UK-based legaltech startup Lawhive has raised $40 million in Series A funding to accelerate its US expansion, using AI to make legal services more accessible and affordable.
Founded in 2019 by co-founders Pierre Proner (CEO), Jaime Van Oers (CTO) and Flinn Dolman — on the belief that everyone deserves affordable legal support — Lawhive is transforming the industry by automating administrative and legal tasks for lawyers and reducing costs for customers by up to 50 per cent.
Lawhive operates an AI-powered platform for lawyers, providing them with tools covering workflow management, compliance and payments. Lawyers can work with their own clients or be matched with consumers and small businesses through the Lawhive marketplace.
At the core of Lawhive’s platform is Lawrence, an AI lawyer that automates routine legal tasks. In tests, Lawrence has matched the performance of human lawyers and passed part one of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
The company has helped thousands of people with a range of issues, from family, property and disputes to consumer rights and small business issues.
The team is now focused on disrupting the US legal market, where the justice gap is particularly wide.
Pierre Proner, CEO and co-founder of Lawhive, said:
“By augmenting the work of human lawyers with our technology, we’re addressing a critical need in the US market and unlocking new opportunities for millions of US attorneys.”
The round was co-led by existing investor GV (Google Ventures) and TQ Ventures, with participation from Balderton Capital, Jigsaw, Episode 1 and Premier League footballers Harry Maguire and Reece James.
Schuster Tanger, Co-Founder/Co-Managing Partner at TQ Ventures, added:
“The US legal market, arguably the largest in the world, is ripe for disruption. The pressing need for affordable legal access makes it the perfect environment for innovative tech solutions like Lawhive’s.”
Vidu Shanmugarajah, partner at GV, asserts that Lawhive’s rapid growth shows that the demand for affordable, tech-driven legal services is both real and scaling fast.
Lead image: Lawhive. Photo: uncredited.
