Smokeball

Supergood | Smokeball API

Alex Klarfeld

Alex Klarfeld

— 6 min read

Programmatically access Smokeball matter data, contacts, documents, time & billing, trust accounting, and client communications with a stable REST API. Supergood builds and operates production-grade, unofficial Smokeball integrations so your team can automate legal workflows without heavy custom engineering.

Plain English: Smokeball is legal practice management software for small and midsize law firms. It centralizes matters (cases), contacts/parties, documents and email, tasks and workflows, time capture (including AutoTime), invoicing, and trust accounting—with a client messaging and file-sharing portal (Smokeball Communicate). An unofficial API lets you programmatically pull matter lists, contacts, documents, emails, tasks, time entries, expenses/disbursements, invoices, payments, trust transactions, and calendar events—and push new records or updates back into Smokeball.

For a tech company integrating with Smokeball, this means you can ingest real-time matters and parties to power dashboards, sync invoices and payments to accounting (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero), automate time capture from your product, streamline intake-to-matter creation, embed document workflows and e-signing, or enrich your platform with calendars, docketing, and client communications. You can also trigger client-facing messages, upload filings and correspondence, create time entries from usage signals, and keep downstream systems (ERP, analytics, CRM, eDiscovery, document management) in lockstep.

What is Smokeball?

Smokeball (https://www.smokeball.com/) is a cloud-based legal practice management platform with deep Microsoft 365/Outlook integration that helps law firms manage cases end-to-end. Firms use Smokeball to organize matters and parties, draft and store documents, file and track email, manage workflows and tasks, capture time (manually and automatically via AutoTime), bill clients, run trust accounting, and communicate securely with clients via a built-in portal.

Core product areas include:

  • Matter Management (Matters, Parties/Related Contacts, Stages/Statuses, Custom Fields)
  • Documents & Email (Document Storage, Versioning, Templates/Automation, Outlook Filing)
  • Time & Billing (Time Entries, Fixed Fees, Disbursements/Expenses, Invoices, Payments)
  • Trust Accounting (Trust Transactions, Retainers, Reconciliation Support)
  • Tasks & Workflows (Checklists, Recurring Tasks, Approvals, SLA Tracking)
  • Calendar & Docketing (Events, Reminders, Court Dates/Rules)
  • Client Communication (Smokeball Communicate, Secure Messaging and File Sharing)
  • Reporting & Insights (Matter Performance, Realization, WIP, AR, Staff Utilization)

Common data entities:

  • Firms, Users, Roles/Permissions (Attorney, Paralegal, Support, Billing)
  • Contacts (Clients, Opposing Counsel, Insurers, Courts, Vendors)
  • Matters (Metadata, File/Matter IDs, Practice Area, Stage/Status, Key Dates)
  • Documents and Emails (Folders, Versions, Attachments, Filing Metadata)
  • Time Entries and Expenses (UTBMS/Activity Codes, Rates, Billable Flags)
  • Invoices and Payments (Draft/Sent/Posted, Taxes, Write-offs, Adjustments)
  • Trust Accounts and Transactions (Deposits, Transfers, Disbursements, Balances)
  • Tasks/Workflows (Assignments, Due Dates, Templates)
  • Calendar Events (Court Dates, Reminders, Attendees)

The Smokeball Integration Challenge

Legal teams run their day in Smokeball, but turning portal- and desktop-first workflows into API-driven automation isn’t trivial. Common pain points we hear from firms and legal tech vendors include:

  • Limited public API: Many capabilities are partner-only or not exposed via a stable REST API, pushing teams toward brittle screen-scrapes, report exports, or manual workarounds.
  • Desktop-centered flows: Deep Outlook and Windows app dependencies (e.g., email filing, document indexing, AutoTime) complicate headless automation.
  • Trust accounting rigor: Compliance requirements and permissions around retainers, transfers, and client funds demand careful handling and auditability.
  • Data spread across modules: Key context is split between matters, documents, emails, time/fees, invoices, and trust ledgers.
  • Authentication complexity: SSO/MFA and session lifecycle management can break naive bots; regional product differences and role-based entitlements add nuance.
  • Accounting sync gotchas: Double-posting, tax handling, and mapping cost codes/LEDES fields to QuickBooks/Xero require normalization.

How Supergood Creates Smokeball APIs

Supergood reverse-engineers authenticated browser and desktop-adjacent flows to deliver a resilient API endpoint layer for your Smokeball tenant.

