Nelson, Kirkman & Levanger is an established family law firm specializing in divorces involving complex property and high-value business interests. Rebecca Raine, Office Manager, oversees the firm’s daily operations, managing everything from billing and reporting to workflow efficiency and staff coordination. With her deep understanding of the firm’s operations and finances, Rebecca was the ideal person to evaluate and implement a legal software solution that could truly support the entire team.
Disjointed systems and inaccurate reporting
Managing a growing family law practice means juggling case communication, billing, and team coordination. Rebecca was doing it all without reliable data or unified tools.
When Rebecca began her search for a legal software solution, she didn’t just want a time keeping tool. She needed an integrated, comprehensive platform to provide detailed reports on firm performance. Clio seemed like the best option, but Rebecca quickly identified shortcomings. “We realized Clio wasn’t giving us the visibility we needed. The reports never quite made sense, and I was spending hours trying to pull numbers together that still didn’t feel accurate,” says Rebecca. Due to the firm’s earnings structure, these reports are crucial for attorney compensation, putting heavy pressure on Rebecca’s manual updates.
With reporting, billing, and document management all living in separate places, Rebecca spent far too long hunting down files and client emails rather than focusing on ways to grow the business, prompting the switch to Smokeball.
Switching to Smokeball for an all-in-one software solution
Rebecca switched to Smokeball because of its integrated system that connects all matter information, centralizes client data, and wraps tracked time into a beautiful and easy-to-use report. “Smokeball just felt more complete. It wasn’t only about timekeeping and billing. It brought our documents, emails, and communication together in one place. That level of organization is exactly what we needed,” Rebecca describes.
Smokeball solved Rebecca’s biggest challenges by bringing every part of the firm’s work into one connected system through:
Smokeball as the operational backbone behind a profitable family firm
Since implementing Smokeball, Rebecca has seen a measurable difference in both productivity and confidence across the firm. Reports that once took her an entire day to compile are now ready in minutes, giving attorneys accurate insights into their profitability without manual effort. The team manages a larger caseload without adding staff, a direct result of the efficiency gained through automation and centralized communication. Rebecca says, “Smokeball saves me hours every week and helps our entire team work smarter. Everything we need is right there. It’s streamlined how we manage every case.” With improved organization, faster reporting, and better visibility across matters, the firm now runs with greater efficiency and profitability than ever before.
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