A list of the UK's hottest legal tech companies: who they are, what they do, and how much funding they've raised
The UK is a world leader in legal innovation.
The legal tech scene is thriving, with startups transforming the way law firms and businesses manage legal processes - disrupting everything from the bread and butter of contract and document drafting to more complex areas like legal research and regulation and compliance.
The AI boom triggered by the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been a key driver. Many of the hottest legal tech startups have developed generative AI tools powered by OpenAI’s large language models.
Legal AI front-runner Harvey in the US is an example of this. Harvey is built on a version of OpenAI’s GPT model and then trained with legal data, like case law and legal reference materials.
Other legal AI companies have developed their own foundational models trained on their own legal-specific data.
The UK is a great place for legal tech startups thanks to its large domestic legal industry. Legal services is a £47 billion industry and the UK is home to many of the world’s largest and most prestigious law firms.
In fact, the UK is home to 44% of all legal tech startups in Europe. More than 350 companies operate in the sector, attracting more than £5.5 billion of investment in 2023 alone, according to CityUK's 2024 legal services report.
Many leading law firms have openly embraced the legal AI revolution.
Slaughter and May, for example, has its own legal tech startup incubation programme known as 'Collaborate'. Cohort members have access to the firm's lawyers and business services teams for product testing and feedback. Atria AI is an example of a startup that has graduated from the Collaborate programme.
Here’s a look at the 10 hottest legal tech companies making waves in the UK right now, according to how much funding they’ve raised.
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Website: https://contractpodai.com
Core product: AI-powered contract lifecycle management.
Funding: Over $170 million raised, including a $115 million Series C round in 2021.
What you should know: Based in London, ContractPodAI focuses on contract lifecycle management (i.e. from contract creation to management and ultimately renewal). The platform offers an end-to-end solution, and is principally used by in-house legal teams at large companies.
Key customers include Philips, Inmarsat and PwC.
Website: https://www.robinai.com
Core product: AI-driven contract review and negotiation.
Funding: $69 million, including a $26 million Series B plus round in November 2024.
What you should know: Robin AI was founded by former Clifford Chance disputes lawyer Richard Robinson and James Clough, a machine learning research scientist at Imperial College.
It combines machine learning and human expertise to streamline contract review and negotiation.
Key customers include PwC, Pfizer and UBS.
Website: https://www.luminance.com
Core product: AI-powered document review and legal data analysis.
Funding: $63 million, including a $40 million Series B round in April 2024.
What you should know: Luminance was founded in 2016 by a team of AI experts from the University of Cambridge. Early backing came from former British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch.
Luminance uses its own large language model and is designed to review contracts and other legal documents at lightning speed. The platform is popular for due diligence, compliance, and risk assessment tasks. It’s used in over 80 countries.
Key customers include Deloitte, BT and Koch Industries in the US.
Website: https://lawhive.co.uk
Core product: AI-powered legal services marketplace, connecting individuals and small businesses with lawyers.
Funding: $54 million, including a $40 million Series A round to accelerate its US expansion in December 2024.
What you should know: Founded in 2019 by Pierre Proner (CEO), Jaime Van Oers (CTO) and Flinn Dolman, Lawhive is a London-based legal tech company that connects individuals and small businesses with licensed solicitors through an online AI-powered marketplace.
A standout feature of Lawhive's platform is ‘Lawrence’, an AI-powered legal assistant for small law firms that successfully completed the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) with a score of 75%, surpassing the average pass rate of 56%.
Website: https://juro.com
Core product: Contract management platform.
Funding: $31.5 million raised, including a $23 million Series B in 2022.
What you should know: Juro was founded in 2016 by Richard Mabey, a former lawyer at Freshfields.
Juro specialises in contract automation, aiming to make the process of creating, managing, and executing contracts more efficient and collaborative for legal and business teams.
Key customers include Deliveroo, Trustpilot and Reach plc.
Website: https://legl.com
Core product: Client onboarding and compliance tools for law firms.
Funding: $18 million raised across multiple rounds.
What you should know: Legl was founded in 2019 by Julia Salasky, a former lawyer at Linklaters and the founder of CrowdJustice.
