Nicole Clark, CEO and founder of Trellis, created the legal analytics platform to address challenges she faced as a litigator. Drawing from her experience in business litigation, she began aggregating state trial court data to tailor legal arguments and improve case outcomes. Recognizing its potential, she expanded Trellis to democratize access to legal insights.
With an unconventional background, including early college enrollment and degrees in journalism and law, Clark now shares her expertise widely while residing in Los Angeles with her daughter and her love for plants.
Trellis is a legal analytics platform focused on improving accessibility to state trial court records and legal data. By providing tools to analyze judicial rulings, legal trends, and opposing counsel strategies, Trellis supports legal professionals in making informed decisions. Its mission centers on enhancing transparency and accessibility within the judicial system.
What role does democratizing access to legal data play in Trellis’ mission, and why is it so important?
Democratizing access to law by making state trial court records and legal data more accessible is central to our core mission at Trellis. The state court system is actually the largest court system in the world, yet historically, it's been incredibly fragmented and difficult to navigate. This lack of transparency has created an uneven playing field where only those with substantial resources could access and analyze this crucial data effectively.
By making this data searchable and accessible, Trellis brings greater transparency to our judicial system which benefits firms of all sizes, from solo practitioners to large firms. By providing access to state trial court data and insights, we empower attorneys to make more informed decisions, better serve their clients, and ultimately contribute to a more equitable justice system. Our mission goes beyond accessibility – it’s about transforming how the legal profession interacts with data to create lasting impact.
Your inspiration for Trellis came from a late night spent writing a motion for summary judgment, where a past ruling by the judge became a game-changer for your case. Can you walk us through that moment and how it evolved into the idea of building a platform to aggregate state trial court data?
That night was truly a turning point for me. While drafting a complex motion for summary judgment, I struggled because I wasn’t familiar with the judge assigned to the case. A colleague shared an old ruling from the same judge and it was like landing a detailed study guide for a final exam.
The ruling gave me insights into how the judge thought, enabling me to tailor my arguments accordingly. I won that motion, and it was a lightbulb moment: if one document could transform my strategy, imagine the possibilities with greater access to trial court data.
This experience planted the seed for Trellis. I started aggregating state trial court data with the help of software developers for my own practice, focusing initially on tentative rulings from judges in Southern California. The results were so impactful that I knew this tool couldn’t remain my personal secret weapon.
Trellis was born to bring this same level of insight to attorneys everywhere, making it easy for them to analyze judicial tendencies, craft winning strategies, and save countless hours of manual research.
Can you talk about the early days of developing the Trellis database and how you identified the most valuable features for attorneys?
The early days were driven by my firsthand experience as a litigator. I understood that attorneys face recurring pain points, and I knew we needed to solve those first. Our initial focus was on making trial court records searchable and creating judge analytics to uncover ruling patterns.
From the beginning, it became clear that the real value lay in taking these foundational features to the next level. Trellis now enables attorneys to do far more than just search for cases, we help with strategic decisions throughout the life of a case—from researching similar cases and understanding judge tendencies to tracking newly filed litigation and analyzing opposing counsel's patterns.
We focused on building features that would help attorneys work more efficiently and make more informed decisions, always keeping in mind that time is an attorney's most valuable resource.
Trellis is a prime example of verticalized AI applications. How does specializing in legal analytics make Trellis AI different from more generalized AI tools like ChatGPT?
We recently launched Trellis AI, the only productivity platform tailored for trial court litigation. What sets Trellis AI apart is that it's built specifically for litigators, by litigators, and is powered by the largest state trial court database in existence. Unlike generalized AI tools, we're not just applying language models to legal work – we're combining AI with hundreds of millions of actual court motions, briefs, and documents that represent countless hours of attorney work product and judicial decisions.
Trellis AI is unique because it's built upon trial court data—where 99.7% of cases actually take place. While other legal AI products might rely on appellate case law or general legal knowledge, we're focused on the courts where litigators actually practice day-to-day. This focus allows us to provide actionable insights based on real-world litigation experience, not just theoretical legal principles. Trellis AI transforms trial court data into a strategic advantage for attorneys.
Trellis offers tools like motion drafting, case assessments, and judge analytics. How do these tools transform the day-to-day workflows of attorneys?
Our tools are designed to address the real challenges attorneys face in their daily practice. For example, our judge analytics allow attorneys to understand a judge’s tendencies —how they’ve ruled on similar motions, their case duration averages, and tendencies in specific practice areas. This helps set realistic client expectations and develop effective strategies from day one.
