Smokeball vs Amicus Attorney

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Our analysts compared Smokeball vs Amicus Attorney based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Legal Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Smokeball is a hybrid solution to manage various facets of a legal firm, including cases, billing, documents, clients and daily operations. It provides comprehensive billing including automated timekeeping & activity tracking, custom invoices, online payments and trust accounting. Users can create and manage legal documents and forms using over 20,000 forms, perform e-filing and request e-signatures. Assign, collaborate and automate tasks and workflows with smart reminders on priorities, events and deadlines, as well as increased visibility with convenient access to its intuitive legal calendar. It also provides centralized access to organize relevant legal case data and a secure portal to enhance client communication.

Its real-time reporting and dashboarding modules enable data-driven insights on business trends, performance, finance and profitability. It offers intuitive integrations with Lawpay, QuickBooks, MS Word and Outlook, and more. to enhance its billing, payment and management functionality. In addition to its user-friendly remote accessibility, its hybrid implementation enables both online and offline access. Firms are entitled to dedicated onboarding, training and support services.

Pros
  • User-friendly interface
  • Streamlined workflows
  • Strong document management
  • Good customer support
  • Mobile app available
Cons
  • Limited reporting
  • Costly for small firms
  • Inconsistent integrations
  • Learning curve for users
  • Occasional bugs
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Amicus Attorney is a solution for legal practitioners to gain control over all aspects of the firm with ease of access to their clients, cases and documents. It saves time by automating time tracking, billing and invoicing. It also lets users manage legal work, client matters, tasks and deadlines accurately.

