How AI Agents Can Work With Clio and Smokeball
Learn how AI agents can potentially retrieve information and trigger defined workflows across Clio, Smokeball and other legal systems.
A Chatbot Isn’t an AI Agent
A chatbot answers. An agent can potentially retrieve information, use tools and act within defined permissions.
What an AI Agent Needs
Relevant data, connected systems, tools, permissions, rules, boundaries, logs and human oversight.
What Could an Agent Do With Clio?
Retrieve matters, filter information, surface outstanding work and potentially trigger predefined actions through integrations and APIs, subject to permissions.
What Could an Agent Do With Smokeball?
Retrieve defined information, surface workflow state and potentially create or prepare next-step actions where supported.
The Real Value Isn’t the Chat Interface
A chat box is only useful if it connects to information and actions. The value is ask → understand → retrieve → act within defined boundaries.
AI Agents and Legal Judgment
Define what data can be accessed, what actions can be taken and what requires human approval.
Example: New Estate Planning Matter
Intake → AI processing → missing-information check → document request → matter/workflow preparation → team notification.
Example: Email to PMS
Interpret a client email → identify matter → recognise event → update or trigger the defined workflow.
Do Not Give the Agent Everything
Start narrow. Test, log, review and expand.
Conclusion
The future is less about another chatbot and more about AI connected to the systems lawyers already use.