Our AI tools streamline time-consuming tasks like document review, creating timelines, and analyzing arguments. Instead of spending hours manually reviewing documents or researching similar cases, attorneys can get instant and actionable insights that help them make strategic decisions. These tools don’t replace attorney judgment—they enhance it by offering better tools to exercise that judgment more efficiently and effectively.
Could you elaborate on the process behind integrating Trellis’ state trial court data into actionable insights for attorneys?
At Trellis we’re focused on making complex data accessible and actionable. When we aggregate court data, we're not just collecting it – we're structuring it in ways that directly answer the most pressing questions attorneys face. For example, an attorney might want to understand a judge's grant rates on specific types of motions, or see how often opposing counsel has handled similar cases along with their success rates.
The key has been to maintain the context that makes this data valuable. We're not just showing numbers – we're providing direct links to the underlying cases and documents, so attorneys can dive deeper when needed. This combination of high-level analytics and granular detail allows attorneys to move seamlessly between strategic overview and tactical implementation.
With concerns about AI “hallucination” in legal outputs, how does Trellis maintain accuracy and reliability in its recommendations?
Accuracy is non-negotiable for Trellis AI. Unlike generalized AI, which may generate speculative or unreliable outputs, Trellis AI is grounded in verified court data. Our insights are derived from real court rulings, motions, and filings—eliminating much of the guesswork that can lead to hallucinations associated with other AI models.
What sets Trellis AI apart is that it was built upon actual court records and real case outcomes. When our system delivers insights or recommendations, they are based on an analysis of cases, motions, and rulings that have actually occurred in state trial courts. While we encourage users to review the output, our approach of combining AI with actual court data helps minimize the risk of hallucination that can occur with generic AI tools.
To ensure reliability, our team of attorneys has rigorously tested our models with thousands of documents. Trellis AI goes beyond providing answers—it delivers tools attorneys can trust. Every insight is backed by data that is verifiable, making Trellis AI not just powerful, but also dependable and indispensable for legal professionals.
What were the biggest challenges in transitioning from legal practice to building a technology company?
The transition required a complete mindset shift. As a litigator, I was trained to focus on individual cases and specific legal arguments. Building a technology company, however, required thinking on a much larger scale—developing solutions that could serve thousands of attorneys across diverse practice areas and jurisdiction
One of the most significant challenges was addressing the fragmented nature of state trial courts. Each jurisdiction operates with its own unique systems, formats, and processes, making it incredibly complex to create a unified, searchable database. Solving these technical challenges while ensuring the platform remained intuitive for attorneys was a delicate balancing act.
We prioritized simplicity without sacrificing sophistication, building powerful analytics tools that provide deep insights yet remain accessible with just a few clicks. This combination of user-friendly design and advanced technology has been key to empowering attorneys to work smarter and more efficiently.
Where do you see Trellis in the next five years, particularly as AI continues to advance?
Our vision is to continue revolutionizing how attorneys work with state trial court data. We're currently expanding our coverage across more jurisdictions while developing increasingly sophisticated AI tools to help attorneys work more efficiently and effectively. We have coverage for 45 states now, and we're actively working to expand our reach.
As AI technology advances, we'll be able to provide even more nuanced insights and predictions about case outcomes, while maintaining our focus on accuracy and reliability. The future isn't about replacing attorney judgment—it's about augmenting it with better data and more sophisticated analytics. Whether it’s helping a solo practitioner prepare for trial or equipping a large firm with data-driven insights, our goal is to make practicing law smarter, fairer, and more accessible.
What advice would you give to legal professionals who are considering leveraging AI tools in their practice?
My advice is to view AI tools as enhancers of your expertise rather than replacements for it. Focus on solutions specifically designed for legal professionals—tools that deliver tangible value to your daily workflow. The best legal AI tools should save you time, streamline tasks, and support more informed decision-making without compromising the quality of your work.
Start by identifying pain points in your practice where better data or automation could make a difference. Whether it’s conducting research, reviewing documents, or developing case strategies, choose tools tailored to address those specific needs. Prioritize tools that emphasize accuracy and provide transparency about their data sources and methodologies.
Ultimately, the goal of legal technology isn’t to redefine what attorneys do but to help them do it more efficiently and effectively. The most successful attorneys will be those who learn to effectively combine their legal expertise with these new tools while maintaining their professional judgment and ethical obligations.
Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Trellis.
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