You already know what’s at stake if you don’t have the right software: lost hours, missed deadlines, frustrated clients, and exhausted weekends. Now comes the critical step: finding the software that actually delivers on features. Not half of them, not with expensive add-ons, but seamlessly, right out of the box.

Plenty of platforms promise efficiency. But once you scratch the surface, many require piecing together third-party tools, frustrating workarounds, or manual entry that defeats the purpose. Here’s how Smokeball stacks up against other case management software and why it’s the clear choice for firms that want a system that truly works for them.

AutoTime: Capture Every Billable Minute

Smokeball: AutoTime runs in the background, automatically capturing your work across emails, calls, and documents. No lost minutes, no sticky notes, no Friday night “timesheet catch-up.” Firms regularly recover billable hours they didn’t even realize they were missing.

Competitors: Most platforms require manual timers or pricey add-ons. That means hours slip away the moment you forget to “hit start.”

Check out automatic time tracking →

“With Clio, we missed out on so much billable time. Now we capture 30% more billable hours because of Smokeball’s automatic time tracking,” says Megan Neel, Partner.

Document Automation: Accurate, Instant, and Built-In

Smokeball: Document automation is built in and fully integrated with Microsoft Word. Input client details once, and they flow into every motion, contract, or intake letter. With access to thousands of templates, your team can draft accurate, consistent documents in minutes.

Competitors: Clio and other software often require two or more separate add-ons just to automate document creation and store files. This adds cost and complexity.  

Get this: Smokeball’s document automation resulted in up to 80% time savings for senior paralegal Sandy Kozero. This provided her more productivity, and less stress.

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Smokeball’s document automation resulted in up to 80% time savings for senior paralegal Sandy Kozero.

Legal Workflow Software: Tasks That Actually Flow

Smokeball: Workflows are fully integrated into each matter. Task checklists generate automatically, reminders trigger before deadlines, and dashboards show who’s doing what and what’s overdue. It’s accountability and peace of mind, baked in.

Competitors: Many systems leave workflow management to generic task lists or external tools. Deadlines and responsibilities still fall through the cracks.

See how workflows work →

Outlook Integration: Email Without the Black Hole

Smokeball: With two-way Outlook sync, every message, attachment, and calendar invite is automatically saved to the right matter. Your inbox finally works for you instead of against you.

Competitors: Various platforms offer email add-ins or partial syncing, but they often require you to manually file messages or “pin” emails to the right matter. Calendar connections can be limited, and true two-way sync is rare, leaving room for missed messages and duplicate entry.

Learn more about our email integration →

One Platform, Many Integrations

Smokeball: Everything lives in one place, with a rich ecosystem of integrations that extend functionality without complicating your workflow.

Competitors: Many case management tools lean heavily on add-ons to fill gaps (billing, e-signatures, texting, payments) which means multiple logins, separate invoices, and more complexity for your team.

Explore integrations →

Intake That Works

Smokeball: Customizable, digital intake forms feed directly into new matters. Clients can complete them on your website, over email, or on their phone. No retyping, no missed leads, and no lost revenue.

Competitors: Some platforms support digital intake, but often through bolt-on tools or limited forms that require extra steps or manual re-entry. Leads can slip through when intake isn’t fully integrated into the matter lifecycle.

See intake in action →

Reporting & Firm Insights: Know, Don’t Guess

Smokeball: Firm insights are built right into the dashboard. Instantly see where revenue comes from, which clients are most profitable, and who on your team is overloaded — all in real time, no spreadsheets required.

Competitors: Reporting is often limited to basic metrics or rigid templates. Advanced breakdowns of profitability, utilization, or practice-area performance frequently require external spreadsheets or manual calculations.

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“I think I was one of those people who was managing based on feel without really having the benefit of the data. And when you actually have the data, it's a more precise decision,” says firm owner, Andrew Kryder.

Client Portal: Secure Sharing That Builds Trust

Smokeball: A built-in client portal enforces encryption and two-factor authentication. Clients can access billing info, documents, and deadlines in one secure hub. This builds client confidence and protects sensitive information.

Competitors: While some providers include client-facing portals, features lack—requiring third-party tools for messaging or billing, creating a fragmented experience. Often this causes firms to fall back on email attachments or Dropbox, putting sensitive data at risk.

Learn more about the Client Portal →

Archie AI: A Junior Associate in Every Matter

Smokeball: Archie AI is woven directly into every matter. It summarizes depositions, drafts motions, surfaces key insights, and checks documents for consistency — securely, and in context. It’s like having a junior associate who never sleeps.

Competitors: Many platforms boast “AI features,” but they’re surface-level at best — chatbots or drafting tools detached from your actual case data.

See Archie AI →

Ready to Choose the Leading Case Management Software?

Legal case management software is only as good as the problems it solves. Other platforms might look appealing on price or promise, but when you dig deeper, you’ll find manual workarounds, expensive add-ons, and missing features. Smokeball delivers it all in one system, designed to give you your time, your clients, and your peace of mind back.

Smokeball vs. the Competition

Why settle for piecemeal when you can have the complete package? Schedule a demo today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Smokeball stand out from other legal case management systems?

Smokeball delivers key features built in—automatic time capture (no timers), deep Microsoft Word automation, true Outlook email/calendar sync to matters, matter-centric tasks and workflows, real-time reporting, a secure client portal, and integrated AI that works in the context of each case. Fewer bolt-ons, fewer logins, more results.

Will Smokeball work with the tools we already use?

Yes. Smokeball offers a broad integrations ecosystem (payments, e-signature, accounting, communications, and more) plus two-way Outlook sync. Most firms keep the tools they love, trim the duplicative ones, and run everything from one hub.

How hard is implementation and training?

Onboarding is designed to be straightforward: pre-built matter types, ready-to-use templates, guided setup, and role-based training. Many firms roll out in phases (e.g., time capture and email filing first, then workflows and reporting) to see value fast without disrupting work.

What ROI should we expect—and how do we measure it?

Track reclaimed billable hours from automatic time capture, drafting time saved via document automation, reduced no-shows/missed steps due to workflows, and faster collections visible in reporting. Most firms see ROI in fewer add-ons, fewer manual tasks, and more captured time—measured in billables, turnaround speed, and client satisfaction. Calculate your ROI with Smokeball today.