Nicole Clark, CEO and founding father of Trellis, created the authorized analytics platform to handle challenges she confronted as a litigator. Drawing from her expertise in enterprise litigation, she started aggregating state trial courtroom knowledge to tailor authorized arguments and enhance case outcomes. Recognizing its potential, she expanded Trellis to democratize entry to authorized insights.
With an unconventional background, together with early faculty enrollment and levels in journalism and regulation, Clark now shares her experience extensively whereas residing in Los Angeles together with her daughter and her love for vegetation.
Trellis is a authorized analytics platform targeted on enhancing accessibility to state trial courtroom data and authorized knowledge. By offering instruments to investigate judicial rulings, authorized developments, and opposing counsel methods, Trellis helps authorized professionals in making knowledgeable selections. Its mission facilities on enhancing transparency and accessibility throughout the judicial system.
What position does democratizing entry to authorized knowledge play in Trellis’ mission, and why is it so necessary?
Democratizing entry to regulation by making state trial courtroom data and authorized knowledge extra accessible is central to our core mission at Trellis. The state courtroom system is definitely the most important courtroom system on this planet, but traditionally, it has been extremely fragmented and troublesome to navigate. This lack of transparency has created an uneven enjoying area the place solely these with substantial sources may entry and analyze this significant knowledge successfully.
By making this knowledge searchable and accessible, Trellis brings larger transparency to our judicial system which advantages companies of all sizes, from solo practitioners to massive companies. By offering entry to state trial courtroom knowledge and insights, we empower attorneys to make extra knowledgeable selections, higher serve their purchasers, and in the end contribute to a extra equitable justice system. Our mission goes past accessibility – it’s about reworking how the authorized occupation interacts with knowledge to create lasting impression.
Your inspiration for Trellis got here from a late evening spent writing a movement for abstract judgment, the place a previous ruling by the choose grew to become a game-changer in your case. Are you able to stroll us by that second and the way it advanced into the thought of constructing a platform to combination state trial courtroom knowledge?
That evening was actually a turning level for me. Whereas drafting a posh movement for abstract judgment, I struggled as a result of I wasn’t conversant in the choose assigned to the case. A colleague shared an outdated ruling from the identical choose and it was like touchdown an in depth research information for a ultimate examination.
The ruling gave me insights into how the choose thought, enabling me to tailor my arguments accordingly. I gained that movement, and it was a lightbulb second: if one doc may rework my technique, think about the chances with larger entry to trial courtroom knowledge.
This expertise planted the seed for Trellis. I began aggregating state trial courtroom knowledge with the assistance of software program builders for my very own apply, focusing initially on tentative rulings from judges in Southern California. The outcomes have been so impactful that I knew this device couldn’t stay my private secret weapon.
Trellis was born to convey this identical stage of perception to attorneys in every single place, making it straightforward for them to investigate judicial tendencies, craft profitable methods, and save numerous hours of guide analysis.
Are you able to discuss concerning the early days of growing the Trellis database and the way you recognized essentially the most helpful options for attorneys?
The early days have been pushed by my firsthand expertise as a litigator. I understood that attorneys face recurring ache factors, and I knew we wanted to unravel these first. Our preliminary focus was on making trial courtroom data searchable and creating choose analytics to uncover ruling patterns.
From the start, it grew to become clear that the true worth lay in taking these foundational options to the following stage. Trellis now permits attorneys to do excess of simply seek for circumstances, we assist with strategic selections all through the lifetime of a case—from researching comparable circumstances and understanding choose tendencies to monitoring newly filed litigation and analyzing opposing counsel’s patterns.
We targeted on constructing options that will assist attorneys work extra effectively and make extra knowledgeable selections, all the time holding in thoughts that point is an legal professional’s most useful useful resource.
Trellis is a major instance of verticalized AI purposes. How does specializing in authorized analytics make Trellis AI totally different from extra generalized AI instruments like ChatGPT?
We just lately launched Trellis AI, the one productiveness platform tailor-made for trial courtroom litigation. What units Trellis AI aside is that it is constructed particularly for litigators, by litigators, and is powered by the most important state trial courtroom database in existence. In contrast to generalized AI instruments, we’re not simply making use of language fashions to authorized work – we’re combining AI with tons of of hundreds of thousands of precise courtroom motions, briefs, and paperwork that characterize numerous hours of legal professional work product and judicial selections.
Trellis AI is exclusive as a result of it is constructed upon trial courtroom knowledge—the place 99.7% of circumstances truly happen. Whereas different authorized AI merchandise would possibly depend on appellate case regulation or normal authorized information, we’re targeted on the courts the place litigators truly apply day-to-day. This focus permits us to offer actionable insights primarily based on real-world litigation expertise, not simply theoretical authorized ideas. Trellis AI transforms trial courtroom knowledge right into a strategic benefit for attorneys.
Trellis gives instruments like movement drafting, case assessments, and choose analytics. How do these instruments rework the day-to-day workflows of attorneys?
Our instruments are designed to handle the true challenges attorneys face of their each day apply. For instance, our choose analytics permit attorneys to know a choose’s tendencies —how they’ve dominated on comparable motions, their case period averages, and tendencies in particular apply areas. This helps set sensible shopper expectations and develop efficient methods from day one.
