The Crannell Law Group represents injury victims across the Chicago metro area in complex personal injury matters, including car and truck accidents, premises liability, and more. The firm has built a reputation for combining aggressive advocacy with highly personalized client service.
For more than a decade, founder and attorney, Jon Crannell, has relied on Smokeball as the operational backbone of the firm. Smokeball transformed the practice into a nearly paperless operation that is more organized, scalable, and equipped to serve clients efficiently from anywhere.
Running a busy personal injury firm without legal technology was unsustainable
Jon recognized early that managing a growing practice without centralized legal software created serious operational and malpractice risks. Between calendaring, communication deadlines, and file management, reliance on physical paperwork and fragmented systems limited Jon’s ability to scale his business. “I believe that to run a busy law practice these days without having a solid technology solution for case management would be just begging for malpractice,” says Jon. Smokeball was the all-in-one solution that allowed Crannell Law Group to take their practice to the next level.
Smokeball as the central hub of Crannell Law Group
Having used Smokeball at his practice for over a decade, Jon’s firm is now digital, efficient, and centralized. “My firm is roughly 99% digital. Wherever I have my computer, phone, or tablet, I have all of my clients’ files with me,” mentions Jon. His team relies on Smokeball for:
Jon emphasizes Archie AI as a major upgrade to Smokeball’s suite of tools. “Allowing Archie to take a second look at it is almost akin to having an extra associate attorney who’s up to speed on the file. The more perspective you can get from outside your own tunnel vision, the more prepared you’re going to be for trial,” states Jon. The Crannell Law Group’s longtime partnership with Smokeball is key to the firm’s success.
3-5x more efficient while preserving work-life balance
Smokeball enables Crannell Law Group to take on more work with efficiency while maintaining a high standard of service and protecting work-life balance Jon estimates a 3-5x efficiency improvement since implementing the software. “Being more efficient means that we can do more each day; allowing us to help more clients,” Jon adds. More importantly, remote access to matters and case information makes it so Jon remains deeply involved in family life while running an active and profitable legal practice. “With Smokeball, I can be a good dad, a good husband, and still be a great lawyer.”
For Jon, Smokeball has become more than case management software. It’s the system that allows his firm to grow, stay connected, and continue delivering high-quality client service every day.
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