Lawhive Expands to New York, Eyes US Law Firm Buys

Lawhive expands to New York to acquire US law firms using AI, backed by $60M in fresh funding.

UK-founded AI legal services company Lawhive opened a New York office in March 2026 and announced plans to acquire consumer law firms across the United States. The company appointed senior attorney James Peters as Managing Director for North America and Allen Rodriguez as Vice President of Business Development to lead the effort. The move follows a $60 million Series B funding round and builds on Lawhive's existing Arizona operations.

This expansion signals a direct push to consolidate the fragmented US consumer legal market, estimated at $200 billion annually, using an AI-powered operating platform. It also marks one of the more aggressive legal tech plays in recent memory, with a foreign-founded firm seeking to buy and restructure American law firms at scale.

The US Strategy

Lawhive targets family law, immigration, real estate, civil litigation, and intellectual property firms. These are high-demand practice areas where the market remains fragmented and many firms operate independently without shared infrastructure.

Peters, who brings over 20 years of experience in consumer legal services and law firm operations, will lead acquisition activity. Rodriguez previously ran the Arizona firm that Lawhive acquired as its first US deal. He now handles outreach to prospective acquisition targets.

The company also brought in Crispin Passmore, former Executive Director of the UK Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the body that oversees solicitors in England and Wales, to provide regulatory guidance for its US expansion.

The Market Problem

The US consumer legal services market has one structural problem: lawyers spend too much time on work that does not serve clients directly. Bloomberg Law's 2025 Attorney Workload and Hours survey found that attorneys work around 48 hours per week but bill only about 36. That gap represents time spent on administrative tasks rather than legal work.

Lawhive's platform automates core legal workflows and routine administrative tasks. The goal is to free lawyers to spend more time on client-facing work. Acquired firms keep their professional identity and legal independence but gain access to Lawhive's shared infrastructure, capital, and technology.

"We believe the next generation of consumer law firms will operate very differently from the traditional model," said Pierre Proner, Co-Founder and CEO of Lawhive. "Across America there are outstanding firms serving their communities, but many operate without the infrastructure and support needed to scale."

Existing US Foothold

Lawhive is not entering the US market from zero. It already operates a regulated Alternative Business Structure (ABS), a legal entity that allows non-lawyers to co-own a law firm, in Arizona. That firm works with more than 150 lawyers across the country and adds roughly one new lawyer per day.

The $60 million Series B round was led by Mitch Rales and joined by GV (Google Ventures), TQ Ventures, Balderton Capital, Repeat, LTS, and Anton Levy. The round brought total investment in the company to more than $115 million.

James Peters commented on the demand Lawhive has already encountered: "Our first year operating in the US has demonstrated strong demand for a more modern approach to consumer legal services. Lawhive's model allows those practices to benefit from shared infrastructure, capital investment and technology while continuing to deliver the legal expertise their clients rely on."

About Lawhive

Lawhive was founded in 2019 in the United Kingdom. The company began as a software and marketplace platform connecting consumers with law firms. It later became an SRA-regulated law firm, combining its own lawyers with an AI platform for drafting, research, and case management. In 2025, it made its first UK acquisition, buying regional conveyancing firm Woodstock. It now operates in both the US and the UK, serving clients across family law, property transactions, landlord and tenant disputes, civil disputes, and consumer rights matters.