Lex Machina is the platform that turns a law firm's intuition about judges and opposing counsel into verifiable data — then lets you sell that data as a fractional legal analytics retainer. It indexes 10 million+ court cases and 45 million+ documents across all 94 federal district courts, 13 appeals courts, the PTAB, and enhanced state court coverage. The output is judge profiles, opposing counsel win rates, outcome probability models (70–80% accuracy), and case strategy benchmarks. Most boutique plaintiffs' firms don't have access to this level of data, and none of them have someone whose job it is to use it. That's the opening.
The retainer is a monthly strategy brief: judge and opposing counsel profiles for every active matter, settlement likelihood analysis, and a portfolio dashboard of case outcomes by practice area. You handle the Lex Machina pulls; the attorneys get the intelligence they need to price cases accurately, negotiate from data, and pitch clients with something more than "we've handled cases like this before."
The tools
Lex Machina
Lex Machina is the core analytics platform. Judge profiles cover tendencies across 100+ motion types — grant rates on summary judgment by case type, average time to ruling, damages awarded, case resolution timelines. Opposing counsel analytics show win/loss rates, average settlement amounts, time to resolution, and litigation style patterns (aggressive discovery, frequent summary judgment motions, settlement-first posture). Outcome prediction models 70–80% case outcomes, damages, and settlement likelihood based on case facts matched against historical precedent in the same court and before the same judge.
The data edge is clearest on two engagements: (1) plaintiff intake — before accepting a contingency case, a firm can run Lex Machina to assess realistic settlement range and the judge's record on similar damages, and (2) pre-trial strategy — before any major motion, attorneys can see the judge's pattern on that motion type and adjust the argument accordingly. Both of these translate into direct ROI for the firm: better case selection and fewer wasted motions.
Price: See site for pricing. Custom subscription by firm size, number of users, and practice area modules selected (IP, employment, antitrust, commercial litigation, etc.). Annual contracts; pricing typically structured per-user or per-seat. Contact LexisNexis at lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lex-machina.page for a matter-specific quote. No free tier; no affiliate program. What operators charge: $2,000–$5,000/mo retainer per client firm. The Lex Machina subscription is your fixed cost; amortize it across 3–5 active client relationships. Position as fractional legal analytics — the firm gets the data infrastructure of a large firm without the hire.
Everlaw
Everlaw adds the document review layer that litigation matters require alongside analytics. Lex Machina tells you how similar cases resolved; Everlaw lets you find the key documents in this case. The two tools work in sequence: Lex Machina shapes the case strategy and document review priorities; Everlaw executes the AI-assisted review against those priorities. For consultants selling into the legal vertical, offering both services gives you two billable engagements per client — the intelligence layer and the production layer.
For the analytics-only client who isn't ready for managed ediscovery, Everlaw is a future conversation. For the client actively in discovery, the combination is a complete outsourced litigation support offering.
Price: Quote-based. No public price list. Independent 2026 sources indicate $2,000–$5,000/month base plus $18–$35/GB for hosted data. Contact Everlaw sales for a matter-specific quote. What operators charge: See the AI Ediscovery for Small Law Firms page for the full managed ediscovery offer. Pair with the analytics retainer at a combined $4,000–$8,000/mo.
Claude
Claude turns Lex Machina data exports into the monthly strategy brief. Pull judge profiles and opposing counsel analytics from Lex Machina, paste the relevant data into a Claude Project configured with your brief template, and ask for a 2–4 page strategy memo for each active matter. Claude structures the findings, highlights the patterns the attorney should act on, and drafts the language for the brief — you review and finalize.
For case intake assessments, Claude runs the scoring model. Feed it the case facts (jurisdiction, claim type, damages sought, opposing counsel, assigned judge) alongside Lex Machina's historical data for that judge and opposing counsel. Ask Claude to produce a one-page case strength assessment with settlement range recommendation. The firm gets a disciplined intake filter; you deliver it in 30–45 minutes per case.
Price: Free tier available. Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually). What operators charge: Claude is overhead. The billable product is the strategy brief and intake assessment it helps you produce — not the tool.
Jotform
Jotform handles new matter intake and client information gathering. Build an intake form covering: court and jurisdiction, case type, assigned judge (if known), opposing counsel and firm, key dates and deadlines, and specific intelligence questions the attorney wants answered. New clients submit this form before your first engagement call; recurring clients submit it when a new matter opens.
The structured intake turns what would be a 30-minute intake call into a 10-minute form submission. You get the information you need to pull the right Lex Machina data before the first conversation. The form also signals to the client that this is a professional operation with a process, not an ad hoc research service.
Price: Free Starter (5 forms, 100 submissions/month). Bronze $34/mo annual. What operators charge: Intake infrastructure is overhead. The signal it sends — and the time it saves — is worth more than the subscription cost.
PandaDoc
PandaDoc manages engagement agreements and monthly SOWs. For a litigation analytics retainer, the SOW defines: which matters are covered each month, the deliverables (monthly strategy brief per matter, intake assessments on request, portfolio dashboard), the turnaround time for new-matter briefings, and the monthly rate. Create a master retainer template in PandaDoc; for each new client, fill in the matter list and rate, send for e-signature.
