Trellis Brings State Trial Court Research to Microsoft 365 Copilot

Attorneys can now use state trial court data to find successful motions, research judges and opposing counsel, and support their drafting—all within Microsoft 365 Copilot

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Trellis, the legal research platform and authoritative litigation data layer for state trial courts, today announced its integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot as part of Microsoft's Copilot for Legal initiative. The integration brings state trial court data and research from Trellis directly into Microsoft 365 Copilot, giving legal professionals access to litigation intelligence and hundreds of millions of exemplary motions within the tools they already use.

According to the International Legal Technology Association's 2026 Technology Survey, AI is being widely adopted. 94% of responding firms are using or exploring generative AI tools, up from 80% the prior year. Microsoft's Copilot is the most widely used tool by a large margin, already in use by 76% of responding firms.

As AI becomes even more embedded in legal work, its value increasingly depends on the data it can access. Traditional legal research has largely centered on published appellate opinions, even though 98% of all cases are handled in state trial courts, and never reach appeal, according to the National Center for State Courts. That leaves a significant gap in understanding how cases are actually litigated at the trial court level.

"Attorneys should never start from a blank page. Some of the most useful legal research starts with a motion another attorney has already researched and argued," said Nicole Clark, CEO and co-founder of Trellis. "An attorney can now surface successful motions addressing similar facts and use them to identify persuasive arguments, relevant case law, and a starting point for their own drafting. That's what we mean by smart research: building on relevant arguments and case law rather than starting from scratch. Bringing trial court intelligence into the tools where attorneys work makes that possible."

Attorneys use Trellis to identify successful legal arguments made before their judge or against the same opposing counsel. Now they can do this from within Microsoft 365 Copilot. A motion's table of authorities can become a focused reading list, giving attorneys a starting point for their own appellate research. These insights are especially valuable when drafting motions, pleadings, or research memos in Microsoft Word. Trellis supports this research with more than 2.5 billion state trial court records spanning 45 states, 3,000+ courts, and 30,000+ judges.

"The real opportunity isn't just giving LLMs or agents access to more legal data. It's what attorneys can do with that data, and giving it to them at the right time," said Alon Shwartz, COO and co-founder of Trellis. "Bringing Trellis into Microsoft 365 Copilot puts that litigation intelligence in the hands of attorneys when they need it, in the tools they already use."

The integration is part of Microsoft's Copilot for Legal announcement, which introduces more than 20 purpose-built legal skills and expands access to specialized legal data through partner connectors. As part of this ecosystem, Trellis brings state trial court research into Copilot, giving legal professionals access to litigation intelligence within their existing Microsoft 365 workflows.

Microsoft 365 Copilot joins ChatGPT and Claude as AI platforms where legal professionals can access Trellis state trial court data. Trellis is expanding access to its data across the AI tools legal professionals are increasingly using for research and analysis.

Trellis in Microsoft 365 Copilot is available through the Microsoft Marketplace. A free Trellis account and an eligible Microsoft 365 Copilot license are required to get started. If your organization restricts access to connectors, contact your Microsoft 365 administrator to request access.

Trellis is the authoritative litigation data layer for the state trial courts, providing access to more than 2.5 billion court records across 45 states. By making trial court filings, rulings, outcomes, and other litigation insights searchable and accessible, Trellis fills a critical gap in traditional legal research, which has historically focused on appellate decisions. Legal professionals use Trellis to research judges, opposing counsel, motions, and cases, uncover litigation patterns, and make more informed decisions. Trellis also brings this litigation intelligence into leading AI platforms, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude. For more information, visit trellis.law.

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SOURCE Trellis