Practice management and billing software brings a personal injury firm into the future

Personal injury law firm Sarkisian, Sarkisian & Associates has grown exponentially while keeping things (mostly) in the family. Founded by Gregory J. Sarkisian over 25 years ago, Sarkisian, Sarkisian & Associates has expanded to include five attorneys – four of whom are Sarkisians – and twelve staff members. After years of a more paper-intensive approach, this growing firm knew it was time to update their practice management system and embrace the increasing presence of personal injury case management software.

“I wish we would have been using Smokeball many, many years ago. It’s great to have an option to work outside of the office and have everything easily at hand. It is even more important now with the court systems’ e-filing requirement. Everyone’s moving to becoming paperless. And I think the program is ahead of the game.”

Automatic time tracking for personal injury lawyers

One challenge encountered by growing firms is ensuring efficiency in their processes. Attorney Katie Sarkisian utilizes Smokeball’s automatic time tracking to understand what tasks are taking up the bulk of her colleagues’ days. As attorneys and staff work within

their law firm software, Smokeball automatically updates and tracks the categories of activities users dedicate their time to.

Like most personal injury law firms, Sarkisian, Sarkisian & Associates bills primarily on contingency rather than hourly – but the billable hours recorded by Smokeball still play a powerful role in helping Katie successfully run her business. She can determine how many hours were spent on a case, calculate an hourly rate from the settlement, and use that information to make sure that the firm’s attorney fees and profitability are customary and reasonable. This results in clear data that enable Sarkisian, Sarkisian & Associates to thrive.

“When we do our weekly and monthly assessments with our staff we talk about Smokeball, and we also talk about matters and we talk about what’s taking up most of your time and why, and how can we use Smokeball to help us be more efficient.”

Microsoft Office integration and working remotely

Another key selling point for the firm was the ability to work remotely. Whether pulling up documents on the go or accessing their calendar software via Smokeball’s lawyer app, moving away from paper files has given them the flexibility to work from wherever they may be on a given day. The seamless integration with Microsoft Office means that documents and emails are easily tagged to their matters, and cloud technology enables them to keep up with tasks assigned to different staff members in real time with a click of a button, rather than spending valuable time calling into the office for updates.

“The ability to work through your file with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook and the Smokeball matter blending seamlessly with all of these programs while capturing all activities, is one of the best parts of Smokeball.”

Based in Northern Indiana, the attorneys of Sarkisian, Sarkisian & Associates P.C. are dedicated to helping their clients navigate the unique challenges of personal injury matters to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, please visit www.SarkLaw.com.