Smokeball

The implementation of Smokeball software is designed to be smooth, structured, and supportive, especially for small to mid-sized law firms transitioning from older systems. The process typically unfolds in the following steps:

1. Initial Consultation & Needs Assessment
   Smokeball begins with a discovery session to understand your firm’s structure, practice areas, and workflow needs. This helps tailor the setup to your specific goals.

2. Data Migration Planning
   If you're switching from another legal software, Smokeball’s team assists in securely migrating your data—clients, matters, documents, and billing records—into the new system.

3. System Configuration
   The platform is configured to match your firm’s preferences, including user roles, permissions, templates, and workflows. This step ensures that Smokeball aligns with your daily operations.

4. Training & Onboarding
   Smokeball provides personalized training sessions for attorneys, paralegals, and administrative staff. These sessions are role-specific and include hands-on guidance with real firm data.

5. Go-Live & Support
   Once training is complete, your firm goes live with Smokeball. A dedicated onboarding specialist remains available for support during the transition period.

6. Ongoing Optimization
   After implementation, Smokeball continues to offer support, updates, and optimization tips to help your firm get the most out of the platform.

Timeline:
The full implementation process typically takes 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the size of the firm, the complexity of data migration, and staff availability for training.

Smokeball is highly customizable and designed to adapt to the unique workflows of different law firms. Here are several ways it can be tailored:

• Custom Workflows
  Smokeball allows firms to create multi-step workflows for different practice areas. These workflows can include task dependencies, reminders, and document attachments, ensuring consistency and efficiency across cases.

• Document Automation Templates
  Firms can build or modify custom document templates using Smokeball’s automation tools. This is especially useful for repetitive legal forms, contracts, and pleadings.

• Matter Types & Fields
  Smokeball supports custom matter types with configurable fields, allowing firms to track the exact information they need for each case type.

• Task Management & Calendars
  Users can set up custom task lists, deadlines, and calendar events based on their firm’s internal processes. These can be applied firm-wide or tailored to individual users.

• Billing & Time Tracking Settings
  Firms can configure billing rates, invoice templates, and AutoTime settings to reflect their preferred billing structure—hourly, flat fee, or contingency.

• Integrations
  Smokeball integrates with tools like Microsoft Word, Outlook, LawPay, and QuickBooks Online, and these integrations can be selectively enabled or customized based on firm needs.

• User Roles & Permissions
  Admins can define custom user roles and access levels, ensuring that sensitive data is only visible to authorized personnel.

• Client Portal & Communication Tools
  The client portal can be branded and configured to match the firm’s communication style, including secure messaging and document sharing.

• Mobile Access
  Smokeball’s mobile app allows for on-the-go customization of notifications, task views, and matter access, supporting remote and hybrid work environments.

These customization options make Smokeball a flexible solution for firms practicing in areas like family law, real estate, estate planning, litigation, and more. Whether you're a solo practitioner or part of a growing team, Smokeball can be tailored to fit your exact operational needs.

Smokeball offers tiered pricing plans, each with different features and potential add-ons. Here's a breakdown of typical costs:

• Base Plans:

  • Smokeball Bill: Starts at $49/user/month

  • Smokeball Boost: Starts at $89/user/month

  • Smokeball Grow and Prosper+: Pricing is custom and requires direct consultation.

• Setup Fees: Smokeball does not publicly list setup fees, but onboarding and data migration may incur costs depending on the complexity and firm size. These are typically discussed during the demo or consultation phase.
• Add-On Costs:

  • Archie AI Assistant, FamilyPro, and Intake tools are available as add-ons and may carry additional fees.

  • eFiling, electronic signatures, and online payments may also involve third-party fees.

• Maintenance & Support: Smokeball includes free and unlimited support and training with all plans. There are no separate maintenance charges, as updates and improvements are included in the subscription.

• Free Trial: A free trial is available for most tiers, allowing firms to test the platform before committing.

Smokeball provides a robust training and support ecosystem tailored to each product tier:

• Live Training Sessions: New users can book personalized training sessions with Smokeball’s onboarding specialists. These sessions cover product basics, billing, document automation, and more.

• Smokeball Academy: A self-guided learning platform offering structured courses on topics like billing, templates, workflows, and AI tools. Users can learn at their own pace using their Smokeball credentials.

• Webinars & Community Resources: Smokeball hosts live and on-demand webinars for new users, covering best practices and feature updates.

• Support Access: All users receive free and unlimited access to Smokeball’s locally-based support team. Support is available via phone, email, and live chat.

• Tier-Specific Training: Training is customized based on the product tier (Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+), ensuring relevance to the user’s specific features and workflows.

This comprehensive approach ensures that firms can onboard smoothly and continue to optimize their use of Smokeball over time.

