Inside why Patents and IP are one of LegalTech’s “newest battlegrounds”
LegalTech has gone prime-time.
This week, Harvey debuted its first-ever TV commercials, which will run globally across major media channels. According to Artificial Lawyer, the commercials will air on major US outlets such as ESPN, NBC, Amazon, Netflix and HBO Max. In the spring, Legora hired actor Jude Law as the face of the brand, with the tag line, “Law just got more attractive.”
While big LegalTech players like Harvey and Legora battle for attention and market share with prime-time ads and celebrity campaigns, as we head into Q4, there continue to be market share and niche opportunities for VC-backed startups.
Back in January, in my LegalTech 2026 Trends to Watch edition of Venture Legal, I wrote that the VC-funded AI transformation of legal could be expected to continue at pace, noting that while competition continues among the big players, massive opportunities for founders and investors exist in niche focuses.
Monica Zent is a LegalTech pioneer, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of ZentLaw, one of the first Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs) in the United States. She writes about LegalTech, artificial intelligence, legal operations, venture capital, enterprise innovation, and the future of legal services. Through her thought leadership, speaking engagements, and advisory work, Monica helps organizations and investors navigate emerging technologies and the evolving legal landscape. Learn more about Monica, her work, and her latest insights at MonicaZent.com.
-
The Future of AI + LegalTech @ SF Tech Week
As cloud computing and AI expert David Linthicum recently wrote, “AI is often described as a transformative technology, but transformation is anything but easy.” That’s why, as AI transforms the legal sector, it was imperative to convene a panel during SF Tech Week composed of legal industry leaders who’ve made AI work – Okta’s Russell…
-
LegalTech Goes Global! (Part 2)
In just the past two weeks, since publishing Venture Legal’s LegalTech Goes Global (Part 1): As VC-funding startups rapidly scale globally, this week’s edition of Venture Legal is Part 2 of the LegalTech Goes Global series. This week I’m exploring: Follow me on Substack and subscribe to read the featured story! Venture Legal,…
-
LegalTech Goes Global! (Part 1)
When Business Insider, reporting that LegalTech funding had crossed $1 billion so far this year, curated a select list of 10 LegalTech startups, two hailed from outside the U.S. – Sweden’s Legora, which had an $80M raise in May, and Britain’s Luminance, which had a $75M round in February. This week’s edition of Venture Legal…
