The Law Office of Michael Perez handles family, probate, and real estate matters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, attorney Michael Perez experienced a huge increase in capturing business income. The firm managed this growth with Smokeball because every staff member has access to the information they need to work and bill efficiently. Without this legal software, Michael would’ve lost out on unbilled revenue and growth.

Too busy to bill

‍Prior to Smokeball, Michael used a billing program that’s standard in the legal industry. Everything had to be manually created and input into the program, which he found cumbersome. Because of the system’s inconvenience, billing slipped. Looking back through files trying to recreate staff’s time was a massive chore. “I had gotten so busy working, that I didn't have time to bill. Frequently, I’d look at a file and decide the client had paid me enough,” remembers Michael. With one file he was ready to write off, Michael’s paralegal discovered $5,000 in unbilled time. The current system wasn’t working, and the firm was losing significant revenue.

New software that pays for itself

Michael evaluated every legal billing software he could find. He was curious about Smokeball’s higher price point. “When I compared Smokeball to other programs, I realized they weren’t even in the same ballpark,” says Michael. He was especially excited about three key Smokeball features that other programs lacked:

• Automatic time tracking to capture billable time  
• A Microsoft Outlook and Word integration for seamless email and document management
• A robust Forms and Templates Library for automatic document creation

Michael signed up for Smokeball and discovered the price point reflected the software’s immense value. “The extra money for Smokeball was peanuts compared to the revenue it brought in,” says Michael.

Automatic time capture results in a 40% revenue increase

Smokeball solved Michael’s billing nightmare almost immediately. With automatic time tracking, staff activity gets recorded, and the billable time is assigned to the relevant matter for quick review and invoicing. Michael will never worry about missing out on $5,000 in unbilled time again. “Bills go out on the first week of the month, every month. I review the file, click a few buttons, and invoices are sent,” says Michael. Now clients pay their invoices faster and in full. If they don’t? Using Smokeball, Michael has full insight into who owes him money so he can manage the situation before it gets out of hand.  

A professional firm managing cases with ease

The Law Office of Michael Perez now benefits from full visibility into its caseload. Smokeball allows staff access to each case file no matter where or when they’re working. This empowers Michael’s paralegal and legal assistant to answer any client inquiry with accurate, up-to-date information. This case visibility augments the firm's professionalism and client service—and eliminates the need for staff to meet to align case statuses.  

Another feature that adds to the firm’s professionalism is one Michael didn’t even know he needed: document automation. With Smokeball’s Forms and Templates Library, Michael has access to the correct county forms and can create documents with a few clicks. “The extensive document libraries utilize court forms from my local jurisdiction and others. The libraries cover numerous areas of law and are flexible enough for me to add my own documents or request that Smokeball include a document not yet in their library,” says Michael. By using these forms, The Law Office of Michael Perez creates accurate and consistent documents to reinforce their professionalism.  

Empowered with knowledge—and revenue

‍With Smokeball, Michael now sees the results—and revenue—from his hard work. “Smokeball has added to my bottom line, making me more efficient and aware of everything I need to know,” he shares. Michael focuses his time and energy based on which case types bring in the most revenue, which clients haven’t paid, and other empowering insights about his firm. These data-driven decisions resulted in a 40% increase in revenue for The Law Office of Michael Perez. “Everybody thinks lawyers have plenty of money. That’s not necessarily the case. This job is not worth it if you’re not getting paid. Smokeball created a great deal of momentum for me in terms of realizing the income I earned but previously lost,” says Michael.