Whitley Law Firm is an award-winning family practice that prides itself on high-touch client care. With Smokeball, founding attorney Deanna Whitley and her team automate key parts of their legal services so their work is accurate, consistent, and professional. Automation also frees up staff to deliver stellar client service.
Overcoming a resistance to change
Before implementing Smokeball, Whitley Law Firm relied on a legacy product that was “basically just a set of folders,” according to senior paralegal Sandy Kozero. It linked a client reference number to the billing system but offered little beyond that. Despite this limited capability, staff were comfortable with the old system and hesitant to change until the vendor went defunct and gave them a deadline to migrate—or lose their files.
Sandy was tasked with evaluating options. After years of seeing Smokeball demos at the Texas Advanced Family Law Seminar and collecting peer recommendations, she set up three software demos for the firm. Each staffer had must-haves, and one system was eliminated immediately for failing billing needs. “Smokeball had everything we needed, so the decision was easy,” remembers Sandy. Whitley Law Firm chose Smokeball for its:
Dramatic time savings and consistency with automated documents
After implementing Smokeball, the practice management software became the firm’s single source of truth. Client information, matter data, and the firm’s tools were connected into one streamlined program that everyone could access. Additionally, Smokeball’s responsive training team and customer service team offered top-tier support through the entire transition. “Y'all have been so fantastic with support. Anytime I ever have a question, I get a quick response back from Smokeball staff,” says Sandy.
With a strong, organized foundation, the firm was ready for the next step: automation. Using Smokeball’s library of 20,000+ automated forms and templates, Sandy automated 200 of the firm’s most used forms and documents. With the information auto-filling from the Smokeball matter, documents are now accurate, consistent, and quick to create. The time-savings is stark: simple motions are 50% faster to create; final decree of divorce 80% faster. “The time savings with Smokeball is incredible,” says Sandy. "With automated templates, I no longer sweat the small stuff because I know the work is accurate and quick to turn around.”
Not only is Sandy able to double her output throughout the day, but she also has peace of mind knowing the work is accurate and the documents look professional. “We have a great reputation with the judges here in Bexar County. We feel good knowing that the pleadings and motions we put out in the litigation system have a high degree of consistency and professionalism to them," says Sandy.
This efficiency has empowered Whitley Law Firm to pursue more high-quality cases. “With Smokeball, we’re taking on some big discovery cases with hundreds of pleadings.” Staff are organized so working these more complex cases is a manageable progression and a strategic next step for the business.
Smokeball Payments makes billing a breeze
As Sandy and her colleagues focus on more complex cases, it's important they get billed for the work. Smokeball Payments takes, tracks, and reconciles payments directly through Smokeball. “Our bookkeeper—who was originally hesitant to change systems—told me she wished we would’ve switched sooner,” shares Sandy.
With Smokeball’s automatic time tracking, staff’s billables are accurate and easy to review. Invoices are created in a few clicks and sent to clients with an embedded “pay now” button. “All of the work is done right within Smokeball, so our billing person can just watch it go,” says Sandy. Invoices are sent on time and offer clients multiple payment options, which ensures Whitley Law Firm gets paid faster.
Empowered for excellence, supported by Smokeball
Smokeball transformed the way this San Antonio family law firm works. “We went from zero to 100 mph with Smokeball,” Sandy says. Whitley Law Firm is organized and efficient, from intake to invoice. Staff work faster and more accurately with a restored sense of work-life balance. “Smokeball alleviates a lot of stress. I complete all my tasks for the day, and it’s been very nice to not work late or take work home at night,” says Sandy. And with this peace of mind, staff have more bandwidth to provide the excellent client care Whitley Law Firm prides itself on.
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