Smokeball Release Notes

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Grow and Prosper+ for this month.

Smokeball Intake has been updated

You can now create Field Sets, which are groups of contact fields that you can apply to future Intake Forms. This saves time with dragging and dropping each contact field into the form separately.

Select Add contact details on an empty section or drag the Contact details component in to access them.

We have created some preset contact field sets to get you started - select +Add to add them to the form.

Edit an existing Field Set by selecting the Ellipsis icon next to +Add. In the editor, you can add, reorder and delete fields from the Field Set.

If you wish to reuse this configuration in a future form, select Save for future use and give it a name.

Learn more about Field Sets in our dedicated article.

The following refinements have also been released for Smokeball Intake

• The Status filter on the Matter Intake tab now shows the following statuses: Unshared, Prefilled for client, Shared, Completed, Closed and Draft.
• The Activity Status on the Pending Forms tab now shows the following statuses: Unshared, Prefilled for client and Shared.
• Fixed intake forms getting permanently stuck on "Generating questions" when a regeneration with feedback failed.
• Fixed AI form generation mapping more than one question to the same field.
• Fixed AI-generated forms not tagging every field as Added, and a brief Edited status appearing when you clicked a field.
• Deleting a field, group or section now brings up the unpublished changes prompt straight away. Before, it only appeared after you next edited a field.
• Setup name fields on the Share tab now brings up the unpublished changes prompt.
• Changing the redirect URL in the form builder now brings up the unpublished changes prompt.
• The Share form preview no longer shows an autofill component that has been turned on but not yet published.
• Fixed being unable to change a mapped field from Person to a Company contact person.
• Fixed bold, italic and underline formatting not showing in the client message on the New Lead screen when a form is shared through Client Portal.
• Fixed the Download form link custom field breaking on forms with extra languages turned on.
• The Smokeball Payment component in the form summary now follows the firm's branding style.

Stay on top of your matters and documents without the manual work – from AI-powered document reviews guided by your firm's playbooks in Word to one-step PDF attachments in new Outlook. Here's what's new in September.

Your documents, reviewed to your firm’s standard with playbooks

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+ with the Archie add-on

Region: US, AU and UK

Produce consistent, higher-quality documents with a new playbook experience that's easier to set up and use. Playbooks capture your firm's review standard, so each draft gets the same check, whoever reviews it. See every place a document needs attention and apply one-click fixes without going through every line yourself – all in the Archie Word add-in.

Hand your review checklist to Archie

Build a playbook for each document type. Write its rules in plain language – one rule can cover several things at once, so a payment terms rule can check the amount, due date, and interest.

See every result, sorted and explained

See what needs your attention first, with results now grouped into issues, warnings and passes. Each finding explains why and takes you straight to the text.

Let Archie draft the fixes for you

Review Archie's suggested wording beside yours and apply fixes as tracked changes in one click.

Get started fast with a ready-made playbook

Begin with a pre-built playbook for subpoenas, initiating applications, affidavits, and more, and adapt its rules to the way your firm works.

Convert and attach PDFs in one step in new Outlook

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Send Word documents as PDFs in new Outlook – right from the email you're writing. When you attach documents from a matter, tick Convert Word files to PDF, and Smokeball adds the PDFs to your email. Finding the right documents is now quicker too, with sortable, resizable columns and improved file name search.

Record supervisors in their own role

Tier: Grow, Prosper+

Region: AU

Select a supervisor on a matter, alongside the person responsible. Their initials appear in the matter's info field and in a new supervisor column in your matter list. You can also pull the supervisor's details straight into your automated documents in Word.

Card surcharging in Australia: what's changed for Stripe and Smokeball Payments

Tier: Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: AU

Smokeball has switched off card surcharging, following the new rules on surcharging Visa, Mastercard and eftpos payments from 1 October 2026. Many firms are now treating card costs as a cost of doing business, covered by their professional or sundry fees.

If you use Smokeball Payments, the merchant fees your clients used to cover now appear on your Smokeball Payments invoice.

If you use Stripe, you receive each card payment minus the merchant fee, and you'll need to switch to Smokeball Payments to take card deposits into trust.

This month's updates give your firm more control over the work moving through every matter – from the form a lead fills in on your website, to the new clause Archie drafts directly in your Word document right where you ask. Keep reading to see what else is new in August.

Let Archie draft straight into the document, without leaving Word

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+ with the Archie add-on
Region: US, AU and UK

Ask Archie to draft a new clause, section or paragraph straight into the document you have open, powered by the full context of your matter with the Archie Word add-in. Archie now reviews your document and places new content right where you asked, matching the structure and formatting already there. Every insertion arrives as a tracked change that you can control.

New to Archie in Word? Installing the add-in takes a few minutes, and Archie is in your Word sidebar every time you open a document.

