In 'extremely rare' move, BigLaw firm acquires AI legal tech company
In a bid to build its artificial intelligence capabilities, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has acquired legal technology company Springbok AI. (Photo from Shutterstock)
In a bid to build its artificial intelligence capabilities, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has acquired legal technology company Springbok AI.
“Cleary’s innovation strategy is focused on the integration of AI and data analytics into our workflows, as a means to elevate our delivery of legal services to clients,” said Michael Gerstenzang, the law firm’s managing partner, in an announcement Monday. “The acquisition of Springbok immediately enables us to create custom AI-powered solutions—something that sets us apart from many of our competitors.”
Reuters and Bloomberg Law have additional coverage on Cleary’s acquisition of Springbok AI, which was founded in 2017 in London and focuses on generative AI strategy and product development.
Cleary will use Springbok’s proprietary platform SpringLaw, according to the firm’s announcement. It also will work with company co-founder and CEO Victoria Albrecht and 10 data scientists and engineers, who will be part of the firm’s new AI Acceleration team.
“While others waited to see how AI would reshape legal workflows, Cleary stood out to me as a firm that acts,” Albrecht said in the announcement. “The firm shares our core vision that AI technology isn’t just a tool but a fundamental shift in how premium legal services will be delivered: faster, smarter and more transparently.”
Joe Borstein, a partner at Baretz+Brunelle and co-founder of legal tech accelerator LexFusion, told Reuters that “it’s extremely rare” for firms to acquire legal tech companies. He also said firms don’t often “have a vision of what they can do with embedded technology.”
In 2022, Cleary launched ClearyX, which provides tech-driven legal services to clients. The firm said in its announcement its e-discovery and litigation tech and practice innovation groups also focus on the use of AI to meet client needs.
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