UK-founded online legal network Lawhive has raised a $40m Series A funding to accelerate its US expansion. 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.
Co-founded in 2019 by Pierre Proner (CEO), Jaime Van Oers (CTO) and Flinn Dolman, Lawhive provides an all-in-one technology platform for solicitors to check and onboard clients plus secure file-sharing, invoicing and billing. Lawyers can work with their own clients or be matched with consumers and small businesses through the Lawhive marketplace.
The team say they are now focused on disrupting the US legal market, where the justice gap is particularly wide. Recent figures show that 80% of US consumer legal needs are unmet, with an estimated value of $1 trillion annually. At the time of going to press it is not known what the regulatory arrangements are in order to facilitate this.
Pierre Proner, CEO and co-founder of Lawhive, said: “Our mission is to make legal services accessible for everyone while helping consumer lawyers and small firms rediscover the joy of practicing law. This funding will accelerate our US launch, where demand for faster, more affordable legal services is significant. 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.”
Last year Lawhive launched Lawrence, an ‘AI paralegal’ that automates routine legal tasks. In tests, Lawrence passed part one of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The plan is that Lawhive solicitors can use Lawrence to help them save time on legal work, you can read more about that here: https://lawhive.co.uk/data-insight/lawrence-ai-paralegal/
Vidu Shanmugarajah, a partner at GV, said: “Lawhive’s rapid growth shows that the demand for affordable, tech-driven legal services is both real and scaling fast. As a lawyer by background, I’ve been impressed with Lawhive’s unparalleled technology and vision to move the legal industry into the modern era. We’re excited to double down on our investment as Lawhive brings its model to the US and beyond.”