Teams can collaborate through a centralized calendar to manage, share and update appointments and deadlines with its event linking, court date calculator and rule-based calendaring. It also offers document management to track and organize case documents and time tracking with time entry assistance. Collect payments faster by tracking client files and generating reminders. Its mobile app ensures access anytime, from anywhere. Improve communication and transparency through its client portal.
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$39/Month
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Tailored to your specific needs
$49/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Easy Access to Information: Consolidate all case-related information, including documents, contacts, workflow and communication in a central hub. 
  • Requires Minimal Training: Minimize time spent on reskilling and training employees using the intuitive user interface and training materials. 
  • Automated Billing: Accurately track time and create bills for client work via the AutoTime module. 
  • Seamless Integrations: Integrate with all the popular apps like Microsoft Office, Outlook Calendar, Contacts, email clients and more. 
  • Matter-Specific Document Search: Easily locate particular documents and case files. Find documents used in specific contexts, depending on the firm’s requirements. 
  • Increased Productivity: Smokeball automates time-consuming tasks like document generation and billing, freeing up your time to focus on what matters most: serving your clients.
  • Improved Client Communication: Smokeball's secure client portal allows you to share documents, invoices, and other information with clients instantly, keeping them informed and engaged throughout the legal process.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Smokeball provides a central platform for your team to collaborate on cases, share ideas, and track progress, streamlining your workflow and fostering a more efficient work environment.
  • Boosted Profitability: Smokeball's accurate time tracking and billing features help you capture every billable hour and ensure you are getting paid for all the work you do.
  • Reduced Costs: By automating manual processes and eliminating paper, Smokeball helps you save time and money, allowing you to reinvest those resources back into your business.
  • Improved Scalability: Smokeball grows with your firm, providing the tools and resources you need to manage your caseload effectively, regardless of size.
  • Enhanced Security: Smokeball's cloud-based platform is backed by robust security measures, ensuring your data is always safe and protected.
  • Peace of Mind: Smokeball's reliable performance and expert support team give you the peace of mind to focus on what you do best: practicing law.
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  • Save Time and Money: Redirect company time spent on mundane daily tasks to billable client activities with automated workflows. 
  • Remote Access: Get secure access to important modules and legal information via any device with an internet connection. 
  • Automatically Sync With Court Rules: Eliminate any room for malpractice by calculating schedules and deadlines according to Federal and County-based court rules. 
  • Time Tracking Oversight: Recover all the client-related tasks with no recorded time entries using the Time Entry Assistant tool. 
  • Flexible Deployment: Self-host the platform with in-office, local servers or opt for a private cloud-based solution with greater flexibility, stability, security and control. 
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  • Time and Expense Tracking: Automatically track time spent on in-platform tasks, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook and associate it with relevant legal matters. Prepare invoices for billable hours and run reports on profitability and productivity. 
    • Productivity Insights: Generate productivity reports by practice area, staff member and matter. Identify non-billable hours, potential issues and productive staff members to improve the firm’s bottom line. 
    • Automated Billing: Populate billing entries and send invoices directly from the time and expense tracking portal. Pull data from associated matters to automatically create customizable entries. 
  • Document Automation: Draft and edit documents automatically from the information stored in associated legal matters. Integrate with Microsoft Word to move documents and generate PDFs directly from the source. 
    • Document Standardization: Improve the firm’s standard documentation processes with smarter fonts, letterheads and state-prescribed texts. 
    • Form Library: Access over 17,000 public legal documents through the Law Firm Form Library portal. Organize the forms by matter, contacts and/or practice areas and search by keywords. Automate form retrieval processes with “If, Then Else” and “Ask” commands. 
    • Area Specific Automation: Populate legal documentation with information specific to the associated matter. Eliminate overlapping of data with over 250 unique practice areas to choose from. 
  • Client Portal: Smokeball Communicate provides clients with a simple messaging and file-sharing portal. Collaborate on cases, share updates and send files securely with multi-factor authentication and full encryption. 
    • Time Tracking: Automatically log all the hours spent on client correspondence to transform them into billable time. Concentrate all communication through a single portal to simplify tracking and billing. 
    • Communication Management: Directly turn messages into tasks. Manage all email correspondence, in-platform messages and in-app communications under the same roof. 
  • Electronic Filing and Signatures: Integrate with InfoTrack and DocuSign to attach signature clauses to documents. Additionally, insert text boxes, radio buttons, checkboxes and more. 
    • Document Status: Keep track of all the documents sent for signatures. Automatically save the signed documents alongside associated legal matters. 
    • Court Searching and Tracking: Utilize InfoTrack to run searches across PACER, state courts, Federal and Bankruptcy courts, and trial and appeal boards. 
    • Filing Resources: Fill out 1099S forms, sign IT Electronic Signatures and legally incorporate firms anywhere in the U.S. Electronically file documents directly from the relevant legal matter with automated expense tracking. 
  • Mobile Application: View and edit legal documentation, attend hearings, send emails and add billing entries from anywhere via the mobile app. Get a quick and clean overview of the legal calendar. 
  • Workflow Management: Assign tasks to team members and set multiple reminders for important events, dates and hearings. 
    • Workflow Automation: Set up standardized automated workflows for regular processes like client intakes, filings, closings and more. 
    • Next Step: Create a sequence of simple or multi-step tasks against each other for every legal matter. Set up prescriptive tasks, litigation reminders and drafting deadlines in advance. 
    • Daily Digest: Broadcast an email every morning to staff members with reminders of upcoming tasks and events. 
  • Case Management: Organize legal cases according to practice areas with matter-specific information. 
    • Digital File: Automatically structure all email correspondence according to associated matter. Staff members have complete access to every file relevant to their work. 
    • Data Structuring: Organize matter-specific information like emails, notes, documentation, billing information, contacts, case numbers and more under one file. Access files from any device with an internet connection. 
  • Email Management: Sort thousands of emails into relevant folders to simplify access by staff members. Integrate with Microsoft Outlook to save an unlimited number of emails, grouped together by associated matter. 
    • Email Time Tracking: Send and receive emails to automatically log billable hours through the time tracking extension. Draft an email via the toolbar to autofill the address bar. 
    • PDF Creation: Convert any document to a PDF file or combine multiple ones into a single PDF before sending an email attachment. 
  • Calendar Management: Create calendar entries and automatically link associated matter and client files to get a 360-degree view of legal cases. Sort the calendar by workweek, month and case timeline to always stay on top of obligations. 
    • Integration: Integrate with Microsoft Outlook to automatically track events and accepted invitations. 
    • Calendar Sync: Access everyone’s legal calendar to stay on top of important events and hearings. Automatically synchronize important dates and tasks across the entire staff’s calendars. 
  • Firm Insights: Use the firm insights dashboard to generate reports on matter-type profitability, referral revenue, real-time performance and more. Filter reports based on practice areas for greater insights and agile decision-making. 
    • Flexible Analysis: Combine time tracked and billing reports to get greater insights into non-billable hours, profitable practice areas, write-offs, discounts and productivity. 
    • Workload Analysis: Identify which practice areas need more work. Use the insights dashboard to evenly distribute the workload between attorneys, assistants and paralegals. 
    • Fixed-Fee Data: Adjust fixed fees, client expectations and staff workloads based on real data from firm insights that show the true cost of work performed for each client. 
  • Billing Management: Prepare custom invoices for firm activity traced by the time tracking portal. Interact directly with the relevant time entries to review and approve invoices. 
    • Integrations: The billing portal integrates with LawPay to process credit card payments and online transactions. Manage trust and operating accounts ethically and offer clients flexible payment options. Additional integrations include QuickBooks Online. 
    • Activity Codes: Create custom activity codes for similar time and expense entries to expedite data entry and billing. 
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  • Case Management: Connect legal cases with associated matters and access them from anywhere in the world. Organize case-related tasks and track deadlines based on jurisdictional rules. 
  • Calendar Management: Improve team collaboration with firm-wide legal calendars. Switch between personal and public calendars, share case updates and track progress seamlessly. Subscribe to legal calendar rule sets for access to jurisdictional rules. 
  • Document Management: Access all legal documents from a single platform and organize them by associated matter. Autofill forms and documents securely with verified client information. 
  • Dashboard: Get an extensive, 360-degree view of calendar events, pending tasks, ongoing cases and firm financials. Automatically identify, filter and feed the most important information directly into the dashboard. 
  • Time and Billing Management: Automatically track time spent on client activities like meetings, appointments, communications, documentation and more. Interact with the billing portal directly to issue invoices for time entries. Add tasks to billing records and minimize non-billable hours. 
  • Payment: Issue invoices and manage payments with the integrated APX PayNow application. Automatically log all transactions and send payment reminders to late clients. 
  • Integrations: Seamlessly integrate with essential third-party applications like Google Apps, QuickBooks, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, HotDocs, Sage Timeslips and more. 
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Product Ranking

