Rebekah Venning

Venning Legal is a South Australian-based law firm that offers commercial and employment law advice. Rebekah Venning, Principal of Venning Legal shares her personal story on how Smokeball Legal Practice Management Software has helped her transform her law firm and achieve growth after just starting her practice 9 months ago.    

Watch Rebekah’s inspiring client success story.  

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My passion for law began when I was young, inspired by my mother's selfless and compassionate nature. As a nurse, she frequently travelled to remote areas to help those in need, instilling in me the importance of giving back to the community. This experience has driven me to pursue a career in law, with a focus on making a positive impact on society rather than just myself.

I was drawn to consumer and employment law because these are fields where I could directly impact people's lives. I love hearing someone's story, understanding their situation, and then finding ways to resolve their issues. For me, it's always been about quality over quantity. The driving force behind my work is not monetary gain, but the fulfilment I get from helping others and fighting for what's right on behalf of my clients.

Working to my own schedule allows me to give the best service to my clients, but also allows me to have the best work-life balance. It's also very important that I get to spend time with my dog, Zeus – he needs walks too!  

When I took the legal practice management course at the College of Law, a lecturer recommended Smokeball to me as legal practice management software suitable for smaller law firms. As I had only started my law firm nine months ago, it was crucial for me to have a tool that could keep me organised and efficient. Smokeball has proven to be invaluable in this regard. It even automates filing and time recording, which is particularly helpful when working without assistance.

Smokeball streamlines your email management by automatically filing emails into the relevant matter. Additionally, AutoTime captures all the work you perform, ensuring that it appears on your bill at the end of the day. This means you won't need to manually file or keep track of time records. Smokeball simplifies the billing process, guiding you step by step to ensure compliance with accounting and trust requirements. As lawyers aren't typically known for their accounting skills, Smokeball takes care of these tasks for you.

During a conversation with a fellow lawyer who also uses Smokeball, we both acknowledged that it's become an indispensable tool for our firms. Personally, I had not anticipated the rate at which my business would grow, but thanks to Smokeball's capabilities, I've been able to avoid hiring additional staff such as a personal assistant or accounts clerk. Smokeball takes care of all those tasks for me. As a result, I can now focus more on providing quality service to my clients and developing my business instead of being bogged down with administrative duties. This has translated into saving me several hours every day.

I've reached a stage where I require assistance from someone in another state. With Smokeball, we can work from our laptops in separate geographic locations while staying connected, saving files to the same system, and accessing them from both ends. Even if we are on opposite sides of Australia, Smokeball makes it feel like we are in the same room.

For all these reasons and more, I definitely recommend Smokeball Legal Practice Management Software.