See how: US | AU | UK

Reuse your best Archie prompts on leads, not just matters

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+ with the Archie add-on
Region: US, AU and UK

The saved prompts Archie runs for you – like generating a detailed summary of where things stand, with upcoming dates, open tasks and recent emails – now work on leads as well as matters, so prospective clients get the same care your clients already get. Start with the prompts already in Archie's Prompt Library or write your own, then choose which matter types and lead types each one appears on.

See how: US | AU | UK

Intake forms that blend into your website

Tier: Included on Prosper+, or as part of the Intake add-on for Boost and Grow
Region: US, AU and UK

The intake form you embed on your website can now match the page around it, instead of a fixed gray background. Set the background to your brand color, white, or transparent in your branding settings, so the form sits cleanly on whichever page you put it on.

See how: US | AU | UK

Put Claude Sonnet 5 to work on your matters

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+ with the Archie add-on
Region: US, AU and UK

Claude Sonnet 5 is now in Archie's model line-up, alongside OpenAI GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.8 and more. Pick yours in Archie's settings: a fast model for a quick client email, an extended-reasoning model for complex work such as multi-document review.

See how: US | AU | UK

FamilyProperty: Keep one naming convention across every document that leaves the firm

Tier: Grow, Prosper+ with the FamilyProperty add-on
Region: AU

Name an attachment once and that name stays with the document. The Short summary title becomes the file name for single and zip downloads, exports to the Smokeball matter and the other side's downloads from the Disclosure Portal. That name carries through to the reports and forms you generate, alongside the original file name.

See how

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Bill and Boost for this month.

4th September 2026

The Smokeball Web App has been updated with the following refinements:

• When raising an invoice adjustment, you can now credit or write off the card surcharge. A new Surcharge section (pre-GST total, credit amount, GST, GST credit and write-off) will flow through to the Balance Due and to the Invoice and Adjustment Details PDFs.
• Fixed a bug where the Matter Invoice Title, Subtitle and Notes were reverting to None on the Invoice Settings tab after leaving and re-entering Edit Matter, when those fields use the invoice template's defaults.

[Smokeball Boost] The Messages/Client Portal feature has been updated with the following:

• Fixed a bug where unread notifications were not clearing when a client deleted their message before it was read. The unread counter now disappears when the message is deleted.
• Fixed a delay in sent messages appearing in the conversation. Messages now show immediately on send, and are rolled back if the send fails.
• Fixed a bug where a newly created conversation was not appearing for participants until the page was refreshed.

[Smokeball Boost + Intake] Smokeball Intake has been updated with the following:

• When a form respondent enters payment information in a Payment component, the Submit and process payment button no longer appears. Instead, a message is now shown at the bottom of the component that "Payment will be processed upon submission of this form".
• Fixed a bug where the formatting toolbar was hidden in the Message Templates editor when the message content is too long.
• Fixed a bug where message templates were not pulling through the First Name and Last Name values.

3rd September 2026

[Smokeball Boost + Archie] Archie has been updated with the following refinements and bug fixes:

• ChatGPT 5.5 is now available again after fixing some bugs in the backend.
• Archie now answers from live matter data, instead of cached data up to 6 hours old.
• When creating a task, memo or event in Archie, you can now ask Archie about them in the same conversation.
• You can now link prompts in the Prompt Library to Lead Types.
• Archie no longer silently skips photos and screenshots on a matter.
• Fixed a bug where drafts returned [PLACEHOLDER: address] instead of the firm's own address.
• Fixed a bug where the "Most recent email" was not returning the newest email.
• Fixed a bug where matter chat failed if a firm record could not be found.
• Fixed a bug where agent-mode templates were reporting "No emails found" on matters with emails.
• Fixed a bug where Archie was suggesting chasing payment on voided or deleted invoices.

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Grow and Prosper+ for this month.

4th September 2026

The Smokeball Web App has been updated with the following refinements:

• When raising an invoice adjustment, you can now credit or write off the card surcharge. A new Surcharge section (pre-GST total, credit amount, GST, GST credit and write-off) will flow through to the Balance Due and to the Invoice and Adjustment Details PDFs.
• Fixed a bug where the Matter Invoice Title, Subtitle and Notes were reverting to None on the Invoice Settings tab after leaving and re-entering Edit Matter, when those fields use the invoice template's defaults.

The Messages/Client Portal feature has been updated with the following:

• Fixed a bug where unread notifications were not clearing when a client deleted their message before it was read. The unread counter now disappears when the message is deleted.
• Fixed a delay in sent messages appearing in the conversation. Messages now show immediately on send, and are rolled back if the send fails.
• Fixed a bug where a newly created conversation was not appearing for participants until the page was refreshed.

Smokeball Intake has been updated with the following:

• When a form respondent enters payment information in a Payment component, the Submit and process payment button no longer appears. Instead, a message is now shown at the bottom of the component that "Payment will be processed upon submission of this form".
• Fixed a bug where the formatting toolbar was hidden in the Message Templates editor when the message content is too long.
• Fixed a bug where message templates were not pulling through the First Name and Last Name values.

