What Smokeball does

Smokeball is a cloud-based legal practice management software provider focused on solo practitioners and small to mid-size law firms in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, operates a wholly-owned Australian subsidiary (Smokeball Australia Pty Ltd, ABN 46 664 254 200), and a U.K. subsidiary (Smokeball UK Ltd, Company Number 14599837), with localized practice-area support covering all Australian states/territories, all four U.K. jurisdictions, and U.S. state-specific content. Its platform combines a native desktop application (Windows 11 only) and a web app, integrating deeply with Microsoft Office 365 for Business (locally installed Word, Outlook, Excel), and offers automatic time tracking (AutoTime and Activity Intelligence), document automation (TemplateLab), trust and operating account management, billing, payments, secure client portal (end-to-end encryption, 2FA), calendar and task management, and an AI suite (Archie AI Matter Assistant, Intake, Communicate).

The company operates a four-tier subscription model (Smokeball Bill standalone billing, Boost web-based productivity, Grow desktop practice management, Prosper+ flagship desktop tier), with paid pricing referenced at $588 per user per year for the entry-level Bill tier and higher pricing undisclosed for upper tiers. A unique go-to-market channel delivers Smokeball Bill free of charge to members of 28 U.S. state bar associations—covering more than 900,000 lawyers across more than half of all U.S. state jurisdictions—through partnerships launched with the State Bar of Texas in June 2024 and most recently extended to The Florida Bar and North Carolina State Bar in June 2026. The company states that 60-70% of state-bar partnership sign-ups had no prior trust-accounting technology, signaling a substantial greenfield adoption opportunity in the long tail of small firms.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring SaaS subscriptions, with emerging usage-based revenue from the AI Apps Marketplace (CaseMark as first embedded partner, pay-per-use with billable-back-to-case mechanics) and AI add-on subscriptions (Archie AI). The company has raised approximately $70M cumulatively in private funding ($40M in August 2024, $30M in March 2025) from private investors and employee shareholders, with no institutional lead investor disclosed. A March 2026 strategic partnership with Thomson Reuters integrates CoCounsel Legal AI and Westlaw Advantage into the platform, and additional ecosystem partners include AWS (generative AI infrastructure), Partner Fleet (Integration Marketplace infrastructure), Microsoft (Office 365 integration), Foundation AI (document processing), and LAWCLERK (freelance legal talent). The company has 101-250 employees and has made two prior tuck-in acquisitions (LawLytics in November 2021, FamilyProperty in October 2021).

Name

Smokeball

Legal name

Smokeball, Inc.

Website

https://smokeball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Smokeball provides cloud-based legal practice management software for solo and small to mid-size law firms, offering automatic time tracking, AI-powered document automation, trust accounting, billing, and the Archie AI Matter Assistant across the U.S., U.K., and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription tiers (Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+): SaaS subscriptions across four tiers: Smokeball Bill (standalone billing, web-based), Smokeball Boost (billing + productivity, web-based), Smokeball Grow (desktop practice management), and Smokeball Prosper+ (most fully-featured product). Pricing example cited at $588 per user per year for Smokeball Bill.
2. AI Apps Marketplace (Pay-per-use): Pay-per-use revenue from third-party AI tools embedded in the AI Apps Marketplace, allowing firms to track and bill AI costs back to cases. Launched with CaseMark as first embedded partner.
3. Archie AI Add-on: Add-on AI subscription for the Archie AI Matter Assistant, available to Smokeball Grow and Prosper+ subscribers (and as part of Smokeball AI suite including Archie, Intake, and Communicate features).
4. Training and Professional Services (Smokeball Academy): Self-paced training via Smokeball Academy courses (Basics, Essentials, billing topics) and expert-led training sessions via Calendly, supporting onboarding and ongoing education for paid subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Smokeball is a cloud-based legal practice management software platform that automatically records lawyer activity and time, and provides matter management, trust accounting, billing, document automation, and AI-powered legal workflows for solo, small, and mid-size law firms. The platform integrates natively with Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Outlook, Excel) and offers web-based and desktop tiers (Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+) alongside add-on AI products such as the Archie AI Matter Assistant and the Smokeball AI Apps Marketplace.

