Select Page

A Law Firm plus a Legal Service Provider--What a Combination!

There are a lot of perfect combinations in the world — peanut butter & jelly is just one of them. In the legal industry, we’ve created another.  ElevateNext is a law firm made up of lawyers who understand that complex business and legal issues often need lawyers in the mix, but not for every aspect.  That’s why we are integrated into the global, award-winning legal service provider, Elevate. Together, we handle matters more efficiently and at a lower cost than traditional law firms or other legal service providers, alone, can do. We do this by providing lawyer-led, tech and AI-enabled solutions.

Law firm + legal service provider.   “Lawyer-led” means you have the comfort of having our lawyers’ expertise and oversight on your matters. We combine that with the experts in technology,  eDiscovery, legal operations, managed services and project management of Elevate.  Our global footprint allows us to handle work using the right resources in the right locations. 

Go ahead. Slap your hand to your forehead and exclaim, “Eureka!”  You have just encountered the legal embodiment of peanut butter + jelly.  We have a feeling you’ll never be the same again.  Oh, and don’t forget the milk. 

If we can put a man on the moon, why can’t we solve the routine matters law departments have?

True solutions involve lawyers, design, process, technology, and more. That’s the small-step-for-mankind we bring to tackling your needs.   Together, Elevate handles everything , including the “practice of law” piece. Ta da. Moonshot.

Change is hard. But not if you approach it correctly.

Individually, the routine stuff may seem small, but all together, it takes its toll. Let us do the heavy lifting. We have a process for that!

There is Love in evoLution.

We love helping our clients evolve.

We’re Unique, But Not “Special.”

Most lawyers like to think they are special. Snowflakes of sorts. Their work, they feel, is so incredibly unique, nobody else can do it. 

At ElevateNext, we don’t think we are special. (Don’t tell our moms!)  That’s why we don’t want to do your “special” work: the bet-the-company litigation, that major deal, the headline grabber.  We live for the important work — the portfolios of litigation;  the implementation of responsible AI and innovation for your litigation; the testimony intelligence; the written discovery responses; the legal research; the 50-state surveys; the responses to third-party subpoenas, employment demands or law enforcement requests; the garnishments or liens; the compliance work; the corporate formations, etc.  Some call it run-the-company matters. Whatever you call it, it’s the stuff that is bogging your teams down and costing too much money. 

Our model is simple: We custom-build teams, often large global ones, with the skills needed to most effectively handle the matters you have.  We employ approved innovative tools and technology and project-management to capture significant efficiencies, and we make sure that you aren’t paying BigLaw prices for the work. Our model includes using data and automation to improve processes and identify useful trends.  We also think it’s imperative to have the right people in the right geographic location using the right tools at the right time to reduce costs, bring down cycle time, and delight you. 

ElevateNext was named one of the “Best Law Firms in Commercial Litigation” for 2021 -2024 by Best Lawyers and US News and World Report. We were also named one of the firms “Best at AFAs” by BTI Consulting.  We help bridge the gap between traditional law firms and legal service providers. And while that doesn’t make us “special,” it does make us unique in an incredibly useful way.

So please, don’t ask us to handle your Supreme Court argument. Although we know we could hit it out of the park, we’d much rather delve into why your company keeps getting sued over the same clause in your purchase orders. Don’t worry – we will happily refer you to other attorneys – ones who are, well… very, very special.  

Innovative Disruptors

ElevateNext is led by Nicole Auerbach,  an innovative disruptor with a track record of seeing around corners and identifying where the legal industry needs to be going. Prior to founding ElevateNext, Nicole co-founded Valorem Law Group in 2008 to bring alternative fee arrangements to the mainstream. By 2016, Valorem was one of the 22 firms named “best at AFAs” in the country.  In keeping with tradition, ElevateNext was named one of the “Best Firms at AFAs” and one of the Best Law Firms in Commercial Litigation for 2021 – 2024 by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers.

Described as “punching above her weight,” Nicole threw another right hook at the traditional career path by partnering with Elevate in 2018, a globally acclaimed legal service provider to create a new choice for the delivery of legal services. Nicole sits on Elevate’s Executive Leadership Team and leads its integrated law firm. Nicole thoroughly vets and embraces innovation in order to simplify, execute, and achieve results. Her most recent obsession is the effective use of lawyer-led generative AI to significantly reduce the speed and cost of handling litigation.  Pow.  Knockout!

Industry Rebels

ElevateNext was founded by Patrick Lamb and Nicole Auerbach two legal industry rebels with a track record of seeing around corners and identifying where the legal industry is (or will be) going. They founded Valorem Law Group in 2008 to bring alternative fee arrangements to the mainstream. By 2016, they were one of the 22 firms named “best at AFAs” in the country. Described as “punching above their weight,” Pat and Nicole decided to throw another right hook at the legal industry by joining forces with Elevate Services, a globally acclaimed, full-service law company, to form a new model for the delivery of legal services. Pow. A knockout!

One Stop Solution – No Cruise Directing Required

Once upon a time, in a galaxy close at hand, law departments sent the vast majority of their work to outside counsel. Then things shifted and the trend was to bring work (and staff) in-house. Then, when the Great Recession hit, companies began unbundling legal services and using outside service providers for things like document review, technology, staffing, operations, consulting, and more. Yet that outsourcing model requires in-house staff to play the role of a cruise director managing multiple outside law firms (none of whom are aligned with one another) and multiple outside providers. That leads to inefficiency, higher costs, and not always the greatest results.  

Today, law department budgets are being substantially reduced, but the work continues to grow exponentially. Simply getting discounted hourly rates from outside counsel is not the answer. Handling matters differently is.  

That’s what we do.  We seamlessly combine the legal practice with technology, process, and innovative tools, including generative AI to achieve substantial cost savings, efficiencies, and better outcomes, faster, with no “cruise directing” needed. A one-stop shop, for you. 

Let’s Chat

Yeah, this is different.  And the legal industry doesn’t exactly flock to “different”.  Instead, it crawls, kicking and screaming. But we make it easy. We promise.   Lawyer-led, technology-driven,  lower costs, faster resolutions , and better outcomes. So let’s talk it through. We’re good with different. In fact, that is where we thrive!