3rd September 2026

Archie has been updated with the following refinements and bug fixes:

• ChatGPT 5.5 is now available again after fixing some bugs in the backend.
• Archie now answers from live matter data, instead of cached data up to 6 hours old.
• When creating a task, memo or event in Archie, you can now ask Archie about them in the same conversation.
• You can now link prompts in the Prompt Library to Lead Types.
• Archie no longer silently skips photos and screenshots on a matter.
• Fixed a bug where drafts returned [PLACEHOLDER: address] instead of the firm's own address.
• Fixed a bug where the "Most recent email" was not returning the newest email.
• Fixed a bug where matter chat failed if a firm record could not be found.
• Fixed a bug where agent-mode templates were reporting "No emails found" on matters with emails.
• Fixed a bug where Archie was suggesting chasing payment on voided or deleted invoices.

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Bill and Boost for this month.

26th August 2026

[Smokeball Boost only] The Archived conversations section is now available when using the new Messages UI.

20th August 2026

The Smokeball Web App has been updated:

• The Web App has been updated with a new logo!
• Failed charges on payment plans now give more descriptive error messages when you hover over them.
• Fixed a bug where Invoice Title, Subtitle and Notes in a matter's Invoice Settings reset to None after navigating away from and returning to Edit Matter.

11th August 2026

[Smokeball Boost + Intake] Smokeball Intake has been updated:

• You can now customize the background color of your Intake Forms as part of your firm's Branding Settings.
  • Options include Default, Brand Color, White or Transparent. Use Transparent when the form is embedded on your website and you want it to blend into your existing page design.
  • The background color applies to all existing and new Intake Forms for your firm.
• Fixed an issue with a large blank space appearing in the generated PDF when a form includes multiple contacts in a group.
• Fixed an issue where changing a form's message templates was not triggering the publish modal.
• Fixed an issue where the checkbox and toggle box in Smokeball Settings > Intake Forms > General appeared cut off when selected.
• Fixed an issue where the "leave without publishing" modal remained on screen after the previous 'publish form' modal was closed.

6th August 2026

The Smokeball Web App has been updated:

• Fixed an issue where hyphens could not be entered in Activity Codes in the Web App.
• Fixed an issue where staff with Invoice Read Only permissions could not send or download Invoice Adjustment Detail PDFs.
• The option to Send Via Client Portal has been added to the Invoice and Adjustment Detail view.

Keep your records accurate without the admin – from adjusting an issued invoice, to filing emails from Outlook mobile, to catching duplicate contacts before they're created. Keep reading to see what's new in July.

Keep emails filed and matters moving, right from Outlook mobile

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Stay on top of your matter emails while on the go. Smokeball's add-in for new Outlook now works in the Outlook mobile app on iOS and Android, so you can assign an email to a matter, save its attachments, and raise a matter task in just a few taps.

Note: This isn't available if you're using our add-in for classic Outlook.

See how: US | AU | UK

Adjust an issued invoice, with the record intact

Tier: Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Adjusting an invoice after it's been issued no longer means voiding the original and starting over. Credit individual lines or enter one total, and have it spread proportionally across fees. Each adjustment* carries the invoice's own number, flows through to your ledger, reports and balances, and moves any resulting credit into the operating retainer account** for you.

• Adjustment detail in the US, adjustment note in AU, credit note in the UK.
  ** Trust account in AU, client account in the UK.

See how: US | AU | UK

Emails and attachments saved your way in new Outlook

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Save an email and its attachments into the right matter folders, under the right names – in one step. When you assign an email in new Outlook, you can rename the email and its attachments just as you do in our classic add-in and now give each one its own folder. Set a default save location in your settings, and it applies on every save.

See how: US | AU | UK

Capture the other side's attorney and other contacts in the web app

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Matters in the web app are no longer limited to the client, the other side, and a referrer or debtor. Add the attorney (solicitor in AU and the UK) acting for the other side, however many they are. Add everyone else the matter involves to Other Contacts, with a role from the list or one you type in, and on Grow and Prosper it all carries across to the desktop app.

See how: US | AU | UK

See possible duplicate contacts before saving a new one

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Create a new contact and see straight away if it matches one you already have. Smokeball holds the save until you pick an existing record or confirm the new one, with the best match shown first based on the details you entered.

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Grow and Prosper+ for this month.

Version 9.19 of the Smokeball Desktop App is now available to all users. If you are not receiving a prompt to update, log out and back in to the Desktop App.

Version 9.19 contains the following refinements:

• Restored the ability to see both a matter contact and its parent Organization contact when selecting contacts in a matter.
• Fixed an issue with memos not syncing from the Smokeball Mobile App.
• Fixed a slowness and freezing issue that occurred when there were a large number of contacts in a Select Contacts screen. The window now loads instantly, with a search bar, resizable dialog, alphabetical sorting, and bolded last names.
• Fixed an issue when sharing an Intake Form via email opened an Outlook draft email with no pre-filled content.

