Hogan Lovells has signed a deal with new law outfit Elevate to launch a document review centre in Phoenix to handle US-sourced legal work. The centre will be staffed by a core team of 20 Hogan Lovells lawyers with Elevate on hand to provide additional personnel as and when they are needed.

The firm said the deal would allow it to provide ‘follow the sun document review services for clients in a flexible, efficient, and cost-effective manner’.

The centre will be managed by Hogan Lovells head of alternative service delivery Rachel Dabydoyal, who will integrate it into the firm’s network of legal services centres, including its existing Americas document review capability in Sao Paulo.

It will mainly handle incoming US litigation, arbitration and employment practice document review matters.

Michael Davison, global head of litigation, arbitration and employment, said: “We have seen an increase in demand for technology-assisted contract review, due diligence and legal services.

“This facility will operate in a similar fashion as our Birmingham office, providing multijurisdictional document review services to our global litigation practice.”

Stephen Allen, global head of innovation and digital at Hogan Lovells, added: “Our legal delivery centre will apply the latest artificial intelligence capabilities to document review, helping our clients sift through a high volume while also achieving accurate results.”

Longstanding relationship

The deal continues a longstanding association between Hogan Lovells and Los Angeles-based Elevate, which provides consulting, technology and services to law departments and law firms.

In February 2018, the pair signed a deal for Elevate to run a UK-based flexible lawyering service.

Hogan Lovells also works with Cape Town-based Cognia Law having struck a deal last summer for Cognia to enhance its alternative delivery capabilities, which include the firm’s Engage: LIBOR product, whcih uses artificial intelligence to help clients prepare for the phasing out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) in 2021.

Last summer, Elevate, which also boasts Ashurst and Clifford Chance as clients, announced an additional $25m funding, boosting total capital raised to nearly $60m. At the time if forecast sales of more than $75m for 2019.

Last week, Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli announced a partnership with UnitedLex to launch a litigation support centre.

Further reading: Stephen Allen: 'Lawyers using the technology will triumph over those who do it the old way'