2015 List of Legal Startups to Watch

Last year I wrote a blog post on startups in 2014 that I thought were worth keeping an eye on. Also noteworthy was when I first started looking at curating such a list, there were significantly fewer companies to choose from. Using AngelList as a gauge, I believe sometime in 2012 there about 300 or so companies listed. As of 8/31/2015, there are about 1,108 companies listed in the legal industry/tech categories. The competition is coming in fast and furious and many are really looking to the legal industry as the last major industry that is ripe for disruption.

After some significant delay and after much research, I have finally put together an updated list. This is by no means an exhaustive list of companies that are operating in the legal tech space, but rather a curated list of startups that I think are going to be entering 2016 with strong growth, offerings and leaving a positive impact on the legal industry. I am going to revisit this list around the beginning of next year to see where this list is in terms of their offerings and growth. In the meanwhile, my list below is broken up into a couple of general categories listed below:

• Marketplace offerings
• Do it yourself or consumer oriented services
• B2b Software
• Law firms with startup like offerings
• Other (social media, research, etc)

Unlike my previous list, I have added a new category, law firms with startup like offerings. We are seeing more interest by law firms that want create their own products to offer as a b2b or b2c service. I’ll be addressing the trend in a separate blog post but just be aware of the new category for this go around. Also, unlike my previous list, this one is not as comprehensive, rather I am focused on fewer startups that I have become familiar with and am providing some reasons why I think they will be one’s to watch.

Just like I pointed out in my previous post about this subject, not all companies here are what some may consider being a startup. Though some of these companies are well established, they are still innovating and demonstrating leadership in bringing interesting products to marketing.

If you know of a legal startup that is not listed here, please share it in the comments. Enjoy!

Marketplaces

• www.lawdingo.com — Nikhil Nirmel is still keeping this marketplace alive with a small team out of NY. He has recently announced that he is starting to enter new verticals by launching docdingo, psychdingo and cashdingo.
• www.upcounsel.com — With news of a significant raise, it looks like Upcounsel will continue to gain marketshare with their business legal services offerings. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them make attempts at reaching the broader consumer marketing in 2016.
• www.avvo.com — While Avvo is an established player, their new advisor service is pretty slick. Request a 15 minute consult for $39 and keep your credit card on file for future questions is pretty handy. This is one to watch for sure.

Do it yourself or consumer facing services

• www.nextgenjustice.com — They brand themselves as a “click and mortar” store. While everything else seems to moving online, they have gone offline to reach people in need of affordable services and it’s working. They have over 4 stores in just under a year and growing quickly.
• www.legalshield.com — These guys have been around for a while but recently acquired Shake. That means that they have something up their sleeves and I think it’s going to be a fusion of legal plans and DIY offerings. After all, Legalzoom took some of their legal plan business by heading in the opposite direction.

B2B Software

Law firms with startup like offerings

• www.uncommonlysmarthr.com

I am sure there are others out there that I may not have come across yet that I am sure would As we move further into 2014 I am sure this list will continue to evolve so be sure to bookmark this post and check back for updates.