Smokeball Release Notes

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.

Discover Archie AI for Word, Smokeball's AI legal drafting assistant embedded directly in Microsoft Word. Draft legal documents faster with matter-aware AI, tracked edits, and secure access to GPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Archie AI for Work: Native to your workflow. Grounded in your matter.

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.

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.

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.

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:

1. Identifying gaps in your document
2. Highlighting areas that could be clarified or tightened
3. Extracting key insights from complex content
4. 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.

1. Need a quick draft of a client communication? Select a model optimized for speed.
2. 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.

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

Archie AI, next generation: Built for the way you work

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

Region: US, AU and UK

Archie has evolved from a tool you go to, to AI built into the way you work, with agentic reasoning that goes deeper into your matter and checks its own answers before responding.

Tap into Archie's advanced intelligence, now powered by agentic reasoning

Get answers that are more thorough, reliable, and ready to act on. Archie now works through your question step by step, going deeper into your matter context, evaluating its own response before answering, citing the sources it relied on, and flagging where it sees ambiguity. Take that answer straight into action with tasks, memos, or calendar events created directly from the chat.

Your AI legal drafting assistant, embedded in Word — grounded in your full matter context.

Do your best work faster, without leaving Microsoft Word. Archie now works where you do, bringing matter context, quick drafting, and precise edits directly into your Word sidebar. Jumpstart your work with proactive suggestions, apply targeted edits as tracked changes you control, and pick from GPT, Claude, or Gemini depending on the task.

See how: US | AU | UK

Get proactive suggestions that anticipate your next step

Open every matter with your next steps already lined up, without needing to think of them. Archie analyses your matter, drawing on recent documents, emails, tasks, and invoices, to surface the most relevant suggestions along with their reasoning and any supporting files. Take action on any suggestion in a single click.

See how: US | AU | UK

Tell Archie what you need — no typing

Speak your prompt to Archie when typing would slow you down. Tap the microphone in the chat input to dictate your prompt, then review the transcription before sending. Switch between speaking and typing mid-prompt, in whichever order your thinking flows.

Voice dictation works in Archie in your matters today, with support for Archie in Outlook coming soon.

Turn every form into intake clients can speak through

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

Region: US, AU and UK

Give every prospect and client a way to complete your forms that suits them—whatever their preference or accessibility needs. Enable voice-guided forms so clients can hear each question read aloud and answer by speaking in their chosen language, on desktop and mobile. The conversation continues throughout the form, and clients can edit their answers before submitting.

See how: US | AU | UK

Catch duplicate contacts before you create them

Tier: Grow, Prosper+

Region: US, AU and UK

Spend less time merging duplicate contacts. Assigning a contact to a role on a lead or matter now opens a search of your contacts first, sortable by last updated. If you can't find the contact, you can still create a new one without leaving the modal, and when you do, auto-populate now shows contacts that match on email or phone too, so likely duplicates surface as you type, not after you save.

Generate a court-ready Florida Financial Affidavit in FamilyPro

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

Region: US

Generate Florida's Financial Affidavit in FamilyPro, without the manual data entry or the usual back-and-forth to gather every detail. Now a smart form, it populates with data from your balance sheet and balance sheet intake, and you can share it with your client to complete the remaining sections at their own pace. When it's complete, download it as a Word document that saves straight to the matter, ready to file.

Plus, across all US states, you can now factor potential future obligations into property division with a new contingent liabilities category in the balance sheet.

See how: Financial Affidavit smart form | Contingent liabilities

If you have connected to New Outlook, you can utilize some New Outlook features in the Outlook Mobile App while on the go.

On the Outlook Mobile App, you can:

• Assign emails to Smokeball matters
• Open those matters in the Smokeball Mobile App
• Save email attachments to the matter
• Raise a task against a matter

Before you begin

Ensure you have:

1. Connected Smokeball to New Outlook from your PC/Mac
2. Downloaded the Outlook Mobile App from the relevant App Store for your mobile device:
   • Outlook on the iOS App Store

Note: As of 11 June 2026, the Smokeball add-in is only available for the Outlook iOS App (i.e. only Apple devices). The Smokeball add-in will be released for the Outlook Android App soon.

Assigning an email to a matter

To assign emails to a Smokeball matter from the Outlook Mobile App:

1. Tap on the email to open it.
2. Tap on the three dots icon at the top-right corner of the email.
3. Tap Save to Smokeball.
4. Search for the matter to assign the email to, then tap Assign.

