In a European legal AI deal to watch, litigation research and analytics vendor Doctrine has entered the German market through a strategic investment in legal case law information provider dejure.org. The investment, which we’re told is made with a view to a full acquisition, marks a key step in Doctrine’s international expansion, adding to its presence and capability in France and Italy.
Founded 25 years ago, dejure.org is one of the most frequently used legal databases in Germany. Each month, it receives over 10 million page views from users looking at case law, court decisions, and regulatory texts.
Doctrine, meanwhile, founded in 2016 by Nicolas Bustamante, Raphaël Champeimont and Antoine Dusséaux, uses AI to analyse court decisions and give a 360 view of a client’s case. Like most AI companies, it needs good data, and Doctrine has become a leading legal AI player by aggregating legal information, so this is a powerful investment in terms of its European expansion. In France and Italy, more than 16,000 legal professionals already use Doctrine. With the release of new generative AI-powered products, Doctrine, which now employs around 180 people, says it saw record profitable growth in 2024, and that trend is accelerating in 2025.
The acquisitions are testament to the fact that in Europe, technology must be adapted to each country’s legal ecosystem. In terms of language, legal systems, document structure, professional practices, each country has its own local specificities. Europe’s laws around the use of AI and data sovereignty are also notoriously restrictive, which lends its weight to the need for European providers with a heavy focus on compliance.
“After France and Italy, we are continuing our European expansion and are excited to announce our entry into Germany through dejure.org, a historic player with a unique position in the German legaltech market,” said CEO Guillaume Carrère. “Combining Doctrine’s legal AI with dejure.org’s exceptional legal database will deliver unprecedented performance for legal professionals in Germany. This move fully reflects our European vision of the law: more accessible, more transparent, and more efficient.”
‘After all the AI buzz, lawyers now expect practical solutions that fit perfectly into their workflow,’ added Oliver García, CEO of dejure.org. ‘With years of AI experience and mature products in France, Doctrine is well positioned to quickly establish itself as a leading provider in the German market, as well. We’re excited to support Doctrine on this path through a partnership in which we will contribute not only our databases, but also our knowledge in legal publishing and legal tech in Germany.”
Doctrine and dejure.org say they are already working on gradually integrating their platforms.