Software Capabilities
Deep working experience across the case management platforms personal injury firms run on - not just the screens, but the integration, limitations, and practical accounting impact.
We have worked with Smokeball on the trust accounting side of personal injury files - the Transactions, Protected Funds, and Invoices tabs that actually drive a disbursement, not just the case management layer around them. A firm here runs Smokeball's own built-in Trust Accounting alongside a separate QuickBooks Online integration for the firm's general ledger.
Integration with Smokeball Trust Accounting
Smokeball's Trust Accounting is handled entirely at the matter level, and since it is built natively into the same platform, there is no export step or separate login involved. A trust transaction sits on the same Transactions tab as deposits, protected funds, and journal transfers between matters, not in a second system that needs cross-checking. Firms coming from a different trust accounting system don't set this up from scratch. Smokeball runs a dedicated Trust Transition session to carry over existing balances correctly rather than risk a mismatched opening figure.
We have seen firms benefit from this close fit between matter data and accounting, since a trust deposit or protected fund never needs to be re-entered anywhere. Our role is to make sure the trust and evergreen retainer workflows are set up correctly on a firm's actual matter data, so the check writing and accounting process stays clean.
Integration with QuickBooks Online
Smokeball and QuickBooks Online can work well together for the firm's general ledger, but the integration needs proper review. The connection is a one-way sync: data moves from Smokeball to QuickBooks only, and only for actual monetary movement, not for unpaid invoice balances.
We have noted practical issues in how timing and account mapping affect what actually reaches QuickBooks. Transactions entered before the sync is switched on never get sent across, so pre-existing balances need to be reviewed and entered correctly before turning it on, and account mapping needs deliberate attention since a wrong mapping doesn't throw an error; it just posts the wrong entry silently.
There are more such practical limitations in the Smokeball-QuickBooks workflow. Our role is to identify these issues early, review the data, and make sure the check-writing and accounting process remains clean.
Deposits, protected funds, and transfers between matters all get handled from the same working view, with the trust account itself set up once at the firm level rather than reconfigured matter by matter.
Existing trust balances carry over correctly through a guided transition process rather than risking a mismatched opening figure when a firm moves onto the platform.
Evergreen retainer thresholds and replenishment amounts get configured per matter, and part of a trust balance can be locked away entirely so it can't be disbursed even if the visible total looks available, protecting a disputed or reserved amount from being touched by mistake.
The correct trust account gets confirmed before any invoice is marked paid on a matter carrying more than one, since picking the wrong one throws off reconciliation immediately.
Automatic time tracking feeds billable activity, including time captured directly from tracked correspondence, straight into cost and fee calculations without manual re-entry.
Per-timekeeper rate overrides and interest terms on outstanding balances get set at the matter level where firm defaults don't apply.
A full trust ledger gets pulled across some or all matters for any chosen date range, giving the exact record needed to reconcile against the bank statement or respond to an audit request without reconstructing it after the fact.
Why This Matters
In PI accounting, Smokeball and Smokeball Trust Accounting or QuickBooks should not be treated as separate systems. Smokeball carries the matter information, protected-funds detail, and trust ledger. Smokeball Trust Accounting or QuickBooks carries the accounting records, checks, bank reconciliation, and trust liability.
If both systems do not match properly, issues can appear in:
Our role is to keep the Smokeball workflow, whichever accounting system sits behind it, reviewed, connected, and accurate, so the firm can rely on clean accounting records.