Product overview

Smokeball offers a single integrated legal practice management platform delivered through multiple product tiers: Smokeball Grow and Smokeball Prosper+ (desktop applications), and Smokeball Boost and Smokeball Bill (web-based tiers). The desktop and web tiers share common AI-powered modules and add-ons, including Archie (AI Matter Assistant) and the broader Smokeball AI suite, AutoTime automatic time tracking with Activity Intelligence reporting, TemplateLab for AI-powered document automation, the Communicate Client Portal for secure messaging, and the Smokeball Integration Marketplace plus AI Apps Marketplace for third-party tools. These are unified by a shared matter-centric data model that supports contacts, matters, calendars, tasks, time/fees, invoicing, trust and operating account management, payments, safe custody, and reporting. The platform also offers structured enablement via the Smokeball Academy and tailored onboarding plans. A free Smokeball Bill program provides trust accounting and billing to members of 28 U.S. state bar associations (over 900,000 lawyers as of June 2026).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smokeball Bill: Smokeball's standalone trust accounting and billing software product, also available free to state bar association members.
• Archie
• Smokeball Boost
• Smokeball Grow
• Smokeball Prosper+

Products and services

• Smokeball Bill

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 30% revenue boost for law firms using Smokeball Gen AI on AWS
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability12 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core, core and major.

• The Florida Bar and North Carolina State Bar (28 state bar associations total)flagship / coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 June 2026Exclusive partnerships with 28 U.S. state bar associations providing free access to Smokeball Bill (trust accounting and billing) to more than 900,000 lawyers across more than half of U.S. jurisdictions. Most recent additions are The Florida Bar and North Carolina State Bar (June 2026), two of the largest state bar associations in the U.S.
• Microsoft (Word, Outlook, Microsoft 365 integration)coreTechnology or Integration · 12 May 2026Smokeball embeds Archie AI directly into Microsoft Word, Outlook, and matter management workflows. The desktop application integrates deeply with Microsoft Office 365 for Business (locally installed). New Outlook integration enables add-in use, and the system uses Microsoft Defender as recommended antivirus.
• Thomson Reutersflagship / coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Strategic partnership announced March 25, 2026 to create an integrated legal technology ecosystem combining Smokeball's practice management platform with Thomson Reuters' CoCounsel Legal AI solution for small law firms. Initially launches a real-time data connector enabling Smokeball users to sync documents directly into CoCounsel Legal, with additional integration phases planned to unify Thomson Reuters' legal content, AI, and practice data into a single interface.
• CaseMarkcoreTechnology or Integration · 29 January 2026First embedded AI partner in Smokeball's AI Apps Marketplace (launched September 2025). CaseMark's AI-powered tools - including Deposition Summaries and Medical Record Chronologies - are integrated into Smokeball matters on a pay-per-use model. Co-hosted webinars showcase the integration for personal injury law firms.
• Partner FleetcoreTechnology or Integration · 28 January 2026Partner Fleet provides the underlying infrastructure for Smokeball's integration marketplace, enabling scalable growth and active partner onboarding across the U.S., U.K., and Australia.
• State Bar of MichiganmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 November 2025Twenty-second state bar partnership providing all State Bar of Michigan members free access to Smokeball Bill.
• Massachusetts Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 October 2025Twentieth state bar partnership providing all 10,000+ MBA members free access to Smokeball Bill.
• Foundation AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2025Partnership to integrate AI-powered document processing into Smokeball's case management software. Combines Foundation AI's OCR, machine learning, and computer vision capabilities with Smokeball to automate document intake, data extraction, and routing.
• Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 September 2025Nineteenth state bar partnership and notably Smokeball's home-state milestone (Illinois is home to Smokeball's U.S. headquarters in Chicago). Provides all ISBA members with free access to Smokeball Bill.
• Colorado Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 September 2025Partnership offering Colorado Bar Association members free access to Smokeball Bill to help comply with regulatory requirements for managing client funds and simplify billing.
• LAWCLERKmajorTechnology or Integration · 29 September 2025Integration with legal talent platform LAWCLERK enables law firms using Smokeball to directly hire freelance attorneys for on-demand legal work without traditional hiring processes.
• West Virginia State BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 September 2025Eighteenth state bar partnership providing free Smokeball Bill access to all 9,000 members to help solo and small law firms comply with trust accounting regulations.
• Kentucky Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 August 2025Seventeenth state bar partnership providing all KBA members (20,000+ licensed attorneys) with free access to Smokeball Bill.
• Oregon State BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 July 2025Sixteenth state bar partnership providing free access to Smokeball Bill to all 15,000 OSB licensees.
• Oklahoma Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2025Provides all 18,700+ OBA members with free access to Smokeball Bill to address compliance risks amid a 9% decline in Oklahoma lawyers over the past decade.
• The Missouri BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 June 2025Fourteenth state bar partnership offering all Missouri Bar members free access to Smokeball Bill (regularly $588 per user per year) to help solo and small firm lawyers manage trust accounts compliantly.
