When a new case lands, the first 15 minutes matter more than most attorneys realize. Before formal assignment, before strategy sessions, before anyone has read the full complaint, there’s a window. The party that uses it well enters the case with structure. Everyone else is catching up.
Patterns in Practice is a series that follows a case from first filing through trial, drawing on the largest collection of state trial court data to show how the right information, at the right time, turns uncertainty into strategy. Each installment focuses on a different stage of the litigation lifecycle—and what the data reveals about how to approach it.
We start at the beginning. Here’s how to use the first 15 minutes.
Step 1: Understand the filing with Chat
A complaint is a version of events—selective, directional, and optimized for leverage.
Pattern
New complaints surface through alerts days before formal assignment, creating a short window where information moves faster than internal processes.
Strategy
The first task isn’t to read every word. It’s to quickly understand what you’re dealing with — the parties, the claim, the exposure, and who is driving it. The sooner that picture comes into focus, the sooner strategy can begin.
Example
A panel attorney for an insurance carrier in New York receives an alert. A lawsuit has been filed against an insured.
Open the case directly from the alert, pull up the docket, and rather than reading the complaint line by line, use Trellis’ Chat feature to extract what matters — ask for a structured summary, or ask specific questions about the claims, the parties, or the exposure. In minutes, you have enough to understand what you’re dealing with and start thinking strategically.
Step 2: Build your initial strategy with Case Strategy Report
Understanding the case is just the starting point. The next task is turning it into a strategy.
Pattern
Early case strategy is usually built manually — pulling analogous cases, identifying defenses, researching the jurisdiction. It takes hours, sometimes days. By then, the case is already moving.
Strategy
The goal at this stage is to get ahead of the case before it develops inertia. That means having a structured, defensible strategy in hand on day one — something you can act on internally and share directly with the client.
Example
The Case Strategy Report generates directly from the docket. Trellis analyzes the complaint, matches it against similar cases in the largest collection of state trial court records, and produces a structured briefing covering defenses, procedural considerations, judge insights, and recommended next steps.
In the Betancourt case, the report surfaces contributory negligence and assumption of risk as viable defenses, flags a response deadline of March 12, 2026, and notes that Kings County juries tend to be plaintiff-friendly in personal injury cases, context that shapes settlement posture from day one.
Share it internally or use it to brief the client before anyone else has had a chance to assess the case.
Step 3: Know who you’re up against with Attorney Analysis
The attorney on the other side shapes how a case moves. Understanding their patterns before the first motion is filed gives you a real advantage.
Pattern
With Trellis, opposing counsel’s litigation history is visible in detail. How many cases are they handling? What types of claims do they typically pursue? How do they approach motions and discovery? That history tells you a lot about what to expect.
Strategy
High-volume practices tend to be predictable. When an attorney is managing hundreds of cases at once, they lean on systems — standardized motions, familiar discovery paths, templated arguments. That consistency is useful information. The more you know about how they operate, the better positioned you are to force the case out of their pattern and into territory that requires real, case-specific attention.
Example
Run an Attorney Analysis Report on opposing counsel directly from the docket. In the Betancourt case, the report on Cornelius Redmond reveals a plaintiff-focused practice concentrated in personal injury and tort litigation. A few things stand out immediately: he files dense, detail-oriented complaints across multiple causes of action, moves aggressively on discovery early, and his cases tend to run long — some projected three to five years. That profile shapes how you prepare. Expect comprehensive discovery demands from the start, plan your expert strategy early, and look for opportunities to press on case-specific facts before the matter gets absorbed into his standard playbook.
What 15 minutes can do
A single alert can turn into a working defense strategy before the case is even formally assigned. You know what you’re dealing with, you have a strategic framework in hand, and you know who you’re up against.
In the next installments, we go deeper on the players—researching the plaintiff, the judge, and expert witnesses to build on the foundation you’ve already established.
FAQ
How do I build a litigation strategy quickly?
Start by turning the complaint into a structured understanding of the case, then layer in data. Identify the parties, claims, and exposure first, then use comparable cases, judge insights, and prior outcomes to shape your approach. With Trellis, a Case Strategy Report can generate this for you directly from the docket, giving you a defensible strategy within minutes instead of days.
