Coming soon: signatures, auto address lookup, safe custody documents and evergreen retainer invoicing

We’re just putting the finishing touches on our latest update to Smokeball. Watch the video to learn what’s new and click the “subscribe” button at the bottom of this post to be the first to know when these features are live!  We’ve built more than we could cover in our video this month! Here’s the highlights and links to find out more:  Now available in Smokeball Billing Streamline compliance and invoicing with embedded signaturesYou can now embed signatures in invoices automatically. Add the signatures you need in settings then customise as much as you want to by choosing which signatures are needed for each matter and invoice type.[US only] Automate evergreen retainer top-ups Quickly update invoices to include retainer to top-up requests. This feature works well with the existing ability to set an alert when your retainer balance drops below a preset amount. Learn more about what we’ve recently released in Smokeball Billing. Coming soon in Smokeball desktopImportant - these features are scheduled to be released soon and are not yet live in Smokeball desktop. We’ll let you know when they’re ready to go right here.  [AU only] Store files with your contact for safe custodyDigital safe custody documents such as wills, certificates or title and assets are now easy to link to a contact for use across multiple matters.Click to zoom in Create a new Lead or Matter from a contactWord of mouth recommendations are still a major source of new clients. Because of these connections - you will often find the details you need are already stored in your contacts in Smokeball. Right clicking on an existing contact now lets you create a lead or matter that is already linked up to the contact in your records. Click to zoom in  You auto-complete me. Autocomplete addresses in contact cards. Get some extra peace of mind that your address is correct with our autocomplete function. As you enter in details, we’ll search for matching street addresses. Just click the right one to automatically update the rest of your contact’s details. Click to zoom in  Keep what matters in your matter view Sub-items give you space to record as much or as little detail as you need for each matter that you create for your clients. Declutter your view by hiding the items you don’t need. Click to zoom in  For the full list of what’s to come in Smokeball, visit our release notes page.That's all for now! Let us know what you think or ask questions by replying below.

Related:Billing & Trust AccountingMatter Management

Introducing our new marketplace for high quality Australian legal precedents

As a lawyer in a small firm; ensuring your precedents are always up to date and covering best practice approaches can consume time we don’t always have. Not everyone has the luxury of larger firms where it’s easy to tap a specialist on the shoulder for some advice and the peace of mind that you’ve covered everything.  Introducing Marketplace Precedents for Australian firmsThat’s why we’ve launched Marketplace Precedents. It’s a new subscription service that connects you with professionally crafted precedents that are written and maintained by your industry peers.  Save hours and leverage the legal IP and experience​Save yourself hours of drafting documents from scratch and leverage the legal IP built into this new library of precedents from those who have being doing it for decades.​​Peace of mind with always up to date precedents​Starting with Precedents Online, we are actively partnering with specialist legal firms to bring you high quality and up-to-date precedents each month, ranging from Commercial Law to Family to Conveyancing. ​​How it works (Precedents Online Pricing)​Precedents Online is an optional add on to your existing Smokeball subscription at $99 + GST a month, per firm.* Introducing our first partnersWe’ll be adding new partners offering precedents in other areas of law all the time. Here’s what’s live now: Commercial Law PrecedentsPrecedents Online has partnered with us to offer a range of Commercial Law precedents.  Family Law Precedents (and more)The Family Law Education Network of Australia (FLENA) has joined us to offer a comprehensive array of family law focused precedents that are FCFCOA amalgamation compliant.  Subscribing to FLENA precedents also gives you access to a FLENA specific community, wellness support and a range of CPD training opportunities.  We are always on the lookout for more partners​Have something unique to offer, or precedents we don’t have? We’d love to talk.  Want to know more? It’s easy to get in touch. Reach out to your customer success manager, send me a message or reply below. *Terms and conditions apply: Pricing is subject to change and your Subscription will be coterminous with your Smokeball Subscription Term.​

Related:Document Automation

Are you a FamilyProperty user? Learn about new changes to the integration here

We have partnered with FamilyProperty to deeply integrate their powerful features within Smokeball. It’s never been easier for Australian Family Law professionals to support their clients, with the best solution out there. Watch the video below to learn more about some exciting new features which are live right now! Watch the video Thanks for watching our update on our new FamilyProperty intergration. Learn more in the links below or type in a reply to talk to the team right now. Our new integration takes all the features you know and use on a daily basis in FamilyProperty and allows you to access them directly within the Smokeball desktop app. You can now: Send the FamilyProperty Questionnaire to clients from within Smokeball Sync important information captured in FamilyProperty or Smokeball between both systems Work on your FamilyProperty Balance Sheet or Parenting Calendar without leaving Smokeball Track time spent working in FamilyProperty Automatically save documents created in FamilyProperty back to SmokeballLearn more: -Check our our detailed article on all the features the new integration brings-Get in touch with the FamilyProperty team to learn more about how FamilyProperty-Join the community to hear about new Smokeball features and future updates to our FamilyProperty integration-Have a question or feedback? Let us know in the replies below! FamilyProperty is currently available to Australian customers only. 

Related:Matter Management

Latest productivity and billing features

It’s been a busy few months! We’ve wrapped up some fantastic new features for all of our clients - here’s the highlights: Drafting documents to multiple clients just got easier When creating letters or precedent/forms, you can now choose from the contacts linked to the matter rather than editing the address block manually.  No more manual editing or removing clients automatically added from the matter into the address block. Read the version 8.3 release notes for details.Customise your view  It’s now easy to show, hide or reorder columns to help you find what you need in the form library / precedent library. Simply right-click anywhere in the column header bar to see what columns are available to you.Keep track of time and expenses in closed matters Need to add time and expenses to closed matters?  Well now you can! You could do this from the billing side and now you can do it from within the Smokeball desktop too. This way, you can focus on serving clients, even when the matter is closed. Find out moreEdit your time and expenses in bulk Getting paid just got easier – that's always a winner! You can now change multiple time or expenses items from billable to non-billable (or vice versa). And, if you need to change individual time-based billable items to a fixed fee, it’s now a breeze! Find out moreProtect trust fund allocations  Smokeball Billing lets you set aside and protect funds earmarked for a specific purpose, ensuring those funds don’t get used accidentally (oh no!). It’s easy to start protecting your trust funds today.Bank recs made easy You asked, we listened! The Bank Reconciliation screen just got better, with improved sorting, filtering and searching. Even with loads of data, these improvements will help you reconcile in no time. Review Smokeball trust accounting features for full details.And there’s more...We’ve made many more improvements over the last month. Read all about all new features and fixes in our Support Hub.I’d love to hear your feedback – hit reply to post your thoughts.  

Related:Billing & Trust AccountingDocument AutomationMatter ManagementDocuments & Emails