Thomson Reuters Buys Etain's HighQ Add-Ons

Thomson Reuters has acquired a suite of seven HighQ add-on modules built by Etain, a legal technology company, expanding the HighQ platform's native capabilities for law firms globally.

The acquisition signals growing demand among law firms for tightly integrated tools that extend core legal platforms rather than standalone software. As firms push to get more measurable value from existing technology investments, acquisitions like this reflect where the legal tech market is heading.

The Deal

Etain built seven add-on modules for HighQ, a document collaboration and client portal platform owned by Thomson Reuters. The modules include Table, Timeline, Maps, Structure Chart, PowerBI Embed, iSheet to PowerBI Connector, and an Outlook and Teams Connector.

These tools were used daily by law firms across Europe, the United States, and South America. Their adoption across three continents points to consistent demand for functionality that HighQ did not offer natively.

Thomson Reuters will integrate the modules directly into the HighQ platform. This means firms already using HighQ will gain access to these tools without needing a separate vendor relationship.

What Etain Built

Etain developed the add-ons to address specific workflow gaps within HighQ. The iSheet to PowerBI Connector, for example, allowed firms to pull structured data from HighQ's iSheet feature directly into Microsoft Power BI for reporting and analysis. The Outlook and Teams Connector enabled firms to link communications from Microsoft's collaboration tools into HighQ workflows.

The other modules addressed visualization and data presentation needs. Table and Timeline offered structured ways to display matter data, while Maps and Structure Chart provided geographic and organizational views. PowerBI Embed allowed firms to surface dashboards inside HighQ without leaving the platform.

Each module was built to extend HighQ's existing architecture rather than operate independently. That design choice is likely what made them viable for direct integration by Thomson Reuters.

Etain's Next Move

Following the acquisition, Etain has shifted its focus entirely to a new product called Etain Intelligent Workspaces.

Karin Johansson, CEO of Etain, described the product's purpose: "A work environment that understands what you're working on, captures context as it happens, and compounds your organisation's knowledge over time."

Johansson also noted what prompted the new direction: "We built it because we saw, up close, that the tools around knowledge work were never designed for how that work actually happens."

Etain has not disclosed a specific launch date or pricing for Intelligent Workspaces. The company says more details will follow.

Industry Context

Thomson Reuters reported revenue of approximately $6.9 billion in 2023, with its legal segment accounting for the largest share. The company has been actively expanding HighQ's capabilities as part of its broader push into legal workflow automation.

HighQ competes in a market where law firms are under sustained pressure to improve efficiency without proportionally increasing headcount. Tools that connect platform firms already use, such as Microsoft 365 and Power BI, are particularly in demand because they reduce the need to switch between applications.

The legal technology market was valued at roughly $29 billion globally in 2023 and is projected to grow steadily through the end of the decade, driven in part by platform consolidation and AI integration.

Acquisitions of add-on toolmakers by larger platform vendors have become a recurring pattern in legal tech. Vendors like Thomson Reuters gain faster access to proven functionality, while smaller developers gain distribution scale they could not achieve independently.

Johansson addressed the firms that used the add-ons before the acquisition: "To every firm that used our add-ons, gave us feedback, and trusted us with their workflows, thank you. You made this possible."

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is a global information services company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Its legal division provides research, workflow, and practice management tools to law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies. HighQ is a cloud-based legal collaboration platform within the Thomson Reuters portfolio, used by firms for client portals, document management, and matter collaboration.

About Etain

Etain is a legal technology company that built add-on software for the HighQ platform. Following the acquisition of its HighQ modules by Thomson Reuters, Etain is now focused on developing Etain Intelligent Workspaces, a knowledge management product designed for professional services teams.