Our AI instruments streamline time-consuming duties like doc overview, creating timelines, and analyzing arguments. As an alternative of spending hours manually reviewing paperwork or researching comparable circumstances, attorneys can get immediate and actionable insights that assist them make strategic selections. These instruments don’t exchange legal professional judgment—they improve it by providing higher instruments to train that judgment extra effectively and successfully.
May you elaborate on the method behind integrating Trellis’ state trial courtroom knowledge into actionable insights for attorneys?
At Trellis we’re targeted on making complicated knowledge accessible and actionable. After we combination courtroom knowledge, we’re not simply gathering it – we’re structuring it in ways in which straight reply essentially the most urgent questions attorneys face. For instance, an legal professional would possibly wish to perceive a choose’s grant charges on particular sorts of motions, or see how typically opposing counsel has dealt with comparable circumstances together with their success charges.
The important thing has been to keep up the context that makes this knowledge helpful. We’re not simply exhibiting numbers – we’re offering direct hyperlinks to the underlying circumstances and paperwork, so attorneys can dive deeper when wanted. This mixture of high-level analytics and granular element permits attorneys to maneuver seamlessly between strategic overview and tactical implementation.
With considerations about AI “hallucination” in authorized outputs, how does Trellis preserve accuracy and reliability in its suggestions?
Accuracy is non-negotiable for Trellis AI. In contrast to generalized AI, which can generate speculative or unreliable outputs, Trellis AI is grounded in verified courtroom knowledge. Our insights are derived from actual courtroom rulings, motions, and filings—eliminating a lot of the guesswork that may result in hallucinations related to different AI fashions.
What units Trellis AI aside is that it was constructed upon precise courtroom data and actual case outcomes. When our system delivers insights or suggestions, they’re primarily based on an evaluation of circumstances, motions, and rulings which have truly occurred in state trial courts. Whereas we encourage customers to overview the output, our method of mixing AI with precise courtroom knowledge helps decrease the chance of hallucination that may happen with generic AI instruments.
To make sure reliability, our workforce of attorneys has rigorously examined our fashions with 1000’s of paperwork. Trellis AI goes past offering solutions—it delivers instruments attorneys can belief. Each perception is backed by knowledge that’s verifiable, making Trellis AI not simply highly effective, but in addition reliable and indispensable for authorized professionals.
What have been the most important challenges in transitioning from authorized apply to constructing a know-how firm?
The transition required a whole mindset shift. As a litigator, I used to be skilled to give attention to particular person circumstances and particular authorized arguments. Constructing a know-how firm, nonetheless, required considering on a a lot bigger scale—growing options that might serve 1000’s of attorneys throughout numerous apply areas and jurisdiction
Probably the most vital challenges was addressing the fragmented nature of state trial courts. Every jurisdiction operates with its personal distinctive programs, codecs, and processes, making it extremely complicated to create a unified, searchable database. Fixing these technical challenges whereas guaranteeing the platform remained intuitive for attorneys was a fragile balancing act.
We prioritized simplicity with out sacrificing sophistication, constructing highly effective analytics instruments that present deep insights but stay accessible with only a few clicks. This mixture of user-friendly design and superior know-how has been key to empowering attorneys to work smarter and extra effectively.
The place do you see Trellis within the subsequent 5 years, significantly as AI continues to advance?
Our imaginative and prescient is to proceed revolutionizing how attorneys work with state trial courtroom knowledge. We’re presently increasing our protection throughout extra jurisdictions whereas growing more and more refined AI instruments to assist attorneys work extra effectively and successfully. Now we have protection for 45 states now, and we’re actively working to develop our attain.
As AI know-how advances, we’ll have the ability to present much more nuanced insights and predictions about case outcomes, whereas sustaining our give attention to accuracy and reliability. The longer term is not about changing legal professional judgment—it is about augmenting it with higher knowledge and extra refined analytics. Whether or not it’s serving to a solo practitioner put together for trial or equipping a big agency with data-driven insights, our purpose is to make working towards regulation smarter, fairer, and extra accessible.
What recommendation would you give to authorized professionals who’re contemplating leveraging AI instruments of their apply?
My recommendation is to view AI instruments as enhancers of your experience slightly than replacements for it. Deal with options particularly designed for authorized professionals—instruments that ship tangible worth to your each day workflow. The very best authorized AI instruments ought to prevent time, streamline duties, and assist extra knowledgeable decision-making with out compromising the standard of your work.
Begin by figuring out ache factors in your apply the place higher knowledge or automation may make a distinction. Whether or not it’s conducting analysis, reviewing paperwork, or growing case methods, select instruments tailor-made to handle these particular wants. Prioritize instruments that emphasize accuracy and supply transparency about their knowledge sources and methodologies.
In the end, the purpose of authorized know-how isn’t to redefine what attorneys do however to assist them do it extra effectively and successfully. Probably the most profitable attorneys shall be those that study to successfully mix their authorized experience with these new instruments whereas sustaining their skilled judgment and moral obligations.
Thanks for the nice interview, readers who want to study extra ought to go to Trellis.