General Legal (YC26)

It's gonna be a great summer! Welcome to Sean Christiansen Annika Naramreddy Trang Bui Zach Zager and Kyle Davis.

The most fascinating thing about this list? Cost reduction is dead last. According to Thomson Reuters, professionals are primarily interested in AI because it helps automate routine work, save time, improve productivity, and improve quality. Cost savings come in fifth. This lines up with what we hear from clients. Most businesses don't wake up thinking: "How can I spend less on legal?" They think: "How can I stop legal from slowing me down?"

Next week, Ryan Walker will be speaking at Legal Innovators California in San Francisco, one of the leading events focused on the future of legal technology, AI, legal operations, and innovation. The event brings together legal professionals, technology leaders, investors, and innovators for two days of conversations about how technology is reshaping the practice and business of law. Check out the link here for the details: https://lnkd.in/g_Hwzry

According to recent research by Thomson Reuters, about half of all professionals in the legal; tax, accounting & audit; corporate risk & fraud; and government industries see a use case for GenAI in their work. Just 3% said no, they don’t think there is a use case for it. The AI debate is basically over.

Most lawyers surveyed don’t believe their firm is moving fast enough. But the vast majority believe that AI will have a transformational impact over the next 5 years. We’re seeing this in our recruiting efforts, as many legal professionals who apply to work with us believe their firms are moving too slowly on AI. They don’t want to miss out on this wave of transformation.

Are you looking to help drive the most comprehensive revolution in the practice of law in a century? Do you have experience working in a top law firm's emerging companies corporate practice? If so, please reach out! General Legal (YC26) is hiring a Managing Partner for Emerging Companies. This is a meaningful executive leadership role at General Legal - an AI law firm that has raised $12M from leading investors like Y Combinator - where you will lead both human attorneys and sophisticated AI agents in conquering a market that AI has barely touched. Salary: ~$300k Equity: Enough to retire you when we win.

It’s obvious that AI is transforming the entire white-collar world. While most lawyers do expect some change, only a small percentage expect a transformative next year at their firm. For those expecting transformative change, this quote from the recent Thomson Reuters' Future of Professionals Report: Actionable insights for law firm leaders 2025 really sticks out. “Notably, many respondents who do foresee transformational change demonstrate a clear understanding of their firms’ AI adoption objectives and implementation strategies, suggesting that strategic clarity may be a key differentiator in realizing AI’s transformational potential.”

If over half of the law firms surveyed have Gen AI tools, it’s not about whether AI is coming to the legal field. It’s already here.

Research from Bloomberg Law shows AI adoption in legal is happening in nearly all areas. The lawyers surveyed here are using it primarily for research, drafting, and summaries. Why? Those are the easy places to start. The first wave of AI in the legal field is mostly about helping lawyers work faster. But the next wave will change how the work gets done entirely.

AI adoption in legal is no longer theoretical. Free tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude are being quickly adopted. General-purpose tools are only the first step, and at General Legal, we expect in-house tool development and the adoption of more sophisticated paid platforms to skyrocket by the end of 2026.