The sectorLegalTechhas seen birth in the world between 2010 and today, about 4,000startup. These companies, located at the intersection of law and technology, are one of the main carriers of innovation in the digital services market.
What's a startup?
A startup is an innovative company that can grow rapidly and substantially modify its market.Steve Blank, one of the most authoritative voices ofstartup ecosysteminternational,a startup is a temporary organization that aims to create a scalable and repeatable business model.
Unlike anewco, which is simply a new legal entity just constituted, startups are connoted byfour basic characteristicsWithout which they could not be defined as such:scalability, the ability to grow exponentially using limited resources;Replicability, the possibility to export the model ofbusinessin other countries without major structural changes and in record time;Intrinsic innovationthe process or product, i.e. the ability to solve a problem that is still unresolved or to meet a need that is still not recognised by the market;temporary: the startup is only a transitional phase, the start-up phase; its ambition is to become a great enterprise.
StartupLegal-Tech
A startupLegalTechis an innovative legal business that uses technology to make legal services more accessible, more efficient or less expensive. These companies can developsoftware, platformsonlineor automated services to modernise the customer's system and experience.
With technological advances and continuous innovations in the legal sector, startupsLegalTechare rapidly gaining ground, forming a key part ofLegalTech. The term is now a key word for the digitisation of justice and professional services.LegalTechrange fromelectronic document management and databasestoautomated communicationwith customers throughchatbot, untildevelopment of smart gridslinking lawyers and law enforcement professionals.
Acceleration
The growth of a startup is closely linked to the ability to attract finance to support its activities and consolidate its position on the market. Alongside traditional investment channels - such as theventure capital, ibusiness angelsor public funding - has spreadtools to support innovation: These include the startup accelerators.
These are structured support and growth programmes aimed at innovative companies in the early stages. Born on private or public initiative, they offer startupsmentoring, training, access to investor networks, technical and organisational resources, with the aim, through fair advice, to speed up the growth phases and above all avoid bankruptcy.
An accelerator selects the startups to be inserted into the program - generally announced with ascouting call - having a variable duration, normally by3 to 6 months, with the idea of supporting them in growth andfundraising.
The ambition is to enable companies participating in the path to achieve their strategic objectives faster through instruments, resources and even through thenetworkof investors.
Of course, the accelerator also has its own remuneration, which sometimes consists of formulas ofwork for equity: Access to shares in the company's capital or minority shares the percentage of which varies in view of the value of the startup on the market.
In some cases, companies promoteown accelerators(orcorporate accelerators), designed to support and promote the development of startups specifically operating in complementary or strategically related sectorscore businessCompany
This is the case forLightSpeed Accelerator, the acceleration programme promoted by the European GroupLefebvre Sarrut,leaderin legal, tax and labour law publishing, and coordinated for Italy byGiuffrè Francis Lefebvre.
LightSpeed Accelerator
Launched in the early 2020s, the support programme for startups active in the sectorLegalTechToday it involves several jurisdictions of continental Europe. The latest edition completed,LightSpeed 2024, represents the third iteration of the programme. The stated intention is to accelerate the growth of startups that develop technologies that can transform the legal market, promoting innovation in legal, tax and tax services.complianceThe Commission has already taken the view that the aid is compatible with the internal market.
LightSpeed Acceleratoris in particular aimed at supporting the new generation of entrepreneursLegalTechEuropean, while promoting collaboration between startups and traditional operators and integrating the use of AI, automation, data analysis and digital tools into daily legal practice.
The duration of the programme is ofabout six monthsand combines activities ofmentoring,workshoptraining and development ofproof of concept(Poc) with the possibility of establishingpartnershipscommercial with the different entities of the Lefebvre Sarrut group. During the route, theteamselected receive operational and strategic support frommentorinternal and external to the group and benefit from significant visibility thanks to the international network Lefebvre Sarrut.
In the editionLightSpeed 2024, received57 applications, from which they were selected8 startups. Among these, figure l'italianadiFacile, platformLegalTechThe programme was concluded with theDemo Day of 8 July 2024 in Milan, during which the startups presented the results of the journey to investors, customers and media representatives.
Experience ofLightSpeedreflects a broader trend: the adoption of theArtificial intelligenceas an enabling factor for innovation in law and professional services.
L.A.I. as a development engine
From technology confined to research laboratories, the IA has become an integral part of everyday economic and legal life, revolutionizing the organization of work and the management of legal information.
Second Statistic, the global artificial intelligence market will reach826 billion by 2030. In Europe the total value is estimated at over209 billion in 2030, while in Italy the sector is worth today about$5 billion, with forecasts of exceedance of17 billion by 2030. The growth of the metropolitan area is reflected directly in theLegalTech, which represents one of the most dynamic and promising applications: the use of algorithms, language models and predictive systems allows to reduce working time, improve the accuracy of legal analyses and create new models ofbusiness.
The Italian regulatory framework
In this context of rapid technological expansion, Italy has introduced an organic discipline in the field of artificial intelligence.Law No 132/2025, bearing•Provisions and delegations to the Government in the field of artificial intelligence(published inOfficial JournalNo 223 of 25 September 2025), which entered into force on10 October 2025. This is the first national regulatory framework dedicated to the AI, which complements and coordinates theRegulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), placing Italy among the pioneers in the European implementation of the relevant discipline.
