In this article, learn how to use Archie to recall and summarise facts and information from Matter Details and documents.
First time hearing about Archie? Learn more in Getting Started with Archie, the Smokeball AI Assistant.
Using Archie to ask questions about your matter
Currently, you can ask Archie about the following data within a matter to generate contextual responses:
- Core matter data - specifically Matter Details/Info, Client Details and Other Side's details
- Files and documents - emails, Word docs, PDFs, etc.
How do I write a good question for Archie?
When working with Archie, remember that Archie references all the data and documents stored within a specific Smokeball matter, so writing a concise, specific prompt is essential. The more direct you are, the better Archie can assist you.
Avoid asking one-word questions such as "Summarise". Instead, try "Summarise this matter". This way, Archie knows exactly what you need and can provide you with accurate, relevant information. Other prompts you could try are:
For any matter type:
- "What are my client's details on this matter?"
For Family matter types:
- "Summarise this matter, including the parties and the current issues being addressed."
- "Create a table with a column for John and a column for Jane, listing all non-financial contributions that have been mentioned. If they are the same, put them in the same row."
- "What are the details of the child custody arrangements?"
For Conveyancing matter types:
- "Is there a strata report on the matter that mentions whether an animal can be kept in an apartment?"
- [For NSW] "Are there any rates outstanding on the council?"
Prompt cheatsheets
If you practise Conveyancing, Family Law or Personal Injury, we have put together some prompts for you to get started with on a downloadable PDF. Access them below:
Getting Archie's help
If you're stuck, try asking Archie to recommend you prompts, e.g. "I am a family lawyer based in Victoria. Tell me some specific and detailed prompts I can use to assist me with this divorce matter".Â
You can then use these prompts to ask questions about specific documents in the matter, or to help with drafting correspondence.
Learning more about AI and prompt writing
Take our Smokeball AI Certification on the Smokeball Academy to learn best practices when writing prompts and more. Completing this course also contributes 1 CPD point towards the Professional Skills category.
Expectations and limitations when asking Archie
- When you open Archie for the first time ever, Smokeball will start training Archie on the last 50 matters worked on.
- Archie will do its best to search for text in your files, but a scanned PDF or image may not always be fully accurate.
- For best results when asking Archie about an individual document, it should ideally be no longer than 50 pages.
- When uploading a large number of documents to your matter, we suggest waiting before asking Archie questions to allow time for training.
What Archie cannot do:
- Provide accurate information regarding case law and legislation
- Extract information from deleted documents
- Compare documents in separate Smokeball matters
- Analyse documents over 100MB in size, videos or audio files
Smokeball AI disclaimer
Like many AI software programs, Archie is a powerful tool that saves time and effort. However, while an answer may sound correct and read well, it may not be correct.Â
Archie is a matter assistant, not a legal assistant. Do not expect Archie to answer questions about legislation or case law in an accurate manner.
It is incredibly important to Trust, but verify. Always read responses from Archie carefully to ensure that they are accurate.
We recommend verifying Archie's responses by checking the links to supporting documents provided at the bottom of the responses.Â