Further email actions after assigning a matter

Once an email has been assigned to a matter, you can view the assigned matter and complete additional actions by tapping on the three dots icon of the email and selecting Save to Smokeball.

Viewing the assigned matter

Tap on View to open the matter in the Smokeball Mobile App.

Saving email attachments to the matter

Tap on the Attachments section, then tap on the files you wish to save to the matter. A Save Attachments to Matter button will appear; tap it to complete the process.

Create a task for the matter

Tap on the Tasks section, then tap Add Task. Enter the task information, then scroll down and tap Save Task.

You can also open the matter's task list by tapping Go to Tasks.

Learn how to enable Voice-Guide for your Intake Forms, allowing clients and respondents to complete forms using spoken responses instead of typing.

Enabling Voice-Guide

To enable Voice-Guide for your firm:

1. Open Smokeball Settings/Firm Settings.
   • From the Smokeball Desktop App, navigate to the Settings (gear) icon on the top-right corner of the window.
   • From the Smokeball Web App, navigate to the Settings (gear) icon on the bottom-right corner of the screen, then select Firm Settings.
2. Select Intake Forms.
3. Select the Voice-Guide tab.
4. Toggle Enable Voice-Guided Forms on.

Voice Fill is controlled at the firm level. Once enabled, the Use Voice option appears on every Intake Form your firm sends and no additional setup is needed per form.

How Voice-Guide works

When Voice-Guide is enabled, form respondents see a Use Voice option in the header of any Intake Form they receive.

When a form respondent opens an Intake Form on a computer or their mobile phone:

1. They select Use Voice from the form header.
2. They grant microphone permission in their browser.
3. The voice assistant reads each question aloud and listens for the response.
4. The assistant transcribes the response and enters it into the matching field, then moves to the next question.
5. The respondent can review and edit any answer before submitting the form.

Frequently asked questions

Is Voice-Guide turned on automatically?

No. A firm admin user needs to enable it under Firm Settings > Intake Forms > Voice-Guide.

Does Smokeball record or store the audio?

No. Only the transcribed text is saved into the form.

Can respondents still type if they use voice?

Yes. Respondents can stop the voice assistant at any time and continue typing. Voice and typed input work side-by-side.

What if a respondent gives a short answer or pauses?

The assistant keeps the conversation going rather than stopping. The respondent can repeat themselves or move on.

Does this affect existing Intake Forms?

No existing form data is changed. Once enabled, the Use Voice option appears on all existing and new forms automatically.

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

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.

Learn how to manage changes to an Active Intake Form, including how auto-save and version history work and how to publish form changes.

How version control works in Intake Forms

Changes made to any Intake Form are saved automatically as a new version. Versions come in two states: Auto-save and Published.

• Auto-save versions are saved by Smokeball once a day at 11:59 pm (US Eastern time). A version is only saved if changes were made in the past 24 hours.
• Published versions are ones you have manually published, and are made visible to form respondents.

Accessing Intake Form Version History

To access a form's version history, select the Settings (gear) icon on the top-right corner of the Form Builder, then select Version History.

Each version is labeled with its date and whether it was auto-saved by the system or published by a staff member.

If you revert to an earlier version of a form, newer versions are not deleted. However, any changes made in the 24 hours before the save time will be lost.

How publishing an Intake Form works

When you edit an Active form, your unsaved changes are shown in the bottom-right corner of the Form Builder. You can leave the Form Builder at any time and your changes will be saved.

Publishing a form makes your changes visible to respondents. To do this:

1. Select Publish on the bottom-right corner of the Form Builder.
2. A Publish form window will appear. Enter a Change Note (optional) to record a summary of your changes.
3. If some respondents have started filling out the form, the number of them will appear under the Also apply to forms in progress checkbox. Check this if you want to push your changes to them as well.
4. Select Publish.

From granular invoice permissions to preventing duplicate matter emails, this month's updates give your firm tighter control over the records and money moving through every matter. Keep reading to see what's new in April.

Give your team the right level of access to invoices

Tier: Grow, Prosper+
Region: US, AU and UK

Delegate invoice tasks to the right people on your team without exposing sensitive client data. New granular invoice permissions (Full Access, Read Only, and No Access) let your client-facing staff view and share invoices without creating, editing, or deleting them, while invoice control remains locked to those who manage the books. A separate web settings permission lets you decide who can access your firm's settings in the web app, independent of desktop access.