Smokeball takes data security seriously and employs multiple layers of protection:

• Cloud Infrastructure: Smokeball is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), known for its robust security architecture. Data is stored in the jurisdiction of origin (e.g., North Virginia for U.S. users).

• Encryption:

  • TLS encryption secures all data in transit between users and servers.

  • AES-256 encryption protects documents at rest in AWS S3 storage.

• Redundancy & Backups:
  • Non-document data is backed up every 15 minutes.

  • Document data is stored in AWS S3, which offers extreme durability (1 in 10 million chance of loss over 10,000 years).

• Access Controls:
  • Identity and access management tools restrict data access to authorized users.

  • Network firewalls and intrusion detection systems are in place.

• Security Team: Smokeball has a dedicated Information Security Officer and team that continuously monitors and updates the system to align with best practices.

• Compliance: AWS infrastructure used by Smokeball complies with major industry standards, ensuring legal and regulatory alignment.

These measures make Smokeball a secure choice for law firms handling sensitive client data.

Smokeball releases updates monthly, with separate release cycles for its desktop app, web app, and Boost platform. These updates include new features, performance improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements.

• Release Management: Updates are managed centrally and deployed automatically to users. There's no need for manual installation or downtime.

• Versioning: Each update is versioned (e.g., 9.8, 9.9), and release notes are published detailing changes and improvements.

• User Notification: Users are notified of updates via the Smokeball Support Hub and Community Portal, where they can review what's new and how to use new features.

• Feedback Loop: Smokeball encourages user feedback through its community forums and support channels, which helps shape future updates.

This frequent update cycle ensures that users benefit from the latest innovations and compliance tools without disruption.

Smokeball releases updates monthly, with separate release cycles for its desktop app, web app, and Boost platform. These updates include new features, performance improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements.

• Release Management: Updates are managed centrally and deployed automatically to users. There's no need for manual installation or downtime.

• Versioning: Each update is versioned (e.g., 9.8, 9.9), and release notes are published detailing changes and improvements.

• User Notification: Users are notified of updates via the Smokeball Support Hub and Community Portal, where they can review what's new and how to use new features.

• Feedback Loop: Smokeball encourages user feedback through its community forums and support channels, which helps shape future updates.

This frequent update cycle ensures that users benefit from the latest innovations and compliance tools without disruption.

Smokeball offers flexible terms for scaling up or down based on a firm’s evolving needs:

• Upgrade/Downgrade Process: Firms can initiate a plan change by contacting their Client Success Manager or submitting a Support Request.

• No Penalty for Changes: Smokeball encourages firms to adjust their plans as needed, whether to access more features or reduce costs.

• Subscription Tiers: Smokeball offers multiple tiers—Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+—each with different capabilities. Firms can move between tiers depending on their size, practice area, or feature requirements.

• Add-Ons: Firms can also add or remove specific features like Smokeball AI, Intake, or FamilyPro without changing their core subscription.

This scalability ensures that Smokeball remains a cost-effective and adaptable solution for firms at every stage of growth.

Smokeball’s contract terms are governed by its Client Order Form and Terms of Service, which outline renewal and cancellation policies:

• Auto-Renewal: Smokeball subscriptions are subject to automatic renewal unless explicitly canceled. The renewal uses the current number of users and applies the then-current monthly fee.

• Renewal Form: Clients may be required to submit a Renewal Form electronically or in writing to confirm continuation or changes to their subscription.

• Cancellation Terms:
  • Cancellation must be submitted before the renewal date to avoid automatic extension.
  • The cancellation process typically involves contacting Smokeball support or your account manager.
  • If a firm cancels mid-term, it may still be responsible for fees through the end of the current subscription period, depending on the agreement.

• Add-On Features: Add-ons like Smokeball AI or Intake may have separate terms and can be canceled independently of the core subscription.

• Contract Duration: Contracts may be monthly or fixed-term (e.g., annual), and terms vary based on the subscription tier and region.

Smokeball encourages firms to review their Client Order Form and reach out to their Client Success Manager for specific cancellation or renewal procedures.

Smokeball is designed to help law firms meet a variety of compliance standards, particularly in areas of data protection, legal accounting, and client confidentiality:

• Data Security Compliance:

  • Hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which complies with major international standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 1/2/3, and GDPR-aligned practices.

  • Implements AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS encryption for data in transit.

• Legal Accounting Compliance:
  • Smokeball supports trust accounting and LEDES billing, helping firms comply with financial regulations and legal billing standards.

• Client Confidentiality:

  • Role-based access controls and secure client portals ensure that sensitive information is only accessible to authorized users.

• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):

  • Smokeball enforces 2FA for user accounts, adding an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access.

• Backup & Redundancy:
  • Continuous backups and high-redundancy storage ensure data integrity and availability, which is critical for compliance with disaster recovery and business continuity standards.