - to assist with legal case research and create document summaries.  The last three tools are newly integrated with Smokeball. If you’d like early access to Foundation AI, Briefpoint, or Legalyze.ai, let@ChelseyLambert know in the comments. Where AI tools were previously focused on big law (think: mergers & acquisitio

It’s a new year, and your firm might be raising or adjusting its rates. Since this time last year, Smokeball has added billing rate sets to make this process as painless (and quick!) as possible. Rate sets allow you or your bookkeeper to bulk update rates for matters rather than having to update each matter individually.  Billing specialist Emily Prazak walks you through this feature, as well as other essential tips for starting the new billing year off right. Watch the 30-minute Clean Slate Billing webinar, and learn how to: Set up 2024 rates  Clear old WIP & aged A/R  Create payment plans  Identify who earned what with key billing reports  It’s worth noting that rate sets can be scheduled to take effect on a certain date. So if you’d like rates to change during a holiday period or when a staff member is out of office, this can easily be scheduled in advance. 🎉

Throughout 2023, we’ve delivered frequently requested, time-saving Smokeball features. Of the hundreds of new features and improvements we made, you’ve especially loved the ability to:  Accelerate the intake process with LeadPro & MatterFlow   Work across Mac and PC devices via the browser  Update rate sets and bulk applying them to matters  Manage multiple trust accounts  Save an external PDF to Smokeball    Send external calendar invites and out of office messages to clients via the client portal   Connect Smokeball to your choice of 5,000+ other apps via the Zapier integration  A lot more! And neither blizzard nor grinch will keep us from ongoing innovation. You’ll be receiving some very exciting performance improvements in 2024. (Think 3x faster login times!)   In the meantime, you can ensure Smokeball is always performing its best by:  Restarting your computer or device weekly  Staying current with Windows updates  Setting your Smokeball directory (c:\program f

In this month’s CLE, lawyer Jordan Turk shares best practices for streamlining your law firm so you can be more efficient and profitable. Check out the overview below before driving into the full webinar recording and slides. Part 1: Get the Work Streamlining the intake process and initial communication will build positive client relationships and ensure you’re adhering to ethical obligations.  Ethical considerations around client communications  Lead generation – what it is and an exercise  Software to assist with Intake  Part 2: Do the Work  Jordan emphasizes how automation increases accuracy, improves productivity, and ensures deadlines are hit.  Ethical considerations around nonlaywer assistance  Benefits of document automation and how it works (and doesn’t)  The power of workflows and how they differ from checklists  Unified calendaring  Part 3: Bill the Work Automate your invoicing and use bulk bills to your advantage, so you can send out as many things at once as possi

In this month’s CLE, lawyer Jordan Turk shared billing best practices so you can run a modern and ethical law firm. You can watch the full webinar here and download the slides. Check out the presentation overview before you dive in:Part 1: Billing Organization and consistency are key. The longer you wait to bill a client, the less likely they are to pay you.  Improving your billing processes and procedures Suggested authorization forms and third-party payor addendums  Helpful technology to automate processes  How to handle difficult clients  Part 2: Collections  An overview of aging A/R and why it’s often a silent killer of law firms.   Tips on invoice follow-up  How to collect on aged A/R  Part 3: Surcharging Most states allow for this, but you cannot mislead clients.  Check with your local jurisdiction  Part 4: Trust Accounts An overview of ethical handling of client funds. IOLTA review  Proper separation of earned and unearned fees  Part 5: Three-Way Trust Account Reconcil

Legal professionals know the difference a single word can make. In the way you’re required to be precise with your language, Smokeball also uses a set vocabulary when it comes to our software.  Here's a Smokeball Glossary you can reference to:💡 Assist when you’re searching for an answer in the Knowledge Base.   💡 Better describe an issue you’re experiencing to our Training and Support teams.   💡 Get everyone at your firm on the same page when working in Smokeball. 

In this month’s CLE, lawyers Jordan Turk and Jared Correia share best practices to help your firm operate efficiently and productively. Scroll for an overview of what they covered, and be sure to click for the full webinar and slides.Part 1: Modern Law Firm Technology  Jared reviews must-have software and technology for firms today. The Big Four Case management software  Productivity software  Accounting software  Customer relationship management software Improving communications   A review of internal communication platforms, virtual receptionists, client portals, and other options Improving efficiency  Software vs. spreadsheet  Document assembly  Process management  Integrations The difference between direct, third party, and DIY integrations—and how to leverage them  Part 2: Utilizing WorkflowsJordan makes the case for taking advantage of this underutilized feature.10 reasons you should use workflows  Adopting workflows in your practice  Start with the heavy hitter workflows