See how: US | AU | UK

No more duplicate emails on matters with our new Outlook add-in

Tier: Boost, Grow, Prosper+
Region: US, AU and UK

Keep your matter records clear without manually deleting duplicates. When a team member saves an email to a matter, anyone else who received the same email through a shared mailbox or CC now sees a Smokeball tag on it in Outlook, so the same email isn't saved twice.

Connect to new Outlook: US | AU | UK

File emails and attachments from Gmail to Smokeball Boost

Tier: Boost
Region: US and AU

Our Gmail add-on helps your firm keep matter files organized by saving emails and attachments directly to your matters in Smokeball. Replies to filed emails are automatically added to the same matter, and every filed email gets a Smokeball label in Gmail so you can see what’s been saved.

See how: US | AU

Get paid faster with Smokeball Payments for Bill and Boost

Tier: Bill, Boost
Region: US

Get paid faster, with every payment tracked to the right matter automatically. Accept Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, and eCheck payments across invoices, intake forms, and direct payment links, including trust payments. There's no additional monthly fee. You only pay processing fees on the transactions you run, with the option to pass credit card fees on to your client.

Get started with Smokeball Payments
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Close out client account interest for every matter in one pass

Tier: Prosper+
Region: UK

Handle client account interest in one place, without the manual calculations or receipting interest one matter at a time. The interest calculator works through your matters in bulk, calculating the interest owed, allocating it across matters, and posting it to each one in a single run.

See how

Archie now works inside Word, Outlook, and your matters with agentic reasoning that delivers reliable answers you can act on.

Legal AI built for the way lawyers work

For most lawyers, AI is a detour. You stop what you're doing, open a separate tool, write a prompt, copy the answer back, and pick up where you left off. It’s useful, but it treats AI as an extra step, not part of how legal work actually happens.

That changes today.

The next generation of Archie AI brings a fundamental shift to how legal AI works in your firm. It's no longer a place you go, it's your AI matter assistant that's built into the way you work and the tools you use—including Microsoft Word and Outlook—with intelligence powered by industry-leading AI models and agentic reasoning to deliver sharper insights, faster actions, and zero guesswork.

This isn't just a feature update. It's a shift in what Archie is: from a tool you go to, to legal AI that works alongside you in every matter. More capable, and more connected to the tools your firm already uses.

What’s new with Archie?

Intelligence you can act on

Archie now delivers advanced intelligence with agentic reasoning

Archie now applies agentic reasoning to every interaction. It dives deeper into your matter context, evaluates its own response, and keeps refining until the answer is complete, well-supported, and verifiable. When you’re ready to act, Archie can turn insights into action by creating tasks, memos, and calendar events with your confirmation. Archie also recognizes legal questions and retrieves relevant legal research from LawY, which is then integrated directly into responses.

What this means for your firm:
Accurate and thorough answers, fewer rounds of rework, and trusted output you can act on with confidence.

Proactive suggestions that anticipate your next step

Archie analyzes your matter in real time and surfaces relevant next steps, suggesting actions and tasks before you think of them. It draws on your Smokeball activity, documents, emails, tasks, and invoices to suggest actions based on where your matter actually stands. Each suggestion shows the recommended action, why Archie is suggesting it, and which files it will use if you choose to execute it. Simply click once to run it.

What this means for your firm:
Clear actions ready to execute, without any prompt writing. Lawyers who aren't sure what to ask Archie get an immediate, contextually relevant starting point the moment they open a matter.

Seamlessly built into your workflow

Powerful AI drafting built into Microsoft Word

Archie is now embedded in Word so you can generate content, refine drafts, and review clauses, all with your matter’s context from Smokeball. Archie operates within the structure of legal documents, proposing precise edits rather than whole rewrites, so your document structure and formatting stay intact. For structured document reviews, build preconfigured playbooks to flag issues by severity and generate suggested updates against your firm's standards. When you open a document, Archie automatically analyzes it and surfaces suggested actions to jumpstart your work. Effortlessly refine your writing with one-click improvements and built-in translations when you need it.

What this means for your firm:
Faster, more accurate drafting without copy-pasting between tools.

➡️ Visit our support article for steps on installing the Archie Word add-in.

Get more done, faster, inside your inbox

Archie now lives inside Outlook as part of Smokeball's new add-in. Summarize lengthy threads, pick from suggested rapid replies, or generate a full draft grounded in your matter's details in seconds. It also allows you to adjust tone, length, and style before sending.

What this means for your firm:
Matter-aware emails drafted inside Outlook, ready to review and send without switching tools.