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Bill and Boost for this month.

29th July 2026

Smokeball Intake has been updated with the following:

• A yellow indicator now appears next to form sections that contain unpublished changes.
• The blue Added, Edited and Removed tags indicating form changes now also apply to changes in section or group title.
• If a section has been removed, it will have a strike-through denoting this on the Sections left panel.
• Hovering over the Publish button shows where changes have been made and the count of changes in each section, so you can review and jump to them before publishing.
• The Client Message editors (form and firm level) now support the full set of text formats available in the form builder, instead of only bold, italic, underline and links.
• Message Templates drop-down menus now include Custom/Preferred field names as selectable options, so you can insert client-specific field labels when configuring a template.
• The leave-without-publishing warning now also appears when you exit a form with unpublished changes using the X in the top right, not only the back button.

The Messages/Client Portal feature has been updated with the following:

• Fixed an unread message badge appearing on the Messages tab when there were no unread conversations in the list.
• Fixed Add to Calendar/Update Calendar on iPhone, where the calendar file downloaded as .ics.txt and wouldn't open in the Calendar app. Event files now download correctly as .ics.
• Fixed removed files still showing their original filename instead of "file removed" in both the desktop app and Client Portal.
• Fixed an intermittent display issue where a removed participant's name briefly reappeared in the conversation info pop-up before disappearing.
• Fixed an unresponsive send button when sending or sharing a very large file from the Messages tab.

27th July 2026

The New Outlook Add-in has been updated with the following:

Rename and save emails and attachments to specific folders

Upon assigning an email to a matter, a separate window will open, allowing you to rename the email and its attachments and specify which folder they should save to.

Click on the email/attachment name to rename it. Then tick the attachments you would like to save to the matter.

Use the folder drop-down menu to search for and select a folder to save your email or attachment. To create a new sub-folder, select the + icon next to any folder.

New Settings for New Outlook

There are two new settings you can configure for New Outlook. Navigate to Smokeball Settings > Outlook and Notifications on the Desktop App.

• Prompt to review emails before saving to a matter allows the Add-in to prompt you to rename any email upon assigning it to a matter, even when they don't have attachments.
• Auto save emails and attachments to allows you to configure a specific folder location for the New Outlook Add-in to save emails and attachments to, saving time from manually having to choose the folder every time.
  • Documents/” is pre-filled - add to it to set your location (for example, “Documents/Correspondence/Emails”)
  • Use “/” to create a nested pathway. If a folder in the path doesn’t exist, it will be created automatically when the email is saved.
  • Default folder location is restricted to 3 nested levels (e.g. Documents/Folder1/Folder2/Folder3).
  • Auto-filed reply emails will always file into the default folder, not the current location of the parent email. If a user moves the parent email, the replies will still return to the specified default folder location.

Updated Matter Card View in the New Outlook toolbar

The matters that appear in the New Outlook side panel now include the following information:

• Icon to indicate if it’s a Lead or Matter
• Internal Reference/Matter Number
• Button to indicate if the email has been assigned to a matter or not
• Client Name/s:
  • Individuals to display as Last, First
  • Couples to display as Last, First & First
  • Combinations of these to display as Last, First | Last, First or Last, First & First | Last & First
• Matter type
• Matter description
• Opened date
• Initials for Person Responsible/Assisting (Note: additional Person Assisting is not supported yet)

Hover over the info or expand the add-in panel to view the full text.

23rd July 2026

The Smokeball Web App has been updated with the following:

You can now add Other Side Solicitors and Other Contacts to a matter. These contacts will also sync back to the matter in the Smokeball Desktop App. Note that Other Contacts appear under Additional Contacts in the Desktop App.

Other Side Solicitors can be added when creating a new matter:

Other Side Solicitors and Other Contacts can also be added when editing an existing matter:

Good to Know:

• Only roles that are enabled in the Desktop App Matter Details Settings will appear in the Role drop-down of contacts in the Web App.

If you type in the Role field of a contact on the Web App, it will be recorded as an Additional Contact role and what you typed will be entered into the Edit Role & Legal Description field of the Desktop App.

• The Overview tab of the matter in the Web App will display Other Side Solicitors, but not Other Contacts. Other Contacts can only be viewed from the Edit Matter page in the Web App.

The following refinements are also now available in the Smokeball Web App:

• Billing reports now use each staff member's Initials Override if one has been set.
• Trust transactions now support PO Box addresses.
• Fixed an invoice rounding issue that occurred when a discount was applied.

22nd July 2026

The following lead type are now available for QLD:

• Traffic (Lead)

8th July 2026

Version 9.18 of the Smokeball Desktop App is now available to all users. If you are not receiving a prompt to update, log out and back in to the Desktop App.