Monthly invoicing through PandaDoc keeps the retainer relationship on a professional cadence. The firm pays via ACH on a set date each month; you deliver the monthly brief on a set date each month. Predictability on both sides is what makes legal retainers renew without a sales conversation.
Price: Essentials $19/user/mo annual ($29 month-to-month). Business ~$49/user/mo annual. 14-day free trial. What operators charge: Overhead. The signed retainer agreement it produces protects you on scope creep — the single biggest risk in a relationship-driven retainer engagement.
A workflow that scales
The monthly litigation intelligence service, from client intake to brief delivery:
- New matter intake via Jotform. The client's paralegal submits the matter intake form when a new case is assigned or enters active litigation. You receive the jurisdiction, judge, opposing counsel, claim type, and key deadlines in a structured format.
- Lex Machina pull. Within 24 hours of intake, pull the judge profile (motion tendencies, damages history, average timeline), opposing counsel analytics (win rate, settlement posture, litigation style), and outcome probability for the claim type and jurisdiction. Save the exports to a client folder.
- Strategy brief in Claude. Paste the Lex Machina data into a Claude Project set up with your brief template. Ask for a 2–4 page strategy memo: key findings on the judge, opposing counsel patterns, outcome probability with settlement range, and 3–5 tactical recommendations. Review and finalize the brief — 30–45 minutes of your time per matter.
- Monthly portfolio dashboard. Once a month, generate a portfolio-level summary for all active matters: overall case mix, settlement likelihood across the docket, any judge or opposing counsel patterns worth flagging. Deliver alongside the individual matter briefs.
- SOW and billing via PandaDoc. Send the monthly brief package via PandaDoc alongside the invoice. The document trail shows the client what they're paying for every month.
For clients in active discovery, add the Everlaw managed review layer and bill the combined offer at $4,000–$8,000/mo. See AI Ediscovery for Small Law Firms for the full workflow.
The money
Legal analytics is a premium retainer because the data is expensive to access, the expertise is scarce, and the stakes are high.
- Monthly litigation intelligence retainer (up to 5 active matters, monthly strategy briefs, intake assessments on request): $2,000–$3,500/mo per firm.
- Complex litigation retainer (6–15 active matters, portfolio dashboard, priority intake within 4 hours): $4,000–$5,000/mo per firm.
- Case intake assessment (one-time, no retainer): $500–$1,000 per case. Usually converts to a retainer within 2 engagements.
Your cost to run this: Lex Machina subscription (custom — get a quote, budget $500–$1,500/mo depending on firm size and modules); Claude Pro ($17/mo); Jotform Bronze ($34/mo); PandaDoc Essentials ($19/mo) = ~$570–$1,570/mo total overhead. At a $2,000/mo retainer with one client, you're at 20–75% margin depending on Lex Machina pricing. At 3 clients, the Lex Machina cost amortizes and margin climbs above 70%.
See AI Tools for Consultants for the broader consulting stack, and AI Ediscovery for Small Law Firms for the companion document review service.
FAQ
Do I need a law degree to sell litigation analytics?
No. You are not providing legal advice — you are providing data analysis and research support. The attorney decides case strategy; you provide the empirical base for that decision. The same distinction applies in ediscovery (document review project management, not legal advice) and legal contract work (drafting tools, not practicing law). Make the scope boundary clear in your engagement agreement and confirmed with the attorney before you start.
How do I access Lex Machina if pricing is not published?
Contact LexisNexis sales directly at lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lex-machina.page. Pricing is per-firm, per-user, and by practice area module — an employment-litigation-only subscription costs less than a full multi-practice license. Request a quote for the minimum configuration that covers your target practice areas, then mark it up in your retainer fee. Many consultants start with a single practice area (IP or employment) and expand as client volume grows.
What size law firm is the right target?
Boutique plaintiffs' firms with 5–25 attorneys and active litigation dockets in federal court. They're large enough to have meaningful volume (10–30 active matters) but small enough that they haven't built in-house analytics capacity. Corporate legal departments with significant litigation spend are a secondary target — the ROI framing shifts to risk management and case reserve accuracy rather than plaintiff strategy.
How long does it take to produce a strategy brief per matter?
30–60 minutes once you have the Lex Machina data and a Claude Project configured with your brief template. A 5-matter monthly retainer is roughly 5–8 hours of work per month including client communication and the portfolio dashboard. At $2,000–$3,500/mo, that's $250–$700/hour effectively — a premium legal research rate that's achievable because the tool does the data retrieval.
What if Lex Machina doesn't cover the client's jurisdiction or case type?
Lex Machina covers all 94 federal district courts and 13 appeals courts comprehensively. State court coverage is enhanced but varies by state. If a client's matters are predominantly in a state court system outside Lex Machina's enhanced coverage, scope the retainer to federal matters only or to jurisdictions confirmed as covered. Check coverage at lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lex-machina.page before quoting.