Fastcase
Fastcase is a comprehensive legal research software providing access to a massive library of primary law, including case law, statutes, and regulations to help you build stronger legal arguments.
Smokeball
Smokeball is a cloud-based legal practice management software that helps small to mid-sized law firms manage matters, track time automatically, and generate documents to increase overall firm productivity.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Fastcase | Smokeball |
|---|---|---|
| Website | fastcase.com | smokeball.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $65/month | $39/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 24 days free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 1999 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., USA | Chicago, USA |
Overview
Fastcase
Fastcase is a modern legal research platform designed to help you find the law you need without the complexity of traditional legacy systems. You can search through an extensive database of federal and state case law, statutes, regulations, and court rules. The platform uses smart sorting technology to surface the most relevant results first, saving you hours of manual filtering through dense legal documents.
You can visualize search results using interactive maps to see how cases relate to one another and identify the most influential precedents quickly. Whether you are a solo practitioner or part of a large firm, the software provides the tools to track your research history and organize your findings into folders. It integrates directly with many state bar associations, often providing you with premium access as a member benefit.
Smokeball
Smokeball is a cloud-based legal practice management platform designed to help you run a more productive and profitable law firm. It centralizes your entire practice by combining matter management, automated document creation, and lead tracking in one interface. You can manage every detail of a case from initial intake to final billing without jumping between different applications or manual spreadsheets.
The platform solves the common headache of manual time entry by automatically recording every minute you spend working on documents and emails. This ensures you never miss a billable hour and provides deep insights into your firm's profitability. Whether you practice family law, estate planning, or personal injury, you can use pre-built matter types and automated forms to slash the time spent on administrative tasks.
Overview
Fastcase Features
- Forecite Research Discover important cases that your keyword search might have missed by identifying decisions frequently cited by your search results.
- Interactive Timeline View your search results on a visual map to quickly spot the most seminal cases and see how the law has evolved.
- Authority Check Generate a list of other cases that cite your current document to ensure your legal authority remains valid and persuasive.
- Mobile Sync Access your saved folders and research history on the go with native apps that sync across your desktop and mobile devices.
- Advanced Filtering Narrow your results by jurisdiction, date, or document type using intuitive filters that help you pinpoint specific legal points.
- Cloud Folders Organize your research into custom folders and share them with your colleagues to keep your entire firm on the same page.
Smokeball Features
- Automatic Time Tracking. Capture every billable second automatically as you work on documents and emails so you never miss a minute of revenue.
- Document Automation. Generate complex legal documents in seconds using a library of over 20,000 automated forms that pull data directly from your matters.
- Matter Management. Organize all your files, contacts, and deadlines in one digital location to keep your entire team synchronized on every case.
- Legal Billing. Create professional invoices and manage trust accounting effortlessly with built-in tools that sync directly with your tracked time and expenses.
- Lead Management. Track potential new clients from the first phone call through the intake process to ensure no new business falls through the cracks.
- Mobile App. Access your entire law firm from your pocket to view matter details, call clients, and track time while you are on the go.
Pricing Comparison
Fastcase Pricing
- Federal and State Case Law
- Statutes and Regulations
- Interactive Timeline
- Authority Check tool
- Mobile app access
- Unlimited printing
- Everything in Appellate, plus:
- Briefs and Pleadings
- Expert Witness profiles
- Advanced data analytics
- Expanded secondary sources
- Priority customer support
Smokeball Pricing
- Time and expense tracking
- Legal billing and invoicing
- Trust accounting
- Smokeball Payments integration
- Basic reporting
- Mobile app access
- Everything in Bill, plus:
- Full matter management
- Document management
- Email management with Outlook
- Tasks and workflows
- Shared firm calendar
Pros & Cons
Fastcase
Pros
- Often free for members of participating state bar associations
- Intuitive visual search tools help identify key cases quickly
- Clean interface is easier to navigate than legacy competitors
- Mobile app allows for effective research while in court
- Excellent customer support and live training webinars
Cons
- Secondary source library is less extensive than Westlaw
- Search syntax can occasionally feel less flexible than competitors
- Loading speeds can vary when handling very large documents
Smokeball
Pros
- Automatic time tracking captures revenue you might otherwise miss
- Extensive library of automated legal forms saves hours of drafting
- Deep integration with Microsoft Word and Outlook streamlines workflows
- Excellent customer support and personalized onboarding experience
Cons
- Higher price point compared to some basic competitors
- Steep learning curve due to the vast feature set
- Full automation features require the desktop version