Version 9.18 contains the following refinements:

Bulk assign emails to a matter in New Outlook

You can now assign and unassign multiple emails to and from a matter in New Outlook. To select emails in bulk, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click on the emails to assign. The Assign button under the matter card in the New Outlook panel will display the number of emails you have selected.

Improvements to preventing duplicate contacts

When creating a new Contact, Smokeball will now check if a similar contact already exists in the system and display a Possible Duplicate window if a match is found. From this window, you can validate the contact and proceed with creating the new contact if they are not a duplicate.

On the Smokeball Desktop App

On the Smokeball Web App

Also on the Smokeball Web App, we have removed the field auto-complete that appears in Google Chrome when trying to enter contact details.

Improvements to Tasks

We have made the following changes to the Task List:

• You can now sort tasks by Categories and Assigned To.
• User selections in the Task Assignee filter now persist even after Smokeball is closed. This persists until you log out of Smokeball.

We have also cleaned up the Next Step matter widget by introducing a white background behind the Next Step, making it easier to see. You can also now hover over the Task Name to view the full task name.

2nd July 2026

The following update for New Outlook is now available:

• The Smokeball add-in is now available on the Outlook Mobile App for Android devices. Learn more about using the Smokeball add-in on the Outlook Mobile App.

You can now create Adjustment Notes in the Smokeball Web App to apply against invoices. Learn more about how Adjustment Notes work and when they can be used.

1st July 2026

Smokeball Intake has been updated with the following:

• You can now send form respondents to a web page of your choosing after they successfully submit an intake form, instead of only showing the thank-you message.

You can set up a redirect to a specific page for all of your firm's Intake Forms, with the option to override this on a form-by-form basis.

• Russian and Polish have been added as available translation languages for Intake Forms.

The following matter types are now available for NSW:

• Building and Construction (NSW) > Security of Payment Act
• Estate Planning (NSW) > Succession Planning

Let your team view accounts and expenses without changing them

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Protect your trust account integrity without limiting visibility

Keep control over who can move trust funds (client funds in the UK) while opening account visibility to the staff who need it. We've added new levels to the accounts permission and expanded where they apply, now across the global Accounts page and the Transactions tab on matters and contacts. The read-only level lets staff verify balances, review transaction history, and print receipts, while users with full access retain the ability to deposit, transfer, and protect funds. The no-access level hides account data entirely from those who don't need it.

Control who can edit your firm’s expenses

Keep expenses (disbursements in AU, cost recovery in the UK) visible to everyone on the matter, while limiting who can change them. With the new expenses permission, you can assign read-only access, while users with full access retain their ability to create and edit expenses.

See how:
US | AU | UK

Match Archie AI's model to the task, now with a bigger line-up

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+ with the Archie AI add-on

Region: US, AU and UK

Model selection is back in Archie, now with a more capable line-up to pick from: GPT-5.5, plus Claude Opus 4.6 and 4.7. Choose yours from Archie's settings — pick a fast model for a quick client email or an extended-reasoning model for complex work such as multi-document review. As newer models are released, they'll be added to Archie's line-up, so the latest AI is there whenever you need it.

See how:
US | AU | UK

Draft with Archie AI right where you email from a matter

Tier: Grow, Prosper+ with the Archie AI add-on

Region: US, AU and UK

You can now draft emails with Archie without switching to the Archie tab. Describe what the email should say, and Archie generates a draft grounded in your matter's details, the recipients, and any attached documents. Adjust the tone or length until it reads right, then continue to Outlook with the draft and recipients already filled in.

See how:
US | AU | UK

Bulk save emails to a matter in the new Outlook add-in

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Spend less time filing emails in new Outlook by saving multiple emails to a matter in one step, instead of one at a time. Select the emails, choose the matter in the Smokeball add-in, and they're all assigned at once. This matches the bulk filing already in our classic Outlook add-in, so you keep the fast filing you rely on.

See how:
US | AU | UK

Intake: Control when form updates reach your clients

Tier: Included on Prosper+, or as part of the Intake add-on for Boost and Grow.

Region: US, AU and UK

Make edits to your forms without affecting the ones clients have already started. Decide when changes reach clients by publishing them, choosing whether they apply to newly sent forms only, or also to those already in progress. In Version History, you can now see which versions were published, when, and by whom, so you always know exactly what's gone out to clients.

See how:
US | AU | UK

FamilyProperty: Capture custom ownership percentages on jointly owned items

Tier: Grow, Prosper+ with the FamilyProperty add-on

Region: AU

You can now apply any percentage split to jointly owned assets, liabilities, and superannuation, add third-party owners, and set the tenancy type for real estate. These values automatically flow through to the Proposals table, Joint Balance Sheet, and the court forms and documents generated by FamilyProperty, so they match how the assets are actually held.

See how

Learn how to configure your Intake Form settings to redirect users to a custom webpage after they submit an Intake Form.

