tech

Challengers test defences of legal tech stalwarts

Simply sign up to the Technology sector myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox.

Challengers test defences of legal tech stalwarts

TL;DR

  • AI startups Harvey and Legora are disrupting the legal tech market, with Harvey achieving a $11bn valuation.
  • Incumbent legal tech companies are responding by upgrading products and integrating AI tools, like Anthropic's Claude, into their platforms.
  • Established players emphasize their trusted content, expertise, accuracy, accountability, and reliability as key differentiators.
  • Concerns over privacy and accuracy, along with recent legal cases involving AI errors, may continue to drive demand for specialist tools from established providers.
  • The legal tech market is evolving rapidly, and the long-term advantage of incumbents is uncertain, with a potential future combining the strengths of incumbents, startups, and raw AI intelligence.
  • Legal teams are increasingly adopting a hybrid model, using different providers for different problems, and exploring 'off-label AI' applications.
  • Quantifying the return on investment (ROI) for AI tools in the legal sector remains a challenge for many companies.