#31

among all
Legal Software

#38

among all
Legal Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

91
79
97
89
97
83
99
100
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Time and Expense Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Billing and Payments
Client and Contact Management
Matter/Case Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Task Management
Billing and Payments

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Smokeball
Amicus Attorney
+ Add Product + Add Product
Billing And Payments Calendaring And Legal Docketing Client And Contact Management Dashboard And Reporting Document Management Matter/Case Management Mobile Capabilities Task Management Time And Expense Management 97 97 99 81 91 89 88 100 89 83 100 81 65 67 100 79 0 25 50 75 100
94%
0%
6%
88%
0%
12%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
92%
0%
8%
75%
0%
25%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
79%
0%
21%
79%
0%
21%
89%
0%
11%
63%
0%
37%
89%
0%
11%
67%
0%
33%
83%
0%
17%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
80%
0%
20%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

86%
0%
14%
57%
0%
43%
83%
0%
17%
67%
0%
33%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 747 reviews
Good User Sentiment 346 reviews
95%
of users recommend this product

Smokeball has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 95% when considering 747 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

76%
of users recommend this product

Amicus Attorney has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 76% when considering 346 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

4.9 (14)
3.3 (3)
4.8 (176)
3.8 (159)
4.76 (189)
n/a
4.7 (179)
n/a
4.8 (189)
3.8 (184)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Smokeball and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Legal Software available today. Smokeball stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

Analysts' Pick Award
User Favorite Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Amicus Attorney and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Dashboard and Reporting and Task Management.