Legl aims to digitise and automate core business operations for law firms, focusing on areas such as client onboarding, compliance, payments, and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance.
Key customers include law firms Taylor Rose, Michelmores and Rosenblatt.
Website: https://www.thirdfort.com
Core product: Digital ID verification and risk management.
Funding: $25 million, including a £15 million Series A round in 2022.
What you should know: Thirdfort was founded in 2017 by Olly Thornton-Berry and Jack Bidgood.
Thirdfort combines identity verification, AML compliance, and payment solutions into one platform. It’s particularly popular in the property sector, helping firms reduce fraud and speed up transactions.
Key customers include property businesses like Knight Frank, Savills and Winkworth, and law firms including DAC Beachcroft.
Website: https://www.genieai.co
Core product: AI-powered contract drafting.
Funding: $20 million raised, including a $17.8 million Series A round in October 2024 led by Google Ventures and Khosla Ventures.
What you should know: Genie AI was founded in 2017 by UCL graduates Rafie Faruq and Nitish Mutha.
Genie AI’s “Smart Clauses” feature helps users create and customize contracts using AI. The platform also offers a legal knowledge-sharing library, helping businesses handle contracts.
Key customers include 11 FTSE 100 companies 20 Global 200 law firms, according to Genie.
Website: https://www.thoughtriver.com
Core product: AI-driven contract pre-screening and risk analysis.
Funding: $15 million raised.
What you should know: ThoughtRiver was founded in 2016 and aims to automate contract review and management using AI.
ThoughtRiver’s platform scans contracts to flag potential risks before signing. It’s used by in-house teams and law firms that want to streamline negotiation and improve compliance.
Key customers include companies G4S, Singtel, and DB Schenker.
Website: https://www.definely.com
Core product: AI-powered contract drafting and review.
Funding: $10 million, including a $7 million Series A round in 2024 led by Octopus Ventures.
What you should know: Definely was started in 2020 by two former lawyers at Freshfields, Feargus MacDaeid and Nnamdi Emelifeonwu. MacDaeid, who is registered as legally blind, was motivated to create a solution to the challenges he faced in accessing and understanding legal documents.
Definely helps lawyers navigate complex contracts. Its technology integrates directly into Microsoft Word, providing instant access to key definitions and clauses.
Key customers include law firms A&O Shearman, Slaughter and May and Dentons.
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addleshaw Goddard | £52,000 | £56,000 | £100,000 |
| Akin Gump | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Ashurst | £52,000 | £57,000 | £125,000 |
| Baker McKenzie | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Bird & Bird | £47,000 | £52,000 | £98,000 |
| Bristows | £46,000 | £50,000 | £88,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Burges Salmon | £47,000 | £49,000 | £72,000 |
| Charles Russell Speechlys | £50,000 | £53,000 | £88,000 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | £57,500 | £62,500 | £164,500 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clyde & Co | £47,000 | £49,500 | £85,000 |
| CMS | £50,000 | £55,000 | £110,000 |
| Cooley | £55,000 | £60,000 | £157,000 |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell | £65,000 | £70,000 | £170,000 |
| Debevoise & Plimpton | £55,000 | £60,000 | £168,000 |
| Dechert | £55,000 | £61,000 | £165,000 |
| Dentons | £50,000 | £54,000 | £100,000 |
| DLA Piper | £50,000 | £55,000 | £110,000 |
| Eversheds Sutherland | £46,000 | £50,000 | £100,000 |
| Farrer & Co | £47,000 | £49,000 | £88,000 |
| Fieldfisher | £48,500 | £52,000 | £95,000 |
| Freshfields | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Fried Frank | £55,000 | £60,000 | £175,000 |
| Gibson Dunn | £60,000 | £65,000 | £180,000 |
| Goodwin Procter | £55,000 | £60,000 | £175,000 |
| Gowling WLG | £48,500 | £53,500 | £98,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| HFW | £50,000 | £54,000 | £100,000 |
| Hill Dickinson | £43,000 | £45,000 | £80,000 |
| Hogan Lovells | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Irwin Mitchell | £43,000 | £45,000 | £76,000 |