How do I brief a client on a new lawsuit?
Focus on clarity and speed. A strong early briefing should cover what happened, what’s at stake, likely outcomes, and recommended next steps. Using Trellis, you can pull key facts from the complaint, analyze similar cases, and generate a structured case strategy that can be shared internally or directly with the client almost immediately.
How do I research an opposing attorney?
Look at their litigation history, not just their firm bio. Key signals include case volume, types of claims, motion behavior, and how long their cases typically run. Trellis Attorney Analysis surfaces this data across state trial courts, helping you understand how opposing counsel operates and how to plan around their tendencies.
What is the best way to prepare for a new case?
Start with speed and structure. Quickly understand the complaint, assess exposure using comparable cases, and evaluate the key players involved. The earlier you can replace uncertainty with a working strategy, the better positioned you are. Tools like Trellis streamline this process by combining docket access, analytics, and case strategy in one place.
How do law firms use data in litigation?
Law firms use data to make faster, more informed decisions. This includes analyzing verdicts and settlements to assess risk, reviewing judge tendencies, and studying opposing counsel behavior. Trellis provides access to structured state trial court data, allowing attorneys to move beyond anecdotal research and ground their strategy in real outcomes.
How do I track lawsuits filed against my client?
Set up ongoing monitoring so you’re alerted as soon as a new case is filed. With Trellis Alerts, you can track cases involving specific parties, companies, or topics and receive notifications as soon as filings appear, often before formal assignment. This gives you a head start on evaluation and strategy.
What tools do litigators use for early case assessment?
Early case assessment typically involves reviewing the complaint, researching similar cases, and evaluating risk. Modern tools like Trellis bring this together by combining docket access, AI-powered document analysis, verdict data, and strategic insights into a single workflow, allowing attorneys to assess a case within minutes.
How do I know if a case is worth fighting or settling?
Start by understanding the likely range of outcomes. Review comparable cases, verdict trends, and settlement patterns in the same jurisdiction and claim type. Trellis helps quantify this by surfacing similar cases and outcome data, making it easier to determine whether early resolution or continued litigation is the better path.
How do I find similar cases to mine?
Search by legal issue, fact pattern, jurisdiction, or parties. The goal is to identify cases with comparable claims and circumstances to understand how they were handled and resolved. Trellis allows you to quickly find and analyze similar cases across state trial courts, including filings, rulings, and outcomes.
How do I prepare for a case in an unfamiliar jurisdiction?
Focus on how that jurisdiction actually operates. Review judge tendencies, local motion practices, and historical outcomes for similar cases. Trellis provides jurisdiction-specific insights drawn from state trial court data, helping you understand how cases move in that venue before you take your first step.
How do I stay on top of new lawsuits filed against my client?
Use automated alerts tied to your client’s name, affiliates, or key topics. Trellis Alerts notify you when new cases are filed, giving you immediate visibility and time to act before the case progresses.
How do I assess litigation risk early?
Early risk assessment comes down to understanding likely outcomes. Analyze verdicts, settlement rates, and similar case trajectories to define a realistic range. Trellis surfaces this data across state trial courts, allowing you to evaluate exposure and risk almost immediately after a case is filed.
What is early case assessment in litigation?
Early case assessment is the process of evaluating a case immediately after it is filed, including reviewing the complaint, estimating exposure, and identifying potential strategies. Tools like Trellis accelerate this process by combining case data, analytics, and AI-driven insights.
What is state trial court data and why does it matter?
State trial court data includes filings, motions, rulings, and outcomes from trial-level courts where most litigation actually happens. Unlike appellate decisions, this data shows how cases are handled in practice. Trellis organizes this data at scale, making it searchable and actionable for attorneys.
How can AI help with legal research and case strategy?
AI can quickly extract key information from legal documents, identify patterns across similar cases, and surface strategic insights. In Trellis, AI is used to structure complaints, generate case strategy reports, and connect attorneys to relevant data faster than traditional research methods.