AI × Law

Vilnius-based legaltech startup EnforceShield secured €1.7 million in seed funding led by Vendep Capital to scale its autonomous IP enforcement platform. The company's technology detects, analyzes, and executes takedowns for IP violations, using a 'human-at-the-end' model for legal review.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft's GitHub, ruling that open-source programmers couldn't proceed with claims that Copilot failed to provide proper code attributions. The decision closes a key legal theory copyright owners have used to challenge AI companies over training generative models.

Firms are implementing private AI environments, enterprise contracts, and strict internal access controls to mitigate data security and trade secret risks. Intellectual property practitioners face heightened risks, as submitting unfiled inventions to unapproved AI platforms can trigger public disclosure and invalidate patent claims.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge sanctioned a Musick, Peeler & Garrett attorney after seven nonexistent case citations were found in pretrial motions. The judge set the fine at $999.99—just one cent below California's $1,000 threshold that triggers mandatory reporting to the State Bar.

Leadership across four Quebec courts released joint guidelines barring judges from using generative AI for legal reasoning, fact analysis, or drafting decision reasons. Critics argue the framework's strict prohibitions on feeding confidential files or notes into commercial AI tools effectively discourage judges from using the technology altogether.

Brithem LLP has appointed former Thomson Reuters Practical Law content lead Jordanna Nadritch as a partner to oversee the firm's artificial intelligence initiatives.

Orrick has appointed Padma Elmgart, former chief technology officer at private equity firm KKR, as its new CTO. The firm also hired Chris Davis as CFO as it adapts its operations to the impact of artificial intelligence.

e-Discovery giant Relativity has introduced claiR, a conversational AI interface that allows litigators to interrogate matter data, generate work product, and create custom insights directly within its platform. The tool is currently in Advanced Access with early participation from law firms including A&O Shearman, Foley & Lardner, K&L Gates, and Skadden.

OpenAI has partnered with Telon, a London-based startup founded by former trial attorney Lewis Bretts, to help law firms and legal departments deploy OpenAI models. Telon embeds "legal engineers" inside organizations to assist with prompting, agent building, and adoption, backed by funding from The LegalTech Fund.

Sydney-based startup Quillio has raised A$1.3 million ($930,000) in its first external funding round without traditional venture capital. The company plans to use the funds to scale its AI platform and compete with legal tech incumbents.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the Justice Department will take a restrained enforcement approach toward AI companies, investigating or prosecuting only when clear statutory violations occur. His comments mark a shift away from the Biden administration's proactive regulatory posture, while the administration evaluates proposals regarding antitrust waivers for AI safety coordination.

Burr & Forman partner David Timm warned that federal agencies are using generative AI to evaluate contractor proposals without properly disclosing high-impact use cases under OMB guidelines. The practice has led to growing allegations of AI hallucinations in agency evaluations and a rise in related procurement litigation before the GAO and Court of Federal Claims.

A division bench of the Delhi High Court has sought a response from OpenAI regarding news agency ANI's appeal against a July order that denied interim relief in its copyright lawsuit. The case centers on whether ChatGPT illegally scraped ANI's news content and has global implications for AI copyright disputes in India.

The high-stakes copyright lawsuit between The New York Times, OpenAI, and Microsoft has reached Judge Sidney Stein, who is set to decide whether the dispute proceeds to trial in 2027. The case hinges on whether AI outputs function as commercial substitutes for original journalism, challenging recent 'fair use' precedents set in California federal courts.

Parker Poe paired its attorneys with general counsel and corporate executives to hands-on build AI assistants for three specific legal use cases. The workshop aimed to explore how in-house teams and outside counsel can collaborate on AI deployment amidst changing billing models and turnaround times.

Personal injury legal-tech startup EvenUp has raised $135 million in a Series D funding round led by PremjiInvest. The capital will be used to expand the company's AI-driven legal platform.

Brithem LLP has appointed Jordanna Nadritch, previously a content lead at Thomson Reuters' Practical Law, as a partner. Nadritch will lead the law firm's artificial intelligence initiatives.

Personal injury titan Morgan & Morgan plans to invest $1 billion in AI and legal tech over the next decade, having already spent $300 million developing its proprietary platform, MX2. The firm intends to commercialize MX2—which automates medical record reviews, document creation, and trial prep—by offering it to other law firms by late 2027.

The 2026 ILTA Tech Survey reveals that 94% of law firms are currently using or exploring generative AI, up from 80% in 2025. Client procurement demands are heavily driving adoption, with 51% of firms reporting direct client influence on their AI decisions.

Bootstrapped legal AI startup Quillio has raised $1.3 million in funding after reaching $1 million in annual recurring revenue. The round includes $775,000 via a SAFE backed primarily by law firm principals and a $500,000 venture debt facility from Mighty Partners.