BigHand Acquires Ayora, Expanding AI Footprint in Legal Pricing

BigHand has acquired Ayora, the legal AI pricing specialist, quickening BigHand's move into AI-enabled commercial intelligence for law firms. The deal builds on a strategic partnership disclosed last quarter and responds to mounting client demand for pricing tools designed specifically for the legal sector rather than retrofitted from generic finance software.

London-based BigHand has long supplied law firms with financial and operational software spanning matter pricing, resource management, and business intelligence modules, serving a customer base that spans top-tier global firms and mid-market practices. Ayora, co-founded by Stefan Ciesla-Grain, has concentrated narrowly on applying AI to matter economics, converting unstructured firm data into structured, contextual insight that pricing professionals can act on. The combination positions BigHand firmly in the rapidly expanding pricing intelligence segment, where firms confront intensifying pressure to protect margins amid alternative fee arrangements, client resistance to rate increases, and growing scrutiny of matter profitability. Legal pricing has emerged as a distinct discipline over the past decade, moving from a back-office function to a strategic commercial role within law firms.