  • Handles username/password, SSO/OAuth, and MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) securely
  • Maintains session continuity with automated refresh, consent flows, and change detection
  • Normalizes responses so you integrate once and rely on consistent objects across modules
  • Respects firm entitlements and role-based permissions (including trust accounting constraints)
  • Supports document uploads/downloads with checksums and time-limited URLs
  • Maps activity/LEDES codes and tax/ledger fields for accounting interoperability

Use Cases

Matter & Contact Data Sync

  • Mirror matters, clients, and opposing parties into your internal systems
  • Keep matter metadata, stages, and key dates current for analytics and reporting
  • Normalize addresses, file numbers, and practice areas for multi-tenant operations

Time & Billing Automation

  • Create time entries from product usage, phone logs, or AI summaries
  • Generate draft invoices and apply retainers/trust while enforcing firm rules
  • Reconcile WIP/AR and push summarized entries to accounting (e.g., QuickBooks, Xero)

Documents & Email Ingestion

  • Ingest filed emails and document versions with matter-aware foldering
  • Attach evidence, filings, and correspondence from your platform
  • Trigger client portal shares and collect e-signatures via connected tools

Client Communication & Intake

  • Push onboarding forms and intake data to create/update matters n- Send secure messages and file requests via Smokeball Communicate
  • Drive SLA alerts off approval states and due dates

Available Endpoints

Authentication

POST /sessions: Establish a session using credentials. Supergood manages MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and SSO/OAuth when enabled. Returns a short-lived auth token maintained by the platform.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.supergood.ai/integrations/<integration_id>/sessions \
  --header 'Authorization: Basic <Base64 encoded token>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "username": "[email protected]",
    "password": "<password>",
    "mfa": { "type": "totp", "code": "123456" }
  }'

Example response

{
  "authToken": "eyJhbGciOi...",
  "expiresIn": 3600,
  "user": {
    "id": "u_smok_12f9ab",
    "name": "Billing Manager",
    "entitlements": ["matters", "documents", "time_billing", "trust"]
  }
}

POST /sessions/refresh: Refresh an existing token to keep sessions uninterrupted.

Matters

GET /matters: List matters with filters and summary details.

Query parameters

  • status: open | closed | archived
  • practiceArea: string
  • assignedUserId: string
  • updatedFrom, updatedTo: ISO 8601 timestamps
  • page, pageSize: integers for pagination

Example response

{
  "items": [
    {
      "matterId": "mtr_a91f20",
      "matterNumber": "2026-00123",
      "title": "Smith v. Acme Co.",
      "practiceArea": "Personal Injury",
      "status": "open",
      "stage": "Discovery",
      "client": { "contactId": "con_88b32e", "name": "Jordan Smith" },
      "opposingCounsel": [{ "contactId": "con_oc_1021", "name": "Casey Lee" }],
      "primaryAttorneyId": "u_smok_att_01",
      "team": ["u_smok_att_01", "u_smok_para_14"],
      "billingArrangement": "hourly",
      "trustBalance": 2500.00,
      "openDate": "2025-12-15",
      "closeDate": null,
      "customFields": { "Court": "Cook County", "CaseNumber": "2025-L-00456" },
      "updatedAt": "2026-01-20T13:45:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "pageSize": 50,
  "total": 1
}

Documents

GET /matters/{matterId}/documents: List documents and filed emails for a matter. Supports optional signed download links.

Query parameters

  • folderPath: string (optional)
  • includeDownloadUrls: boolean (default false)
  • updatedFrom, updatedTo: ISO 8601 timestamps
  • page, pageSize: integers for pagination
curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.supergood.ai/integrations/<integration_id>/matters/mtr_a91f20/documents?includeDownloadUrls=true&page=1&pageSize=50 \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <authToken>'

Example response

{
  "items": [
    {
      "documentId": "doc_90e412",
      "matterId": "mtr_a91f20",
      "fileName": "Initial_Disclosures.pdf",
      "path": "/Discovery/Disclosures",
      "version": 3,
      "sizeBytes": 238120,
      "contentType": "application/pdf",
      "downloadUrl": "https://files.supergood.ai/downloads/tmp_7fa223?sig=...",
      "createdBy": { "userId": "u_smok_para_14", "name": "Paralegal A" },
      "createdAt": "2026-01-21T10:03:11Z",
      "tags": ["discovery", "production"],
      "source": "upload"
    }
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "pageSize": 50,
  "total": 1
}