This is useful if you would like form respondents to land on your firm's website, a booking page, or a tailored landing page after they have completed your form.

Setting a default redirect for all Intake Forms

Follow the steps below to set up a specific webpage that all your Intake Forms will lead to by default.

1. Enter Smokeball Settings.
   • Select the Settings (gear) icon on the top-right corner of the Smokeball Desktop App, or;
   • Select the Settings (gear) icon on the bottom-left corner of the Smokeball Web App, then select Firm Settings.
2. Select Intake Forms from the left menu.
3. Select the Message Templates tab and navigate to Confirmation Message.
4. Click on Redirect to a URL, then enter/paste the URL you would like form respondents to land on after completing any of your firm's Intake Forms.

Overriding the default redirect for a specific form

You can set a redirect on an individual form, which overrides the default URL for firm-wide Intake Forms.

1. Open your list of Intake Forms.
   • On the Smokeball Desktop App, select File from the top-left corner of Smokeball, then select Intake Forms.
   • On the Smokeball Web App, select the Settings (gear) icon, then select Intake Forms.
2. Click on the Intake Form you would like to edit. The form will open in the Form Builder.
3. Select the Settings (gear) icon on the top-right corner of the Intake Form Builder, then select Message Templates.
4. Navigate to the Confirmation section, then select Redirect to a URL.
5. Enter or paste the URL into the Redirect URL field.
6. Select Save.

To revert the form behaviour back to your firm's default setting, select Revert to Firm Default, then click Save.

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Grow and Prosper+ for this month.

Smokeball Intake has been updated with the following:

• You can now send form respondents to a web page of your choosing after they successfully submit an intake form, instead of only showing the thank-you message.

You can set up a redirect to a specific page for all of your firm's Intake Forms, with the option to override this on a form-by-form basis.

Learn more about setting up Intake Form redirects.

• Russian and Polish have been added as available translation languages for Intake Forms.

This feature is in beta

The Adjustment Detail feature is currently undergoing beta testing.

Learn how to create an Adjustment Detail and apply it to a finalized invoice in Smokeball.

An Invoice Adjustment Detail reduces the amount owed on an invoice that has already been finalized, without changing or deleting the original invoice. You use it to refund fees, apply a discount after the invoice was sent, cancel work, or correct an overcharge, while keeping a clean audit trail back to the original invoice.

You can only have one Adjustment Detail per Invoice.

When to create an Adjustment Detail

Creating an Adjustment Detail can only occur if the invoice is issued and unpaid or fully paid.

It will not be available for:

• Partially paid invoices - reverse any payments before creating an Adjustment Detail
• Partially or fully paid split-billed invoices - reverse any payments before creating an Adjustment Detail
  • Refer to Adjustment Details on Split-Billed invoices for more information.
• Voided invoices
• $0.00 invoices, i.e. every line item is non-billable or written off
• Invoices with a waived amount and no payments taken
  • You can create an Adjustment Detail for invoices with a waived amount and a payment has been taken. However, total credit is capped as it cannot exceed the invoiced total minus waived amount.
• Invoices with an Adjustment Detail applied to them already
• Invoices with pending payments - you can create the Adjustment Detail once those payments settle

Adjustment Details on Split-Billed invoices

A split-billed invoice can only be adjusted if there are no payments applied to it. Reverse any payments before creating an Adjustment Detail for them.

When an Adjustment Detail is raised against a split-billed invoice with no payments applied, the total credit is split across the debtors using the invoice's split method (split evenly or % allocated per debtor). Any rounding left over is allocated to the remainder debtor.

How to create an Adjustment Detail

1. On your finalized invoice, select the Create Adjustment Detail button.
2. Enter the Issue Date. This cannot be earlier than the invoice's issue date.
3. Choose to apply the credit amount in bulk or per line item.
   • To apply a bulk credit amount, enter the dollar amount in the Apply bulk credit amount field, then select Apply. The credit will be spread proportionally across all fee lines, but you can still edit individual lines afterward.
   • To apply a credit per line item, enter a credit amount in the Total Credit Amount field for Time/Fee entries, or enter a credit amount in the Pre-GST Credit Amount and GST Credit Amount fields for disbursements.
   • You can also Write Off line items by checking the box under W/O for the relevant line item.
4. Check the right-hand panel for the breakdown of the adjustment calculation.
5. View a preview of the draft Adjustment Detail by selecting View Preview on the bottom-right corner of the screen. From here you can also save the adjustment as a Draft to work on it later.
6. Once you are ready to finalize the Adjustment Detail, click on Final at the top of the right-hand panel.
7. Select Send via Email to email the Adjustment Detail to the debtor, or Send via Client Portal if they use the Client Portal. You can also choose to do neither by not selecting any option.
8. Select Finalise Draft.

Viewing and managing your Adjustment Details

Invoice Adjustment Details live in the Adjustment Details tab of the invoice.