National legislation aims to providelegal and operational certaintyThe Commission has also been able to take a decision on the implementation of the new Directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to exposure to exposure to exposure to exposure to radiation.safe and competitive AI ecosystem, able to stimulate innovation in the legal sector.
A concrete case: Legora
In the light of this context, the Commission will be able to take a decision on therapid transformation, characterized by the diffusion of acceleration programmes, the integration of artificial intelligence into the operational processes and the evolution of the regulatory framework, it is useful to analysea concrete case of startupsLegalTechwhich is helping to redefine professional practice: Legora, one of the most advanced AI platforms currently present in the European legal services market.
The birth of Legorais particularly significant because it is not derived from an abstract technological laboratory, but froma concrete need emerged within the law firmNorth-European. The platform takes shape in 2023, when aSwedish engineering and legal groupThe project aims to bridge a clear gap in the sector: the lack of artificial intelligence tools actually built on the logic, methods and needs of the forensic profession. Legora is not born as an adapted product.tostraight, but howa technology designed from the outsetforthe right, integrating skills ofJan AIwith lexpertiselawyers who worked on contracts, research and complex documentation daily.
This approach, which is actually the most important, is the way in which engineers and lawyers working together in the founding phase.Legorasan unusual reality compared to the landscapeLegal TechThe platform was designed to function not as a generalist system, but as a specialised tool, trained to recognize argumentative structures, clauses, precedents and logics typical of legal reasoning. From its conception, Legora was therefore designed to dialogue with the way law professionals analyze, structure and verify information.
The growth of Legora is part of a context of strong acceleration of demand for specialised AI tools for the legal sector. In recent months the platform has seen a significant expansion: since May 2025 the customer base has increased from about 250 to over 400 studies andteamThe number of markets served has doubled from 20 to more than 40 countries.
This growth is closely linked to the evolution of the market for investment in legal technologies: theLegalTech, which until 2016 , had relatively limited funding levels, is experiencing an accelerated maturation phase. On the one hand, established realities like Clio have obtained exceptional rounds (such as that of 900 million in 2024); on the other hand, startups born only in the last two years, asLegoras, attract substantial investments already in the early stages. This change is due to the impact ofgenerativeAI, which has profoundly altered the expectations of professionals: The adoption is rapid, the interface is intuitive and the perceived value is immediate. Investors, taking advantage of the transformative potential ofGenAIfor the legal sector,see in emerging platforms the possibility of becoming actorsglobal over the next decade.
In the European panorama of theLegalTech,Legora stands out for a highly specialised approach, built from the beginning to meet the operational needs of the legal profession. The entry into the Italian market took place through a collaboration withPortolano Horse, among the main Italian studies active in the field of innovation of legal services.
This collaboration is one of the channels through which AI tools are progressively integrated into the workflows of law firms, in a context characterized by increasing attention to efficiency, reliability and standardisation of processes.
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In this scenario, Legora's position is fully understood through the direct experience ofAttilio Abeille, GTMManagerCompany, which offers an internal reading of the evolution in progress. As highlighted in its The aim of the platform is not to replace the lawyer, but to support him, making the legal activity more efficient and qualitative.collaborative function: does not reduce the role of the professional, but strengthens it, freeing it from repetitive activities and allowing it to focus its contribution on the activities of analysis, strategy and legal evaluation.
According to Abeille, thesectorLegalTechis already in an advanced stage of growth:The AI has been permanently involved in the work processes of the most innovative studies, and Legora is constantly improving thanks to a model that isself-feed. TheThe added value of the system is not only derived from the algorithm, but from the increasing number of professionals using it., which, through their legal knowledge, progressively refine their capacities. As Abeille says,Legora's power comes not from software, but from the knowledge of lawyers who feed it• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •technology grows to the extent that the competence of the user grows.
A central theme concerns theRole of competencesThe effectiveness of theprompt:the professional must integrate legal logic and technical language, understand the limits of the AI and insert it into clear operating flows.In this sense, we are increasingly talking about• increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer lawyer is lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer lawyer lawyer lawyer lawyer lawyer is lawyer is lawyer is lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer • increased lawyer is lawyer is lawyer is lawyer is lawyer is lawyer is lawyer is lawyer lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer is an lawyer who is an lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is lawyer who is lawyer who is lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is a lawyer who is lawyer who isa figure that maintains the centrality of human judgment, but is able to exploit advanced digital tools to expand its range of action.
Abeille stresses that this transformation is particularly relevant to thenew generations.
It will be the lawyer who knows how to use the lawyer who does not know how to use it, not the lawyer alone.adaptabilityThis becomes a key competence: in a traditionally stable sector, the ability to quickly integrate new tools and new working methods is a key element in accessing emerging professional opportunities.
L.A.I. is no longer an optional complement, but a natural extension of the legal profession and an instrument intended to redefine processes, times and expectations of the profession.
Development of theLegalTechand the spread of intelligenceartificial do not mark a radical discontinuity with the legal tradition, but they represent a progressive redefinition of the ways in which the profession interprets, organizes and manages the work. Technology, as the case Legora shows, intervenes not as substitute for the jurist, but as enabling tool. The added value remains therefore in thehuman element. Artificial intelligence provides support, but not autonomy: it requires critical use, careful control and judgment that only the professional can guarantee.