The cloud makes for unexpected bedfellows. LexisNexis announced last week that is entering into a joint venture with LEAP Legal Software that will see the two companies work together to promote the growth of the LexisNexis' PCLaw billing accounting software and its Time Matters case and document management software.

Meghan Franks, director of marketing, software solutions at LexisNexis, told Legaltech News that this new venture would exist outside of the company's existing Authorized Hosting Program, which allows select cloud providers to host PCLaw and Time Matters and is expected to continue unchanged.

“In LEAP, we have found a trusted partner with longevity in the legal market, providing cloud-based solutions and high levels of customer support,” said Scott Wallingford, vice president of strategy and product management for LexisNexis Legal & Professional.

LexisNexis declined to comment further on the joint venture. However, Allison Daly, vice president of marketing and business development at LEAP, said that her company would occupy part of the LexisNexis office in North Carolina.

She called venture between the two entities with regard to Time Matters and PCLaw “a really, really good marriage,” and it's not hard to imagine what the appeal would be from the LEAP side of equation.

LexisNexis remains a major player in the legal tech sphere, most recently updating its CounselLink platform to provide more detailed task tracking and metrics with regards to outside counsel management. The company also released a Microsoft Office 365 integration of its customer relationship management tool InterAction back in April.

So with such a broad range of products and expertise at its disposal, why enter into a joint venture? Daly thinks that it might come down in part to LEAP's dedication to moving fully into the cloud.

“What LEAP does is we are a practice management platform. I mean that is what we do and we do it on the cloud and that is what we invest our time and our money in and we aim to provide the very best service to our client base,” Daly said.

To be sure, Time Matters or PC Law users won't be forced to move to the cloud or LEAP, but the momentum of the industry in general might make it worth considering.

“It's our plan and everybody's hope that, over the next five years, we can really work together to transition everyone into a cloud-based solution because that's obviously the future of legal tech,” Daly said.