Click on the Adjustment Detail to view the PDF. From this screen you can Email it, Download it or Void it.

Handling a credit balance

A credit balance appears when the adjustment makes the invoice over-credited (Payments + Adjustments now exceed the invoice amount), so money is owed back to the client. When this happens, a Credit Balance message appears on the right-hand panel when creating the Adjustment Detail.

Funds will automatically be transferred to the Operating Retainer Account. Note that if you use the QuickBooks integration, only the credit balance portion is synced to QuickBooks as a journal entry, not the adjustment to the invoice.

Reversing a payment on an invoice with a credit balance

To reverse a payment on an invoice with a credit balance, you must void the Adjustment Note. This releases the credit balance and makes the payment reversible again.

Handling adjustments on overdue invoices with Interest

If the invoice has accrued interest, finalizing an adjustment recalculates that interest proportionally, as though the adjustment had applied from the invoice's original issue date. In practice, interest is only charged on the portion of the invoice that remains after the adjustment.

For Example: an invoice carrying $100 of interest is adjusted by 50% → interest is recalculated to $50, and the other $50 of interest is credited back. Voiding the adjustment reverses the recalculation, restoring the original interest.

Interest is excluded from the adjustment caps (the credit limit is based on the invoice total excluding interest). The recalculation itself runs in the backend when the adjustment is finalized or voided.

Good to Know

• Surcharges are not adjustable at the moment. A surcharge on an invoice shows in the calculation breakdown but cannot itself be credited or adjusted. If you need to bring the invoice down to zero, edit the invoice to remove the surcharge first, then create the adjustment.
• If the original invoice is voided, all finalized adjustments linked to it are automatically voided, and any draft adjustments are deleted.
• If an Adjustment Detail has been voided and re-created, the Adjustment Detail Number will be kept, but with a suffix in brackets (e.g. AN-1077 (2)).

View all new features and refinements to Smokeball Bill and Boost for this month.

24th June 2026

[Boost + Archie add-on] The Legal Research tab in Archie chat is now available across all practice areas for both Fast Research and Deep Research.

23rd June 2026

[Boost + Archie add-on] Archie now supports OpenAI GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.5 (Thinking). To use these models, navigate to Archie Settings.

18th June 2026

[Boost] The following updates have been made to the Messages tab in Smokeball Desktop and Web App:

• A new look to the Messages tab UI in the Smokeball Desktop and Web App is gradually being rolled out over the next month.

In addition, the following new features are introduced:

• A search bar has been added to the top of the Messages tab, allowing you to search for key words in conversations, and staff channels.
• You can now create Public and Private Staff channels. Learn more about setting this up.
• You can mark messages as unread to keep track of conversations that need to be addressed later.
• You can now react to messages with a "Like".

17th June 2026

[Boost + Intake add-on] Before sharing an Intake Form to a client, there is now a warning if there's a newer unpublished version of the form. From here, you can select Review Changes to open the Form Builder and see the unpublished edits, or Publish Now to publish the edits.

The prompt to Publish a form also now appears if you do the following actions:

• Toggle the autofill setting on or off in the Form Builder.
• Change the translation languages on an existing form.
• Create a form using AI - the prompt to publish now appears the first time the form is generated.

12th June 2026

• Invoice, Trust Account and Expense permissions are now available on the Smokeball Web App.
  • For Invoice permissions, the access options are Full Access, Read Only and No Access.
  • For Accounts permissions, the access options are Full Access, Read Only and No Access.
  • For Expense permissions, the access options are Full Access and Read Only.

Learn more about what each permission set covers.

• The Smokeball add-in is now available for the Outlook iOS App (Android App coming soon).

Learn more about using the Outlook Mobile App to assign emails to matters.

11th June 2026

[Boost + Archie add-on] Archie has been updated with the following refinements:

• We have restored the ability to select the LLM model you wish to use with Archie. It was temporarily unavailable as we worked on bringing Archie's agentic capabilities to other models.

The following models are available:

• OpenAI GPT-5.2 (default)

• OpenAI GPT-5.2 (Thinking)

• OpenAI GPT-5.3

• OpenAI GPT-5.4

• Claude Opus 4.6

• Claude Opus 4.6 (Thinking)

• Claude Opus 4.7

• Archie can now read billing data (e.g. activity codes, bank account details, expenses, fees, invoices). Note that Archie cannot create, modify, or delete billing records.

• The Prompt Library now lists your firm's own prompts before Smokeball-published prompts.

• Voice dictation now inserts text at your cursor position in the Archie prompt form, instead of always appending to the end.

4th June 2026

[Boost + Intake add-on] Smokeball Intake has been updated with the following new features:

• Whenever you make changes on an Intake Form, these changes won't be published live to form respondents until you select Publish. Publishing a form also creates a new version of the form in Version History, which you can revert to if needed.

Learn more about how Version History and Publishing works for Intake Forms.

