Litigation Analytics 101: What is it and how can it benefit your firm

While some believe the legal industry is slow to embrace change, with technology now incorporated into almost every area of our lives it’s becoming harder and harder for even the most traditional law firms to fend off technology-based solutions designed for legal practices.

One such solution, which has risen in popularity amongst lawyers over the past few years, is litigation analytics platforms.

For decades, attorneys have relied upon word of mouth, intuition or industry reports to ascertain, among other things, which experts, courts or judges may be more favorable for their clients.

With litigation analytics, the process is simplified and more objective. Pooling years of data into easy to read tables and graphs, litigation analytics tools can help your firm craft data-driven case management strategies that’ll enhance your chances of success.

Here are 3 ways how:

1. Understanding your judge

Would you like to be more prepared when facing a new judge?

Using litigation analytics you can, with the click of a button, discern:

• Types of cases on the judge’s docket;
• Types of case resolutions by case type; or
• Length of time it takes to reach a particular outcome

Depending on the program, you can even see how a specific judge rules on motions and expert challenges, or how their decisions are ruled upon at the appellate level.

2. Gaining insight on opposing counsel

When prepping for litigation, it’s helpful to know about whom you’ll be up against.

By simply typing the opposing attorney’s name or law firm into some litigation analytics programs, you can determine:

• His or her education and experience;
• Types of cases he or she typically files;
• Types of case resolutions by case type;
• Motion outcomes; or
• Length of time it takes to reach a particular outcome or resolution

Litigation analytics performed on opposing counsel often can also show you how many times that attorney has gone in front of a specific judge and how they’ve fared in front of that judge.

3. Knowing your adversary

When filing a lawsuit against a corporate defendant, litigation analytics can be a useful tool.

Certain analytics platforms can help unmask:

• Number of cases a company currently has filed against it and where;
• Types of case resolutions against the company;
• Top law firms that represent it; or
• Length of time it takes the company to reach a resolution

Essentially, the tool can give you an idea of the likelihood of settlement against a certain defendant, whether the defendant will have “home court advantage” or approximately how long it could take to achieve a favorable result for your client.

There are many other features that litigation analytics platforms can offer your firm beyond those detailed above. Further, each provider’s platform is different—offering you varying ways to analyze and interpret court data. If you think litigation analytics could be advantageous for your practice, check out our blog post on what to look for when choosing the right analytics software for your firm.