Create a new matter

Create a matter to keep all documents, emails, tasks, communications, fees and more, all easily locatable  together in one place.

Matters are Smokeball’s answer to the paper file, but this time it is indestructible, accessible from anywhere and easily searchable. 

Smokeball has customised matters based on the practice area, with all relevant fields already curated, so you can start entering important details immediately. 

You can create matters from the Smokeball desktop app, or from Smokeball Billing in the browser and access them in both areas. 

Create a new matter from the Smokeball desktop app 

1. From the Smokeball tab, select New Matter. 
2. Select the Practice area, then expand the folder and select the appropriate matter type. 
   
3. Select Create (or Next, depending on the matter type).
   
   

Smokeball will open the matter in its own window, differentiated from the main Smokeball app by a dark blue coloured banner at the top.  

Customise parties and data to the matter 

After creating a new matter, you can show or hide relevant parties and data required in the matter. This ensures only the most important fields are visible. 

To customise parties and data to the matter:  

1. Open the matter in Smokeball, then select the gear icon on the top-right corner of the matter window to open the Matter Settings. 
   
2. In the Parties & Data tab, ensure parties that are required in the matter are checked, and others are not. This keens your matter clean with only relevant information.
3. To add contacts not specified in this list, check Additional Contact. 
4. Select Save. 

Add matter details 

The Matter Details section is where you enter all relevant data about the matter. Double-click each line item to open a new window with more information to complete. 

Note that some windows have multiple tabs of data: 

The best practice is to fill in as many of the details as possible upon creating the matter, but you can always come back to the matter window to fill this in later. 

The minimum data required to save a matter is a Matter Number located in the Info row, and the Client’s Name (the row underneath the matter number). 

Next steps 

After you’ve created your first matter, consider adding frequently used matter types to your favourites, or create new matter templates to save time entering matter details. 

Create a new matter from the Smokeball web app

1. Open the Smokeball Web App and select Matter from the left panel.
2. Select Add Matter.
   
3. Choose the state, area of law and matter type.
4. Select Next. Start typing in the name of the Parties to the matter and select their name from the list. You can also add a new contact from here at the bottom of the list.
   • If there are multiple parties to a matter, select the plus icon to add them.
     
5. Select the Client Role from the drop-down list.
   
6. (Optional) Enter details of the Other Side/other roles in the matter.
7. Select Next. Enter the Matter Number and Matter Description. If applicable, you can also change the Matter Opened date here.
   
8. Select Next. Select the staff members working on this matter under the Person Responsible, Person Assisting and Introducer. You can also add Referral details (including custom Referral Types) here.
   • All fields in this step are optional.
     
9. Select Next. Enter basic billing information if you have this on hand. This step is optional.
   
   • Select a Debtor from the list by selecting an existing contact or creating a new contact. You can also add multiple debtors.
   • Select the Billing Type and enter more details when prompted.
   • Select the Billing Units that apply to this matter. Learn more about billing units.
   • Choose the Hourly Rate configuration:
     
     • Do not override rate: This uses the rate designated for that staff member in their staff settings.
     • Use rate sets: Apply a rate set to this matter.
     • Override rate for all staff: Enter a custom rate amount that is applied to all staff listed in this matter.
     • Override default rate per staff member: Enter custom rate amounts for individual staff members listed in this matter. Select the plus icon to configure more than one staff member.
   • Select the Billing Frequency, which allows you to filter invoices based on billing frequency for reporting purposes.
10. Select Create Matter.

Next steps

You can enter more details on the matter or edit existing details, by clicking on the matter in the matter list and selecting Edit Matter.

Use the Quick Links to navigate through each setting. 

Select the links below for a description of each setting: