The wave of legal tools boosted with artificial intelligence begins to transform all strata of law. Drafting of automated acts, synthesis of court decisions, co -pilotes for business lawyers, on -board compliance, thus each segment, from litigation to compliance, is being optimization. But it’s on the contractual brick that the AI operates one of its most concrete breakthroughs. In sight, saving time, rigor, and risk reduction.
This is precisely the land that chose to occupy Definelya British startup founded by Nnamdi emelifeonwu And Feargus MacDaeid In 2017, which has just raised 26.2 million euros To deploy its technologies internationally. His specialty is assistance in the reading, revision and structuring of complex contracts, directly within the tools used by lawyers, without rupture of workflow.
Rather than claiming to reinvent legal practice, Definely offers to strengthen the existing. Its solution fits into Microsoft Word and allows lawyers to navigate a contract with an instant vision of definitions, cross references, inconsistencies and sensitive clauses. Each element becomes clickable, contextualized, verifiable and that without leaving the interface.
“We are deeply engaged in the creation of human -centered products. We use generative artificial intelligence only when it solves concrete problems that lawyers encounter today, ”says Nnamdi emelifeonwuco -founder and CEO. Former lawyer at Freshfields, he knows in first hand the constraints of contractual work in large firms.
Definely recently launched Enhancean “agentic” product with an autonomous analysis capacity. This new tool goes beyond the simple suggestion and can offer reformulations, summarize clauses, or alert to a break in logic, depending on the overall context of the contract. AI acts as a Legal co -pilotalways under the supervision of the professional.
A structuring market, strategic competition
The contractual AI market is quickly structured. According to Gartner, more than 50 % of internal legal services will adopt AI -based tools by 2026. increasing contract volumes, regulatory complexity and pressure to industrialize legal functions feed a strong demand for vertical technologies.
Several competitors argue this segment:
- Luminance (UK) targets audits and due diligence with unleanished reading algorithms, but remains less integrated into the daily life of lawyers.
- Juro (UK) offers collaborative contract management, but is more for SCAL-UPS than large groups or firms.
- Ironclad (US), valued over a billion dollars, offers a complete CLM suite, powerful but more complex to deploy.
- Harvey ai (US), supported by Openai, focuses more on legal research and litigation than on contracts.
What distinguishes Definely is his focus on the contract as central objecther Native integration into Wordher Adoption by notorious firmsand a capital growth strategy-effective. The challenge for the startup is to hold this position while widening the offer to risk simulation, clause scoring or integration of CRM/ERP.
The company claims more than 100 customers Around the world, among which Bt Group, Deloitte, P & O Cruisesas well as the cabinets Dla piper, slaughter and may, a & o shearman Or Toothsman.
To support this growth, Definely has 84 employees, and should exceed 100 employees by the end of 2025. The objective is now to accelerate the AI roadmap, to strengthen the distribution undertaken, and to consolidate its presence across the Atlantic.
To do this, Definely raised $ 30 million (about 26.2 million euros) in series B. The round table was led by the investment fund Revaiawith the participation ofAlumni Ventures, Beacon Capital, Clio, Octopus Ventures, The Raine Group, Zrosk Investment Management And Cornerstone VC. This lifting has the total amount raised since the creation at $ 40 million (approximately 35 million euros).