Dashboard and Reporting Award
Task Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Data Management: The platform’s data storage and organization capabilities are top-notch, according to 100% of users reviewing this feature.
Functionality: According to 91% of users who reviewed this aspect, the software offers various useful functions, including task management, case organization, accounting and AutoTime.
Ease of Use: 88% of users who mentioned this element said the solution is straightforward with an intuitive UI and robust knowledge base.
Integrations: 81% of users mentioning this aspect were satisfied with the variety and effectiveness of available integrations.
Service and Support: All the users who reviewed customer service mentioned that it’s responsive.
Automation: 75% of users who mentioned this element swear by the platform’s automation feature, especially document templates and automated emails.
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Intuitive Interface: Amicus Attorney's user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and find the information you need quickly.
Powerful Case Management: Manage cases efficiently with features like document management, calendaring, and task tracking.
Time Tracking and Billing: Accurately track time and expenses, and generate invoices with ease.
Customizable Dashboards: Create personalized dashboards to monitor key metrics and stay organized.
Excellent Customer Support: Amicus Attorney provides responsive and helpful customer support to ensure a smooth experience.
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Steep Learning Curve: Smokeball's interface can be complex and require significant training, especially for users unfamiliar with legal practice management software.
Limited Customization: While Smokeball offers some customization options, it may not be flexible enough for law firms with unique workflows or specific needs.
High Cost: Smokeball can be expensive, especially for small law firms or solo practitioners.
Integration Challenges: Integrating Smokeball with other legal software applications can be challenging and may require technical expertise.
Limited Reporting: Some users find Smokeball's reporting features insufficient for generating detailed insights into firm performance.
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Limited Customization: Users have reported that Amicus Attorney offers limited customization options, making it difficult to tailor the software to their specific needs and workflows.
Steep Learning Curve: Some users have found the software's interface and functionality to be complex and challenging to navigate, requiring significant time and effort to become proficient.
Integration Issues: Users have encountered difficulties integrating Amicus Attorney with other software applications, such as email clients and document management systems, leading to workflow disruptions.
Limited Reporting Capabilities: Users have expressed concerns about the software's limited reporting capabilities, making it challenging to extract and analyze data for business insights and decision-making.
Costly Maintenance: Users have reported that the ongoing maintenance and support costs for Amicus Attorney can be substantial, adding to the overall cost of ownership.
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User reviews of Smokeball paint a mixed picture, highlighting both its strengths and weaknesses. While some users find it incredibly helpful for streamlining workflows and enhancing collaboration, others struggle with its complex interface and limited customization options. Positive reviews often praise Smokeball's ability to automate tasks, save time, and increase efficiency. One user remarked, "My billable hours increased by over 50% while my work hours remained the same!" Another noted, "Smokeball has made my job of opening new files and maintaining case information exceedingly easy." These comments highlight the software's potential to improve productivity and profitability, especially for busy legal practices. However, some users find Smokeball's steep learning curve and complex interface a significant drawback. One reviewer lamented, "It took me months to feel comfortable using all the features." Another commented, "The interface can be overwhelming, especially for users unfamiliar with legal practice management software." These challenges highlight the need for comprehensive training and support, which may be lacking for some users. Comparatively, users often cite Smokeball's robust security features and comprehensive functionality as key advantages over competitors like Clio and PracticePanther. One user noted, "I feel confident that my client data is safe with Smokeball's encryption and access controls." Another commented, "Smokeball offers everything I need to manage my practice effectively, from document creation to billing and reporting." These comments emphasize Smokeball's strong security and wide range of features, making it a compelling option for law firms seeking a comprehensive legal practice management solution. However, its higher cost compared to competitors can be a barrier for some. One user remarked, "Smokeball is a great program, but it's simply too expensive for my small solo practice." This highlights the importance of considering individual needs and budgets when choosing a legal practice management software. Overall, user reviews suggest Smokeball is a powerful and feature-rich legal practice management solution, but its complexity and cost may not be suitable for all users. Law firms should carefully weigh the software's strengths and weaknesses against their specific needs and budget before making a decision.

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Amicus Attorney is a legal software solution that has received mixed reviews from users in the past year. While some users praise its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, others have expressed concerns about its occasional bugs and limited customization options. Compared to similar products, Amicus Attorney stands out for its intuitive design and robust case management capabilities. Its ability to seamlessly integrate with other software, such as Microsoft Office and QuickBooks, is also a major advantage. However, it may fall short in terms of advanced features and reporting functionality, which some users find lacking. Ultimately, Amicus Attorney is best suited for small to mid-sized law firms that prioritize ease of use and comprehensive case management. Its intuitive interface and seamless integrations make it an ideal choice for firms looking to streamline their operations and improve efficiency. However, firms with more complex needs or those seeking advanced reporting and customization options may need to consider alternative solutions.

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