➡️ Archie in Outlook is available exclusively through our new Outlook add-in. Head to our support article to get started.

Speak to Archie instead of typing

With voice dictation, Archie transcribes your spoken prompt into text in the chat input field. You can then review and edit the prompt before sending, either by speaking again or by typing to finish it off. Voice dictation activates only when you choose. There is no background listening or passive recording.

What this means for your firm:
Capture thoughts in the moment, like after a client call, while reviewing documents, or anywhere typing slows you down.

Results you can trust

Reliable outputs that meet your professional standard

Every Archie response is grounded in real sources, cited for verification, and flagged where ambiguity exists. With tone profiles (coming soon!), Archie ensures every draft reflects your firm's communication style for each audience. Get accurate content and professional standards from the first draft.

What this means for your firm:
Trusted results you can act on with less time spent verifying or re-writing them.

Uncompromised security

Archie operates within your firm's secure Smokeball environment across every workflow touchpoint, including Word and Outlook. Your data is never shared nor used to train AI. We know the importance of keeping your client’s information secure and your ethical obligations are maintained at every step.

Supporting all legal professionals with Archie

Archie supports the realities of how legal professionals work: inside documents, emails, and matters. It eliminates context-switching, reduces repetitive tasks, and delivers trusted outputs that meet professional standards for accuracy, tone, and reliability. It's especially valuable for:

• Lawyers who draft and review documents in Word as a core part of their day
• Legal professionals who live in Outlook and want matter-aware replies without context-switching
• Law firms that have experienced incomplete AI responses and need verifiable, cited output they can rely on
• Practitioners who are interested in AI but haven't found a natural, responsible way to work it into their day
• Firms that want consistent, clear communication across their audiences

How to get started with Archie’s new features

These new features are available for firms to use in Archie now. If you already have Archie as part of your Smokeball subscription, they’re available at no extra cost, no add-ons. If you don’t have Archie yet, reach out to your Account Manager to learn more.

Not a Smokeball user yet? See why smart lawyers use Smokeball.

FAQs

What is "agentic reasoning" in plain English?

It means Archie answers your question step-by-step, cross-referencing your matter and associated documents to gather necessary information, then generating a complete and well-supported response. It also checks against source materials and flags anything ambiguous, so what you get back is cited and ready to use.

Do I need to leave Smokeball to use Archie in Word or Outlook?

No. Archie is embedded inside Microsoft Word as a sidebar and is an add-on in the new version of Outlook. When you open a document or email, Archie automatically connects to the associated matter from Smokeball.

Will Archie rewrite my precedents?

No. Archie for Word operates within the structure of legal documents, proposing targeted edits rather than whole rewrites. Every suggested change is presented for review before it's applied.

Is my data used to train AI?

No. Archie operates within your firm's secure Smokeball environment. Your data is never shared or used to train AI.

How do tone profiles work?

You define writing rules by audience, such as client, third-parties, or your internal team. Archie applies them automatically to every draft, so you set it once and every interaction reflects how your firm communicates. Tone profiles will be coming soon and available to all Archie users.

Can Archie take action, not just answer?

Yes. Archie can create tasks, memos, and calendar events directly from the conversation. It always gets your confirmation before anything is saved.

Is there an extra cost?

If you have Archie enabled for your firm, all of these releases are included as part of your existing Smokeball subscription. If not, talk to your Account Manager or book a demo to learn more.

New Agentic Model

Archie's engine has been updated to better assist with complex queries and workflows. It will now work through your matter more deliberately, by:

• Checking if there's enough context in your matter before responding
• Giving clear signals when something isn’t fully supported
• Having stronger continuity across multi-step conversations
• Producing answers that are more complete and grounded
• Aiming to reduce the need for follow-up prompts and manual verification

In addition, Archie can now generate slide-style images to help summarise or visually present information.

Archie Word Add-in

You can now use Archie alongside Microsoft Word by installing the Smokeball Archie Word Add-in. This add-in contains many unique features dedicated to document review, and utilizes the in-build Review feature in Word to help you draft documents and correspondence.

Learn how to install and use the Archie Word Add-in.

Create tasks, memos and events in Archie

Archie can now create tasks, memos and calendar events for your matter when prompted to. All actions require explicit user confirmation before execution.

Learn more about creating tasks, memos and events with Archie.

Ask Archie with your voice (Voice Dictation)

You can now use your PC's microphone to talk to Archie. Click on the microphone icon to start recording.