• You can now enable Voice Guide, an option for your form respondents to fill in the form using voice. When activated, a voice assistant will dictate questions to the respondent and record answers via speech-to-text.

Learn more about turning on Voice Guide for your firm's Intake Forms.

2nd June 2026

The Smokeball Data Import/Export tool has been updated with the following changes:

Data Import Updates

• UI Wording Refinements
  • The Waived column has been renamed to Write Off across the Unbilled Time & Fees, Unbilled Expenses, and Invoice Items imports.
  • The Opening Operating Balance ($) and Opening Operating Balance Date columns on the Matter Opening Balances import have been renamed to Opening Operating Retainer Balance ($) and Opening Operating Retainer Balance Date.
  • Activity Types have been renamed to Activity Codes.
  • Opening Balances have been renamed to Account Balances.
  • Invoice Items have been renamed to Billed Invoice Entries.
  • Operating has been updated to Operating Retainer.

Data Export Updates

• A Tags column has been added to the Matter export, containing all tags associated with each matter (semicolon-separated).
• Archive-related columns have been added to the Matter export, including Archived status, Archive/Box Number, Archive Location, Archive Comment, Archived Date, and Destroy Date.
• A new Calendar Events export option has been added.
• The Waived column has been renamed to Write Off across the Unbilled Time & Fees, Unbilled Expenses, and Invoice Items exports.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an error where importing an Unbilled Time & Fees file containing only fixed fee rows would fail with a Column 'hours' cannot be null error.
• Fixed a floating point precision issue where inclusive tax calculations could incorrectly round down by 1 cent.
• Fixed an issue where source system selection prompt data was not correctly saved for the first import performed for a firm.

Lawyers spend a significant portion of their day drafting, reviewing, and refining documents in Microsoft Word. That's why Smokeball has brought Archie AI directly into the place where legal work happens.

Archie AI for Word just got more powerful — your AI legal drafting assistant, embedded natively inside Microsoft Word and powered by the full context of your matter.

Instead of switching between applications, copying and pasting content, or relying on generic AI tools that lack legal context, Archie AI works alongside you in Word, helping you draft, edit, analyze, and refine documents without interrupting your workflow.

Bringing Archie AI to your Word Workflow

Draft with the context that matters

Most AI drafting tools only see the text that's currently in front of them, but Archie AI goes further. Because Archie AI is connected to your Smokeball matter, it draws from relevant files, correspondence, evidence, events, notes, and tasks to inform its responses.

That means more accurate drafts and suggestions, and less time spent manually providing background information or documents.

Whether you're preparing correspondence, drafting court documents, or refining legal arguments, Archie AI embedded in Word helps ensure your work is grounded in the information that matters.

Archie AI is connected to your Smokeball matter

Stay focused and maintain drafting momentum

Switching between applications breaks concentration and slows progress. Archie AI for Word helps you stay in flow by keeping drafting assistance exactly where you need it.

Need to rewrite a paragraph? Summarize a lengthy section? Generate a first draft of a client letter? Ask Archie AI directly from the sidebar and continue working without disrupting your momentum.

Archie AI for Word helps you stay in flow

Review every change with confidence

Legal professionals need control over every word that enters a document. That's why Archie AI applies edits as tracked changes within Microsoft Word.

Rather than automatically rewriting your document, Archie presents suggested edits for your review. You can accept, reject, or modify each recommendation, ensuring every change aligns with your professional judgment and firm standards.

You stay firmly in control of the final product.

Archie AI applies edits as tracked changes within Microsoft Word

Refine documents without starting from scratch

Sometimes the hardest part isn't drafting, but improving what's already there. Archie AI surfaces intelligent suggestions to help strengthen your work, including:

• Identifying gaps in your document
• Highlighting areas that could be clarified or tightened
• Extracting key insights from complex content
• Suggesting next steps and follow-up actions

Instead of rereading an entire document searching for opportunities to improve it, Archie creates a clear path right into the work.

Choose the right AI model for the task

Different legal tasks require different types of reasoning.

With Archie AI for Word, you can choose from leading large language models, including GPT, Claude, and Gemini, without leaving Microsoft Word.

• Need a quick draft of a client communication? Select a model optimized for speed.
• Working through complex legal analysis or cross-document review? Choose a model designed for deeper reasoning and more sophisticated outputs.

You have the flexibility to select the right tool for the job while staying within a single, secure workflow.

Built on the security you already trust

Security remains at the core of everything we build. Archie AI operates within Smokeball's secure environment, meaning your firm's data is never shared with third parties for viewing, training, or AI model development.

See how your data stays safe

Experience Archie AI Where You Already Work

Archie AI for Word brings matter-aware legal drafting, intelligent editing, and powerful AI assistance directly into Microsoft Word.

No switching between applications. No generic AI outputs. Just smarter drafting, powered by your matter context and built into the workflow you use every day.

Ready to see Archie AI for Word in action?

➡️ Try Archie for Word