Smokeball

Pros

I've been using Smokeball for a couple years now, at my previous law firm and now my current. The system is super easy to use and I even recommended it to my current firm as they were searching for a new system. Would highly recommend.

Cons

I can't think of anything I dislike about Smokeball. The setup and use of the system has been easy and super helpful in cleaning up our previous system.

Pros

I find it a little strange that I never see Smokeball included in lists of common legal case management platforms. Because I’ve worked with several case management platforms, and I have yet to see one that is even remotely as robust as Smokeball. Smokeball is a full document management and document Storage platform as well as a case management platform, so it is able to do a lot more quickly than otherwise would be the case. For instance, the integration with Outlook is great. Tagging an email with a specific matter is so much easier and quicker than it was in Clio. Although I still don’t think you can tag multiple emails with the same matter as a bulk function. That’s something that under certain circumstances would be extremely helpful.

The timekeeping function alone is probably worth the cost if you need timekeeping in your practice. Obviously, this would not be the case if timekeeping was not important, but when it is, it’s amazing because it captures so much more than you would capture yourself if you were doing it by yourself. And it saves a ton of time. It also provides a much more reliable result than reconstructing something after the fact.

I think the internal communication portal is extremely useful and easy to use. We use that all day all the time. The task function is good as well, in the integration with the Outlook calendar is great.

Overall I don't know of a platform as robust as SB, even though there are always improvements they could make, just like any platform.

Jordan Marsh

Cons

We have a separate Smokeball folder on our Dropbox where we put Smokeball documents that have to be downloaded from another source before they can be imported to Smokeball. Smokeball has improved this issue by creating a PDF to Smokeball option from print menus from anything you can print. But there are still other things, like scanning software that do not go straight into Smokeball. You have to save it on your computer or in Dropbox and then import it into Smokeball. Not a huge deal, but one more step.

There is a way to file documents online using Court systems like PACER and Odyssey directly from Smokeball. However, if you have exhibits to those documents, you will have to do that separately.

If you are using a particular function of a Smokeball matter, you cannot use another function in that matter at the same time. For instance, if you are inputting information on the names and addresses of defense counsel in a matter, you cannot open up another window for that same matter and look for an email or a letter from that counsel to obtain that information. You have to stop what you’re doing with inputting the data, close that window, and then open up another window in that matter to get the information and then reopen the first window to input the info. Very bulky.

Because SB documents are generally stored in the cloud, you can't open a large file like a video immediately. The file has to download from the cloud before it opens, and that can take some time, depending on the size of the file. And while that’s happening, you can’t open up any other files in that matter. In fact, I think you may not be able to open anything else in Smokeball while waiting for a file to download. And if you get anxious, and start opening up multiple large files, it can take forever to get anything done. You would then have to cancel those downloads before you do anything else. So large files like videos you can keep on Smokeball but if you need them immediately, you should also have them stored on your hard drive so you can open them up immediately.

Another quibble I have is that the memo function and Smokeball is extremely clunky. Clio’s memo function was much better and cleaner and easier to use.

Finally, there's no way to collaborate with another firm that has Smokeball unless both firms have the same license.

Pros

Nothing, documents is better than accounting side which is terrible

Cons

It is not user friendly, slow, accounting is terrible,

Pros

So easy to use! The can really customize functionality that aligns with our firm. The customer support is great and they love feedback on how they can make their program better for you.

Cons

The only thing i can think of is the calendar. We have an office in a different time zone and sometimes the appointment jumps to a different time if someone clicks on it in the other time zone. We started putting the actually appt time in the title so we can catch it if it happens.

Pros

Simply put, this is the best legal software out there for real estate attorney. It tracks all my deadlines, fees, billing, drafts closing statements, etc. Smokeball makes it easier for myself and staff to stay on top of our files and communicate with our clients. Their new intake forms have also been a game changer for our estate planning practice. It is pricey software but for our firm it is worth every penny!

Cons

The Cost. They constantly raise the cost of the product every year and now it is getting excessively expensive.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Smokeball