Nina Yablok is a tech savvy solo practitioner with vast experience in transactional business law and intellectual property. After a career spent in Silicon Valley, she moved to Texas with plans of slowing down. Instead, with Smokeball, she was re-invigorated. Her time tracking is automated and captures previously lost billables. Administrative tasks that used to plague her are now eliminated or delegated so she can focus on the complex intellectual property work she loves.

The burden of bearing it all in mind

Nina was an early adopter of case management software, but the two systems she used prior to Smokeball were lackluster. One was outdated and couldn’t deliver on its transition to cloud-based software; the other was unintuitive. She returned to managing her practice via Microsoft Office and a digital filing system. As a solo attorney, Nina’s practice lived in her head. She managed, but tracking it all—and knowing there was no back-up should something happen to her—was a burden. Rather than mentally juggling administrative chores, Nina wanted to focus on crafting successful intellectual property agreements so her clients could close deals. She knew practice management software was key to that shift and her success.

Smokeball stands out

Nina re-committed to finding legal software that fit her transactional firm’s niche needs. After intense research, she narrowed her search to four platforms, trialing them all for two weeks and comparing 50+ features. “Smokeball won. I’ve never chosen software that carefully,” remembers Nina.

Smokeball was the best legal practice management software because of its:

• Deep feature set that improves efficiency, organization, and the ability to prioritize tasks across matters.

• Automatic time tracking ensures no billable activity is missed.

• Superior training that onboards users quickly and supports them for life.

• All-in-one platform that provides peace of mind and allows for easy collaboration among staff. ‍

‍Accurate and automated time tracking results in a 25% billing increase

Before Smokeball, Nina struggled to track her time. At month’s end, she would review her emails, phone, notebook, online folders, and documents to reconstruct her time. It often took two full days. “My former billing process was embarrassing. And I always estimated low because I wanted to be fair to the client,” says Nina.

Now Smokeball automatically tracks Nina’s billable time, saving her two full days of work a month. Plus, she's billing 25% more thanks to the accurate record of her work activity. With Smokeball, billing’s a breeze and the guesswork is gone. Instead of pushing billing to the end of the month, Nina reviews her activity daily and can make any needed adjustments in a click.

Gaining control with Smokeball

The insight Nina now has into her billing extends to her entire practice. Smokeball tasks allow her to break down her work and attach documents, so she knows where to start every day. She’s replaced paper sticky notes with digital memos connected to the Smokeball matter. “Smokeball gives me more control. I get the work out of my head and into a system where the tasks are broken down,” shares Nina.

By using a collaborative platform that others have access to, Nina could hire a legal assistant. When May Lan Pope joined, she took advantage of Smokeball's comprehensive training. She got up to speed fast, and Nina didn’t have to teach her the software. “She's having fun learning Smokeball and knows where to go if I’m ever unavailable,” says Nina. With all the case information in Smokeball, May Lan manages the administrative tasks so Nina can focus on the complex transactional work she loves.  

A catalyst for growth and peace of mind

Smokeball re-energized Nina. Instead of slowing down, she refined her processes, increased billing by 25%, and hired an assistant. “Utilizing Smokeball has been a holistic, life-encompassing change. I'm more in control of my practice. I'm in a full-steam-ahead mode. You don't do that unless you feel confident and in control,” shares Nina.

Managing her firm through a secure all-in-one platform, Nina enjoys peace of mind, visibility into her success, and collaboration with her staff. It also gives her options for the future. “If at some point I choose to slow down and hire an associate, I have that option. And I’m big on options,” says Nina.