| Jones Day | £56,000 | £65,000 | £160,000 |
| K&L Gates | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| Kennedys | £43,000 | £46,000 | £85,000 |
| King & Spalding | £55,000 | £60,000 | £165,000 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| Latham & Watkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Mayer Brown | £55,000 | £60,000 | £135,000 |
| McDermott Will & Emery | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Milbank | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Mills & Reeve | £45,000 | £47,000 | £82,000 |
| Mischon de Reya | £47,500 | £52,500 | £95,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | £48,500 | £53,000 | £120,000 |
| Orrick | £55,000 | £60,000 | £140,000 |
| Osborne Clarke | £54,500 | £56,000 | £94,000 |
| Paul Hastings | £60,000 | £68,000 | £173,000 |
| Paul Weiss | n/a | n/a | £180,000 |
| Penningtons Manches Cooper | £48,000 | £50,000 | £83,000 |
| Pinsent Masons | £49,500 | £54,000 | £97,000 |
| Quinn Emanuel | n/a | n/a | £180,000 |
| Reed Smith | £50,000 | £55,000 | £125,000 |
| Ropes & Gray | £60,000 | £65,000 | £165,000 |
| RPC | £46,000 | £50,000 | £90,000 |
| Shoosmiths | £43,000 | £45,000 | £97,000 |
| Sidley Austin | £60,000 | £65,000 | £175,000 |
| Simmons & Simmons | £52,000 | £57,000 | £120,000 |
| Skadden | £58,000 | £63,000 | £173,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Squire Patton Boggs | £47,000 | £50,000 | £110,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood | £50,000 | £55,000 | £100,000 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Taylor Wessing | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| TLT | £44,000 | £47,500 | £82,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
| Trowers & Hamlins | £45,000 | £49,000 | £80,000 |
| Vinson & Elkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £173,077 |
| Watson Farley & Williams | £50,000 | £55,000 | £102,000 |
| Weightmans | £34,000 | £36,000 | £70,000 |
| Weil Gotshal & Manges | £60,000 | £65,000 | £170,000 |
| White & Case | £62,000 | £67,000 | £175,000 |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher | £55,000 | £60,000 | £165,000 |
| Withers | £47,000 | £52,000 | £95,000 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | £43,000 | £45,000 | £80,000 |
Rank | Law Firm | Revenue | Profit per Equity Partner (PEP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DLA Piper* | £3,010,000,000 | £2,400,000 |
| 2 | Clifford Chance | £2,300,000,000 | £2,040,000 |
| 3 | A&O Shearman | £2,200,000,000 | £2,200,000 |
| 4 | Hogan Lovells | £2,150,000,000 | £2,200,000 |
| 5 | Freshfields | £2,140,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 6 | Linklaters | £2,100,000,000 | £1,900,000 |
| 7 | Norton Rose Fulbright* | £1,800,000,000 | £1,100,000 |
| 8 | CMS** | £1,620,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 9 | Herbert Smith Freehills | £1,300,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 10 | Ashurst | £961,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 11 | Clyde & Co | £844,000,000 | £739,000 |
| 12 | Eversheds Sutherland | £749,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 13 | BCLP* | £661,000,000 | £748,000 |
| 14 | Pinsent Masons | £649,000,000 | £793,000 |
| 15 | Slaughter and May*** | £625,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 16 | Simmons & Simmons | £574,000,000 | £1,076,000 |
| 17 | Bird & Bird** | £545,000,000 | £696,000 |
| 18 | Addleshaw Goddard | £495,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 19 | Taylor Wessing | £480,000,000 | £915,000*** |
| 20 | Osborne Clarke** | £456,000,000 | £771,000 |
| 21 | Womble Bond Dickinson | £448,000,000 | £556,000 |
| 22 | DWF | £435,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 23 | Fieldfisher | £407,000,000 | £966,000 |
| 24 | Kennedys | £384,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 25 | DAC Beachcroft | £325,000,000 | £700,000 |
What do City lawyers actually do each day?
For a closer look at the day-to-day of some of the most common types of lawyers working in corporate law firms, explore our lawyer job profiles:
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashurst | £52,000 | £57,000 | £125,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashurst | £52,000 | £57,000 | £125,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
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