SMOKEBALL EXPANDS THOMSON REUTERS PARTNERSHIP, BRINGING WESTLAW DEEP RESEARCH INTO ARCHIE AI

CHICAGO, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Smokeball, the industry-leading AI legal practice management software, today announced the next phase of its partnership with global content and technology company Thomson Reuters. Westlaw Deep Research, Thomson Reuters agentic legal research tool, will be integrated later this month directly within Smokeball's Archie AI.

The integration further connects the platforms supporting the business and practice of law, giving law firms access to authoritative legal research reports directly where their matters live. Attorneys can ask legal research questions within Archie and receive a structured, citation-backed report. Behind it, Westlaw Deep Research uses agentic AI to plan and run multi-step research across Westlaw content, so the report isn't just sourced; it's reasoned.

When a lawyer asks for a client letter or brief, Archie's agentic AI recognizes when legal research is needed, runs Westlaw Deep Research first, and builds from the resulting report. Every step of the analysis is visible and every citation links straight into Westlaw, so the output can be verified. The report also stays on the matter for future reference.

"Lawyers shouldn't have to waste time switching between a matter's context and the authoritative research needed to move it forward," said Hunter Steele, CEO and Co-founder of Smokeball. "With Westlaw Deep Research embedded in Archie, they can bring together the facts, documents, and activity surrounding a client's case with trusted, best in class legal research—right where the work is already happening. It gives firms a stronger starting point to validate strategy early, develop defensible arguments, and focus on the people who need their help." 

Smokeball and Thomson Reuters first announced their partnership in March of this year. Together, the two platforms now deliver legal AI that understands the matter and is grounded in authoritative legal content, so the work a firm produces rests on both. Embedding Westlaw Deep Research in Archie is a substantial step in this developing partnership, with a CoCounsel Legal integration in Smokeball coming early 2027. 

"When Thomson Reuters and Smokeball announced our partnership earlier this year, we set out to create a more connected experience where the business and practice of law live in one place. Bringing Westlaw Deep Research into Archie AI is a major step forward, combining trusted legal research with the workflows lawyers rely on every day, all grounded in Thomson Reuters Fiduciary-Grade AI™ standard," said Camillo Speroni, Head of Partnerships & Alliances, Thomson Reuters. "This is just the beginning of what we plan to deliver together."

For more information, visit Smokeball.com

For media inquiries or to schedule executive interviews: Nina Walker, [email protected] 

About Smokeball

Smokeball is powering people-law. Operating globally from our headquarters in Sydney, with offices in Chicago and London, Smokeball is the leader in legal AI and practice management software, serving more than 7,000 law firms and 34,000 users worldwide.

Our technology, such as Archie, our AI matter assistant and our library of 20,000+ automated legal forms that help you cut legal drafting time by up to 87%—is built around you. By automating time tracking, document creation, billing, case management and other administrative work, our platform gives legal professionals more time and headspace to focus on what matters most: their clients and communities.

Founded in 2012 by legal technology experts Hunter Steele, Jane Oxley and Bart Vadala, Smokeball is the industry standard in people-law. 

SOURCE Smokeball, Inc.