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 responsible use of AI and innovation for your litigation; the testimony intelligence work; the written discovery responses; the legal research and motion writing; 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, or if you’re sending it to your traditional outside firm, it’s the stuff that is costing too much money. 

Our model is simple: We build teams of lawyers, paralegals and other professionals, often large global ones, with the skills needed to most effectively handle the matters you have.  We employ 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 at the right time to reduce costs, bring down cycle time, and delight you. 

ElevateNext has been named a 2025 Association of Corporation Counsel (“ACC”) Value Champion and 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 sure makes us unique in an incredibly useful way.

So please, don’t ask us to handle your Supreme Court argument or your mega-merger. 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 or how you can innovate to be able to successfully handle all your work even though your legal department budget got slashed by 15%. Don’t worry – if you need a really special lawyer, we have about a zillion special lawyer friends we can refer you to. 

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.