Stephen Gaubert is a solo practitioner with 21 years of experience across personal injury, estate planning, and family law matters. Running a solo firm with one paralegal means that every hour lost to accounting is an hour away from clients. Smokeball is the tech upgrade that turned disorganized and antiquated accounting tools into a cost-effective billing solution.

Outdated accounting software made every hourly case a chore

In recent years, Stephen’s family law case volume increased substantially, influencing the need for reliable billing software. “I was on outdated accounting software and spreadsheets. As my caseload grew, going back each month to document everything became a major chore,” says Stephen. He discovered that Smokeball partnered with dozens of Bar Associations, including the Louisiana State Bar, to offer free billing and trust accounting software. Stephen tried Smokeball and hasn’t looked back.

Free billing software offered through Smokeball’s Bar Association Partnership

Smokeball’s intuitive billing flow transformed Stephen’s least favorite task into a seamless part of his workflow. “Tech is my kryptonite, but month-end invoicing is now incredibly straightforward,” notes Stephen.

Through Smokeball’s free billing and trust accounting software, Stephen now enjoys

• Tracking all matter-based time entries, fees and expenses
• Easily monitoring accounts receivable to know what’s owed, overdue and paid.
• Intuitive user interface that didn’t take too long to learn
• Detailed bill capture for the family law side of his business

By simplifying and ensuring accuracy of time capture, Stephen now feels confident he’s billing for all the time worked on his family law cases. Plus, he has concrete evidence when clients dispute any costs associated with his service. He shares a recent experience with a client, “After months of work, I printed one final invoice showing all payments and the balance. It turned a usually uncomfortable conversation into an easy, transparent one,” describes Stephen. Smokeball Bill takes the burden of billing and accounting off Stephen’s shoulders, freeing him to spend more time practicing law instead of managing paperwork.

Reclaimed time by removing the burden of billing

Having billable hours, invoices, and records of payment together in one software saves Stephen hours. “Just the accounting and record-keeping alone used to take hours every month. Having everything in one place saves us so much time,” mentions Stephen.  Stephen knows the value of his time. By replacing spreadsheets with a single, integrated system, Smokeball Bill helped him reclaim that time and simplify billing to run a more organized, efficient practice.