In today’s episode of the LawNext PR podcast, host Bob Ambrogi interviewed Nicole Clark, the founder and CEO of Trellis, about the company’s latest innovation: Trellis AI. This new suite of generative AI tools builds on Trellis’ comprehensive database of state trial court data to assist litigators in simplifying complex litigation tasks. You can read more about Trellis AI below.
Bob’s own impressions of Trellis AI from a demo of the product can be found in his original article from November 19, 2024.
Revolutionizing State Trial Court Research
Trellis, known for its analytics platform, aggregates and structures trial court data from over 2,600 counties across 45 states, making the historically fragmented and opaque system accessible. This database includes hundreds of millions of motions, briefs, and judicial rulings, providing invaluable insights into trial court trends and outcomes.
Clark, a former litigator, emphasized the unmet need that inspired Trellis’ creation: “In the court system where every case starts, trial court, we just had a black box.”
Trellis AI Features
Nicole highlighted Trellis AI’s groundbreaking tools, designed to save time and enhance productivity.
- Motion Drafting:
- Draft Arguments Tool: This feature enables lawyers to generate motions for summary judgment (MSJ) and motions to dismiss by analyzing successful arguments from similar past cases. By tailoring these arguments to the specific facts of a user’s case, the tool provides a robust starting point, complete with citations and source links for verification.
- Jurisdiction-Specific: Initially available for California cases, Trellis AI plans to expand motion drafting capabilities to other key jurisdictions, including New York, Texas, and Florida.
- Case Assessment:
- Comprehensive Reports: Trellis AI offers detailed case assessments that combine factual, legal, and strategic analysis. These reports include summaries of key facts, claims, defenses, evidence gaps, and recommended next steps.
- Dynamic Updates: As a case progresses and new documents are added, the case assessment can be refreshed to incorporate the latest information, serving as an ongoing playbook for litigators.
- Document Analysis Tools:
- Complaint Tools: Analyze complaints to outline causes of action, suggest defenses, and identify relevant statutes of limitations.
- Document Breakdown: Dissect arguments within documents, identify key evidence, highlight gaps, and recommend witnesses or defenses.
- Review and Research Tools: Generate summaries, chronological timelines, extract citations, and facilitate legal research with ease.
User-Friendly and Secure
Trellis AI distinguishes itself from other legal AI tools by focusing on delivering complete work products with minimal user input. Instead of requiring attorneys to formulate complex prompts, Trellis AI offers one-click solutions that generate drafts and analyses directly. This approach eliminates the need for users to become adept at prompt engineering, allowing them to focus more on strategic decision-making.
Security is a paramount concern for Trellis AI. The platform adheres to strict security protocols, including SOC 2 standards and encryption of all uploaded documents, ensuring that sensitive legal information remains protected.
Expansion and Future Plans
While Trellis AI’s motion drafting tool is currently limited to California, the company is actively working on expanding its reach to additional states. This strategic expansion will broaden the tool’s applicability, making it a valuable resource for litigators across various jurisdictions.
Positive Reception and Differentiation
Feedback from early adopters has been overwhelmingly positive, with users highlighting significant time savings and enhanced strategic capabilities. Trellis AI’s unique advantage lies in its proprietary dataset of trial court documents, which provides more precise and relevant outputs compared to broader AI models. By focusing on the specific needs of trial court litigators and leveraging its extensive data, Trellis AI offers a powerful tool that complements a lawyer’s expertise without replacing the nuanced judgment that legal professionals bring to their cases.
Conclusion
Trellis AI represents a significant leap in legal technology, combining extensive trial court data with AI-driven automation. By eliminating repetitive tasks, the platform enables litigators to focus on strategy and case outcomes. To summarize Nicole, Trellis’ goal is to deliver the best results in the simplest way for their users.
For more information, visit Trellis at trellis.law.