Smokeball Matter Permissions offer the ability to restrict specific users from accessing designated matters. These permissions allow the firm to:
- Maintain confidentiality when attorneys within the firm are representing opposing sides in a matter.
- Take on clients with potential conflicts with existing clients.
- Safeguard the information of high profile clients.
- Ease client concerns about confidential document storage, such as medical or financial information.
Enabling Matter Permissions
Smokeball Matter Permissions can restrict specified users from:
- Opening a matter
- Assigning new items to a matter
- Opening items related to a matter
- Editing items related to a matter
Matter Permissions can be enabled from either the Smokeball Desktop App or Smokeball Web App. Changes made in the Desktop App will also apply to the Web App, and vice versa.
Smokeball Desktop App
To set Matter Permissions from the Smokeball Desktop App, select the Settings (gear) icon on the top-right corner of the matter, then navigate to the Permissions tab.
Smokeball Web App
To set Matter Permissions from the Smokeball Web App, open the matter and select Manage Access on the top-right corner of the screen.
You can set up the permissions in one of two ways:
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Open: Everyone in your firm can access this matter.
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Restricted: No one in your firm can access this matter, except for users you have selected.
Refer to the expected behavior of each configuration below:
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Open with Restrict users created after today.. toggled Off: This means all users (existing and future) can access the matter.
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Open with Restrict users created after today.. toggled On: This means all existing users can access the matter. Users added to your firm after this date cannot access the matter by default.
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Restricted with Restrict users created after today.. toggled Off: This means the following users can access the matter:
- Staff with roles on the matter (e.g. Supervisor, Attorney Responsible, Attorney Assisting) and;
- Any users selected from the Staff with access drop-down menu, and;
- Users added to your firm after today.
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Choose this configuration if you would like to restrict some existing staff from accessing the matter.
In this example, only "Amanda Knoxville", "Jesse James" and "Kevin Weeks" can access this matter today. If new staff members join after today, they can also access this matter.
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Restricted with Restrict users created after today.. toggled On: This means the following users can access the matter:
- Staff with roles on the matter (e.g. Supervisor, Attorney Responsible, Attorney Assisting)
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Any users selected from the Staff with access drop-down menu
In this example, only "Josh Testoe" can access this matter today and in the future.
Users That Cannot be Restricted from a Matter
Note: The following users cannot be removed from a matter:
- The current user setting the permissions (i.e. a user cannot remove themselves)
- A user that occupies a role on the matter: Attorney Responsible, Person Assisting, and Originating Attorney
These limitations are conveyed in the Matter Info matter detail:
Attempted Access by a Non-Permitted User
If a user does not have permission to access a matter, they will be unable to interact with that matter throughout the Smokeball desktop application, the mobile app, Smokeball Billing, and the Microsoft Office programs that Smokeball integrates with (Outlook, Word, and Excel).
If a user who does not have permission to access a matter attempts to do so, they will be presented with an error message stating that they do not have access:
Note: Matters with limited permissions will still up in search results and in the Matters view for all users; however, users without permission to view the matter cannot access them.
Restriction Specifics
The following will be Restricted/Non-Restricted when permissions are set:
| Restricted | Not restricted | |
| Matter (General) | Unable to open Matter window from anywhere |
|
| Details (layout information) | Unable to view detailed matter information (aka layouts) |
Can see matter description (Client – Matter type – other side) Can see additional matter details surfaced in columns throughout the app (next step date, settlement date, matter stage etc.)
|
| Documents |
Unable to open documents Documents will not appear in global search
|
Able to view the document name from AI |
| Contacts | No restriction |
Contact names are visible in the mater description Contacts can be opened from the contacts tab with no restriction
|
| Tasks | Unable to open or edit tasks |
Can view Task in lists (can see the task name and due date etc.)
|
| Events | Unable to open or edit events |
Can view events in lists and calendars (can see the event name, date, location etc.)
|
| Memos |
Memos will not appear when searched
|
|
| Activity | Unable to open or edit Activity |
Can view the Activity event in the list
|
| Time and Expenses | Unable to open or edit T&E |
Can view the T&E in the list
|
| Client Portal |
Unable to add non permitted users to a matter conversation
|
|
| Reports | No restriction |
Can view all report information related to the matter
|
| Billing (web) | No restriction (Firm owner will need to restrict billing as a whole from the user) |
Additional Rules
- Any user can set up permissions on a matter.
- Any permitted user can change the permissions that are set.
- Users that are set as an Attorney Responsible/Person Assisting on a matter will always have access to a matter.
- If you change the roles within the matter, this will automatically grant access to the new Attorney Responsible/Person Assisting user and hold the previous Attorney Responsible/Person Assisting user as a permitted user until you proactively remove their access.
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To restrict new users from accessing a matter, check the Restrict users created after today from accessing this matter box.
- Edits to the permission settings are noted in the Matter's History, visible within Matter Settings.
- Once saved, the Matter Permissions will take immediate effect. If a non-permitted user has the matter open when this occurs, they will continue to have access until they close the matter.
- If you are bulk selecting anything in a list and do not have access to one of the items selected, you will be unable to complete the bulk selection action.