Owlesq Team · Updated May 2026 · 9 min read
Thomson Reuters ProLaw has been a fixture at mid-size law firms for decades. As a combined practice management, billing, and case management platform, it does a lot. But ProLaw's server-based architecture, significant IT overhead, and a Thomson Reuters roadmap that is clearly pointed toward its enterprise products (HighQ, Practical Law, CoCounsel) have left ProLaw users in an uncomfortable holding pattern.
Smokeball is a strong destination for ProLaw firms, particularly those that are Windows-based and document-intensive. Its automatic time capture — which logs every minute spent in Microsoft Word and Outlook without a running timer — is a particularly compelling upgrade for firms where attorney time entry has always been the hardest adoption problem.
Total cost of ownership is high. ProLaw is server-installed. The true cost for most firms runs $75–125/user/month in licensing plus a meaningful share of IT overhead: dedicated hardware, IT staff time, backup infrastructure, and security patching.
Thomson Reuters' roadmap signals are clear. TR has invested heavily in HighQ, Practical Law, and CoCounsel as its forward-looking products. ProLaw receives incremental updates, but the innovation is happening elsewhere. Firms on ProLaw are paying for a mature product, not an actively developing one.
Remote access is painful. ProLaw's desktop architecture requires VPN connections and performance-degraded remote sessions for staff working outside the office. Modern cloud platforms make this a non-issue.
Implementation rigidity. ProLaw customization typically requires consultant involvement. Routine workflow changes that any admin should be able to make require specialized ProLaw expertise — expertise that is increasingly hard to find and expensive to hire.
Not every ProLaw user should go to Smokeball. Firms with Mac-heavy environments, fully remote teams, or complex billing arrangements across multiple offices may be better served by Clio or MyCase. But for Windows-based, document-intensive firms where attorneys work primarily in Word and Outlook, Smokeball has specific advantages:
Automatic time capture. Smokeball integrates directly with Windows, Word, and Outlook and captures time spent on every document and email — automatically, in the background, without an attorney ever starting a timer. This feature alone typically adds 15–30 minutes of captured billable time per attorney per day.
Document assembly is strong. Smokeball's document assembly features let firms create templated documents that auto-populate with matter data. For document-intensive transactional or litigation practices, this is a meaningful productivity upgrade over ProLaw's document handling.
Matter-centric workflow. Like ProLaw, Smokeball organizes everything around the matter. The mental model translates directly for ProLaw users — contacts, documents, time, billing, and tasks are all matter-linked.
Keep ProLaw running and accessible until your Smokeball data is fully validated — 60 days minimum after go-live for ProLaw firms, given the complexity of the data structure.
Clean before you migrate.ProLaw installations at firms with 15+ years of history often have stale contacts, closed matters with orphaned documents, and custom fields that haven't been used in years. Purging and cleaning before migration reduces import complexity significantly.
Smokeball's implementation process includes dedicated onboarding support. Contact their team early — ProLaw migrations are not simple, and Smokeball's team has experience with the data complexity involved. A professional migration consultant (either from Smokeball or a certified partner) is advisable for firms above 10 attorneys. Assign an internal project lead and a small validation team (2–3 experienced staff members across practice areas).
Work with Smokeball's migration team to import matters (with status, responsible attorney, matter type), then clients and contacts (linked to matters). Validate a representative sample from each practice area before proceeding.
Import time entries, billing history, and open accounts receivable. For ProLaw firms with complex billing arrangements (multiple billing rates, client-specific exceptions, retainer structures), this step requires detailed validation. Check rates, matter linkages, and open invoices against ProLaw records.
Document migration is typically the most time-consuming phase. If documents are stored in ProLaw's DMS, export and import into Smokeball's document storage organized by matter. If documents are on a file server, map the folder structure to Smokeball matters and migrate in batches. If you use a separate DMS (iManage, NetDocuments), coordinate that migration separately. Budget 3–6 additional weeks for document migration at a firm with significant document history.
The single most important training task for ProLaw users moving to Smokeball. Before go-live: install the Smokeball desktop application on all attorney workstations (Windows required). Walk through how Smokeball captures time spent in Word documents and Outlook emails. Set expectations: attorneys will see time entries automatically created; they review and approve, they don't create from scratch. This reversal of the time entry habit takes deliberate adjustment — train before go-live, not during it.
Automatic time capture
No running timers, no reconstructing time at end-of-day. Every minute in Word and Outlook is captured and attributed to the correct matter automatically.
Cloud access without server overhead
Smokeball runs on Windows but syncs to the cloud — files are available anywhere and don't require VPN connections to a firm server.
Document assembly
Templated documents that auto-populate with matter data. Transactional and litigation firms with standard document sets see significant time savings.
Elimination of ProLaw's infrastructure cost
Server, IT staff time, and security patching costs are eliminated. The total cost of ownership calculation typically favors Smokeball within 18–24 months.
Smokeball is Windows-only. If your firm has Mac users or a fully remote team on mixed devices, Smokeball is not the right fit. Clio or MyCase will serve mixed-device firms better.
ProLaw migrations require professional help. ProLaw's data structure is complex. Firms above 10 attorneys should budget for a migration consultant — either through Smokeball directly or a certified third-party specialist. DIY migrations from ProLaw create data quality problems that are expensive to fix.
Budget 12–16 weeks for a ProLaw migration. This is a larger project than migrating from simpler billing tools. The document migration alone can take 4–6 weeks at a firm with significant document history.
Trust accounting reconciliation is mandatory. Reconcile every trust balance before and after cutover. This step cannot be abbreviated.
LEDES billing users take note. ProLaw has strong LEDES support. Smokeball's LEDES support is more limited. If insurance defense or corporate e-billing is a significant part of your practice, verify Smokeball's LEDES capabilities for your specific client requirements before committing.
Ready to explore Smokeball?
Smokeball's onboarding team handles ProLaw migrations and can walk you through the implementation process before you commit.
Explore Smokeball →For a broader look at practice management options, see our Practice Management Software guide.
Owlesq is an independent legal-tech directory. We have no affiliate relationships with any vendor listed and earn no commission when readers click outbound links. This guide was written independently and represents our honest assessment.