Debevoise and Legora Launch AI Advisory Platform STAAR 2.0

Debevoise and Plimpton launched STAAR 2.0, an AI advisory platform built with Legora, offering clients subscription-based access to AI risk tools.

The New York-based law firm announced the second version of its Suite of Tools for Assessing AI Risk on March 9, 2026. The updated platform replaces hourly billing for low-risk AI advisory work with a flat monthly subscription fee. Clients, including Blackstone, Capital One, Evercore, GSK, and New York Life, are currently participating in a beta testing period.

This launch matters because it signals a concrete shift in how Big Law firms can price and deliver AI advisory services. The subscription model challenges the standard billable hour structure by spreading costs across multiple clients for shared, repeatable work.

Search Problems Fixed

The original STAAR launched in July 2025. It gave clients access to AI adoption policies, vetted use cases, and regulatory updates for a flat monthly fee.

The platform struggled as content volumes grew. Avi Gesser, co-chair of Debevoise's data strategy and security group, explained the core issue directly: "The problem was the search capability inside the portal wasn't very good. We had just generated so much content that it was actually hard to find stuff."