The problem
Before a first hearing or a plea and trial preparation hearing, a fee earner has to read the served evidence and pull out who says what, and on a fixed fee that time is rarely paid in full. If two fee earners prepare 30 cases a month and summarizing the evidence takes 60 minutes each, that's 1,800 minutes, 30 hours a month.
What the AI does
Smokeball is law-firm practice management software, and its Archie add-on works inside a matter. Smokeball says Archie can give a document or matter summary with every finding linked to its source, and can answer questions about what has happened and what is missing. The fee earner asks Archie for a summary of the witness statements and exhibits on the file, then reads the evidence and checks every point before relying on it. Archie doesn't decide the defense; the solicitor does.
A worked example
A two-fee-earner criminal defense firm in Luton uses Smokeball Prosper+ with Archie on both seats. For each of about 30 cases a month, the fee earner asks for an evidence summary, then checks it against the statements before advising the client on plea.
Before
60 minutes to read and summarize served evidence for each case: 30 hours a month
After
About 40 minutes with a linked summary to check: 20 hours a month
What it's worth
About $665£500€595A$960C$940 a month of fee-earner time, if it is worth $67£50€60A$96C$94 an hour: 20 minutes saved on each of 30 cases is 600 minutes, 10 hours. Smokeball prices per user: Prosper+ $118£89€106A$171C$167 plus Archie $39£29€35A$56C$55 is $157£118€140A$227C$222 a seat, so $314£236€281A$453C$444 for two. The 20 minutes saved is an assumption to test on your own files.
How to set it up
- Ask Smokeball for a demo, the contract term and where UK data is hosted, and keep the answers for your COLP.
- Start with one fee earner on cases with modest evidence for two weeks.
- Ask Archie for a summary of the served statements and exhibits, then open each linked source and check it.
- Read the evidence yourself before advising on plea or preparing a defense statement; the summary is a map, not a substitute.
- Keep a firm rule that nothing from Archie goes to the client, court or prosecution until a solicitor has checked it.
What goes wrong
- A summary can miss an inconsistency between witnesses, and that is often what the defense turns on. Read the statements, not just the summary.
- Disclosed material may be used only for the case. Check Smokeball's handling and retention against your duties and any conditions on disclosure.
- On fixed-fee legal aid work, time saved improves your margin; on work paid by the hour it can reduce the fee. Check your mix of work first.
- Prosper+ and Archie are priced per user, so every extra fee earner adds $157£118€140A$227C$222 a month.