• The Mississippi BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 April 2025Thirteenth state bar partnership providing all approximately 8,000 members with free access to Smokeball Bill for trust accounting and billing compliance.
• D.C. BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 February 2025Tenth state bar partnership, offering free access to Smokeball Bill to approximately 119,000 D.C. Bar members.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or Integration · 4 February 2025Smokeball uses AWS for its generative AI infrastructure; an Amazon case study reports Smokeball boosts revenue potential for law firms by up to 30% using Gen AI on AWS.
• New York State Bar Association (NYSBA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 January 2025Eighth state bar partnership, making Smokeball Bill available free to all NYSBA members to help manage billing and trust accounting compliance.
• Louisiana State Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Twelfth state bar partnership providing all 23,000 LSBA members free access to Smokeball Bill.
• Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2024Eleventh state bar partnership providing MSBA's 13,000+ attorney members with free access to Smokeball Bill.
• California Lawyers Association (CLA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 November 2024Provides all CLA members free access to Smokeball Bill, helping California attorneys comply with the Client Trust Account Protection Program regulations that impose additional reporting and management requirements.
• Virginia State BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 October 2024Partnership providing free Smokeball Bill access to the Virginia State Bar's 33,000 members to help solo and small law firms comply with trust accounting regulations.
• Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2024Seventh state bar partnership, providing free Smokeball Bill to 18,000+ MSBA members to help solo and small law firms comply with trust accounting requirements.
• Alabama State BarmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 September 2024Third state bar partnership, providing free access to Smokeball Bill to all Alabama State Bar members, targeting solo and small firms historically facing compliance challenges with manual trust accounting processes.
• Nebraska State Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2024Second state bar partnership (following State Bar of Texas in June 2024) providing all NSBA members free access to Smokeball Bill.
• State Bar of Texasflagship / coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 June 2024Smokeball's first state bar partnership (June 2024), providing all State Bar of Texas members free access to Smokeball Bill. Program launched to help solo and small law firms maintain compliance with trust accounting regulations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• PracticePanther: PracticePanther is a cloud-based legal practice management solution targeting small and mid-size law firms with matter management, billing, time tracking, and client portal features. It overlaps directly with Smokeball's Grow and Prosper+ tiers in feature set and target customer.
• Clio: Clio is the leading cloud-based legal practice management platform serving small and mid-size law firms globally, offering a comparable suite of matter management, billing, trust accounting, and document automation. It is the most direct competitor to Smokeball in the U.S. and increasingly in Australia and the U.K., and is mentioned alongside Smokeball in third-party comparisons such as real-estate closing workflow positioning.
• MyCase: MyCase is a legal practice management platform for small law firms offering case management, billing, time tracking, and client communication. It competes head-to-head with Smokeball's web and desktop offerings for solo and small firm customers in the U.S.
• LEAP Legal Software: LEAP is a cloud-based legal practice management solution widely used by small and mid-size law firms, particularly strong in the U.K. and Australian markets. It is explicitly mentioned alongside Smokeball in real-estate closing workflow comparisons and offers comparable matter management and document automation.
• Actionstep: Actionstep is a cloud-based legal practice management platform serving small to mid-size law firms globally, with strong U.K. and Australian presence. It is listed alongside Smokeball in third-party comparisons of attorney-led matter workflow systems for real estate and general practice.
• CosmoLex: CosmoLex is a cloud-based legal practice management and trust accounting platform tailored for small law firms. Its trust accounting and billing functionality overlaps directly with Smokeball Bill and the trust accounting compliance proposition Smokeball markets to state bar members.
• Rocket Matter: Rocket Matter is a cloud-based legal practice management solution for small to mid-size law firms offering matter management, time tracking, billing, and document automation — overlapping with Smokeball's core product tiers in both functionality and target market.
• CARET Legal: CARET Legal (formerly LawPay/PracticePanther parent ecosystem competitor) provides cloud-based legal practice management for small and mid-size firms, with comparable matter management, billing, and trust accounting capabilities to Smokeball.

Broad incumbents

• Thomson Reuters (Practice Management / CoCounsel): Thomson Reuters offers broad legal technology solutions including CoCounsel Legal, Westlaw Advantage, and Practice Management suite for larger firms. It is both Smokeball's most strategically important partner (CoCounsel integration announced March 2026) and a broad incumbent whose product roadmap decisions could either enable or threaten Smokeball's SMB positioning.

Emerging players

• Harvey: Harvey is an AI-native legal technology platform providing generative AI tools for law firms and legal teams. As an emerging AI-first competitor, it could shift legal tech purchasing patterns away from full practice management suites toward AI point solutions, indirectly pressuring Smokeball's higher-tier monetization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smokeballnews
• GitHubgithub.com/smokeball
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/smokeball
• Facebookfacebook.com/SmokeballUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smokeball-com
• Instagraminstagram.com/smokeball

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smokeball