Time Entries

POST /matters/{matterId}/time-entries: Create a time entry with activity codes and billable metadata.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.supergood.ai/integrations/<integration_id>/matters/mtr_a91f20/time-entries \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <authToken>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "date": "2026-01-21",
    "description": "Drafted discovery requests and reviewed responses.",
    "durationHours": 1.8,
    "rate": 325.00,
    "billable": true,
    "activityCode": "L320",
    "userId": "u_smok_att_01",
    "tags": ["discovery"],
    "source": "manual",
    "referenceId": "crm-usage-2981"
  }'

Example response

{
  "timeEntryId": "te_51af80",
  "matterId": "mtr_a91f20",
  "amount": 585.00,
  "billable": true,
  "status": "recorded",
  "createdAt": "2026-01-21T11:20:44Z"
}

Invoices

POST /invoices: Create a draft invoice for one or more matters with time entries and expenses.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.supergood.ai/integrations/<integration_id>/invoices \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <authToken>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "matterId": "mtr_a91f20",
    "invoiceDate": "2026-01-31",
    "dueDate": "2026-02-29",
    "applyTrustMax": false,
    "items": [
      {"type": "time", "timeEntryId": "te_51af80"},
      {"type": "expense", "description": "Filing Fee", "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 402.00, "taxRate": 0}
    ],
    "notes": "Thank you for your business.",
    "referenceId": "billing-cycle-jan-2026"
  }'

Example response

{
  "invoiceId": "inv_7c3d21",
  "number": "INV-000812",
  "status": "draft",
  "subtotal": 987.00,
  "taxTotal": 0.00,
  "trustApplied": 0.00,
  "total": 987.00,
  "balanceDue": 987.00,
  "createdAt": "2026-01-31T08:15:12Z"
}

Get full API Specs →

Technical Specifications

  • Authentication: Username/password with MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and SSO/OAuth where enabled; supports service accounts or customer-managed credentials
  • Response format: JSON with consistent resource schemas and pagination across modules
  • Rate limits: Tuned for enterprise throughput while honoring firm entitlements and usage controls
  • Session management: Automatic reauth and cookie/session rotation with health checks
  • Data freshness: Near real-time retrieval of matters, documents, time/fees, invoices, payments, and trust transactions
  • Security: Encrypted transport, scoped tokens, and audit logging; respects Smokeball role-based permissions and trust accounting constraints
  • Webhooks: Optional asynchronous delivery for long-running workflows (e.g., invoice posting, document processing, client approvals)

Performance Characteristics

  • Latency: Sub-second responses for list/detail queries under normal load
  • Throughput: Designed for high-volume matter sync and time/billing processing
  • Reliability: Retry logic, backoff, and idempotency keys minimize duplicate actions
  • Adaptation: Continuous monitoring for UI/API changes with rapid adapter updates

Getting Started

  1. Schedule Integration Assessment

Book a 30-minute session to confirm your modules, licensing, and authentication model.

  1. Supergood Builds and Validates Your API

We deliver a hardened Smokeball adapter tailored to your workflows and entitlements.

  1. Deploy with Monitoring

Go live with continuous monitoring and automatic adjustments as Smokeball evolves.

Schedule Integration Call →

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which Smokeball modules can this integration cover?

Supergood supports workflows across commonly used modules such as Matter Management (Matters, Contacts, Custom Fields), Documents & Email (folders, versions), Time & Billing (Time Entries, Expenses, Invoices, Payments), Trust Accounting (deposits, disbursements), and Client Communication (Communicate), subject to your licensing and entitlements. We scope coverage during integration assessment.

Q: How are MFA and SSO handled for automation?

We support username/password + MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and can operate behind SSO/OAuth when enabled. Sessions are refreshed automatically with secure challenge handling and consent capture where required.

Q: Can you sync invoices and payments to our accounting system?

Yes. We normalize invoices, line items, taxes, and LEDES/activity codes to match your ERP/accounting schema and deliver updates via webhooks or polling while complying with rate and permission constraints. We commonly integrate with QuickBooks Online and Xero.

Q: Are document uploads and email threads supported?

Yes. We support downloading filed emails and uploading documents via signed URLs with checksum validation and time-limited access. We preserve matter-aware folder paths, versioning, and authorship metadata in our normalized responses.

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