{"id":113471,"date":"2018-11-28T19:16:51","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T19:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=113471"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:41:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:41:29","slug":"atrium-rise-of-the-robo-lawyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/atrium-rise-of-the-robo-lawyers\/","title":{"rendered":"Atrium: Rise of the robo-lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-114691\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/lawyer-700.jpg\" alt=\"law\" width=\"700\" height=\"469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/lawyer-700.jpg 700w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/lawyer-700-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ever think to yourself, &#8220;I wish there was an easier, faster way to get legal help?&#8221; Or, &#8220;If only there was some software that could shoulder the burden of legal work while actual attorneys help where it matters.&#8221; Maybe, &#8220;I wish there was an AI that could transcribe legal documentation and handle e-signing with a suite of tools so workflow management on my projects would take priority?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get real: You&#8217;ve probably never had <i>any\u00a0<\/i>of those thoughts. Most people don&#8217;t. But <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/justinkan?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Justin Kan<\/a> did. And it&#8217;s blowing up.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rvhFfY5_5EE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you recognize that name, that&#8217;s because he&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/twitch#section-overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the guy who co-founded Twitch<\/a>. Kan obviously knows a thing or two about making a successful startup company, and Legal Technology Services (LTS) is his newest idea to hit the market. Co-founded with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chrissmoak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Smoak<\/a>, LTS is the closest you&#8217;ll ever see to a robot lawyer. &#8220;It does everything except give advice,&#8221; Kan explains proudly. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atrium.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atrium<\/a> was LTS&#8217; first client, and the firm has successfully advised its customers on <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/06\/15\/justin-kan-atrium-lts-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$94 million in financing<\/a> since the start of the summer. Clients include <a href=\"https:\/\/protocol.ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Protocol Labs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/getmeadow.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meadow<\/a> and a drug-testing service called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notablelabs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Notable Labs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>What is Atrium?<\/h3>\n<p>Atrium is a corporate law firm whose competitive edge is largely from Kan&#8217;s LTS technology. LTS gives Atrium a huge leg-up with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atrium.co\/services\/blockchain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">speed, transparency, and consistent prices<\/a>, which they proudly state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atrium.co\/services\/financing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clients will receive up-front<\/a>. Atrium provides its legal services to entrepreneurs &#8211; fast-growing startup companies looking to take care of primary financing so they can get their company on the market successfully and legally. LTS works in the background during this typically lengthy and complex process.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-113473 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/AtriumStartups.jpg\" alt=\"Atrium has already helped hundreds of startup companies find their voice\" width=\"1178\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/AtriumStartups.jpg 1178w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/AtriumStartups-300x111.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/AtriumStartups-768x284.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/AtriumStartups-1024x379.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1178px) 100vw, 1178px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019ve helped <strong>over 250 clients<\/strong> raise a total of over <strong>$500 million<\/strong> in primary financing, and have built the A-team into over 110 great employees who are motivated to change this industry. We are also announcing that this summer we acquired the AI company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/tetra#section-overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tetra<\/a> to help us build our technology platform,&#8221; Kan said. &#8220;We can ultimately be this platform on top of which you\u2019re building these legal businesses and eventually other professional services and software services; they&#8217;re all sitting on top of the platform that understands legal documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>How is this saving time for clients?<\/h3>\n<p>LTS utilizes <strong>machine learning software<\/strong> that dissects and interprets legal documentation and further automates any repeatable processes. This means that the human lawyers in the company waste less of their clients&#8217; time.<\/p>\n<p>No, Atrium is not fully automated. &#8220;We&#8217;re<strong> not trying to be the Uber of lawyers<\/strong> or &#8216;lawyer AI'&#8221; Kan dismisses. The inclusion of human lawyers is to ensure that companies coming are able to be met with their specific needs; no two startups are the same, and the human quality helps to get the process started on the track. LTS just does the walking. &#8220;We&#8217;ve always been about humans and\u00a0 working together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-113474 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/atrium_founders.jpg\" alt=\"The founders for Atrium (Kan on the left)\" width=\"940\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/atrium_founders.jpg 940w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/atrium_founders-300x148.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/atrium_founders-768x380.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>LTS gets to work on digitizing legal documents and building applications to hasten fundraising, commercial contracts, equity distribution,\u00a0and employment issues; it takes the most common and time-consuming activities \u2014 usually pertaining to tons of paperwork &#8211; and builds <strong>machine learning workarounds so attorneys can better focus their efforts where they&#8217;re more needed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At Atrium, the lawyers can now prioritize advising their clients instead of arduously hunting through documents for pesky minutiae and tiny loopholes. This makes the entire process not only faster, but more affordable. The result is a procedure that churns fairly predictable costs, so Atrium can offer upfront pricing.<\/p>\n<h3>Atrium also helps build your business<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/im7RNLb9Bt0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Atrium strives to pave the way for more than just legal work (though that remains their primary focus). They also want to share their knowledge of how to succeed as a startup. They offer mentoring and practical knowledge semi-regularly with their two-day &#8220;entrepreneurship boot camp&#8221; called <a href=\"https:\/\/scale.atrium.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atrium Scale<\/a>. Kan and a number of the company&#8217;s other founders personally walk fledgling founders build their companies, find their comfort zone, prepare a series A pitch, and distribute their product. At the end of the crash course they even introduce applicants to Atrium&#8217;s own network of partners and investors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/law-lawyer-justice-192.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">Need to sue a company? There\u2019s an app for that<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/need-to-sue-a-company-theres-an-app-for-that\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/need-to-sue-a-company-theres-an-app-for-that\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>Any roadblocks?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI think for any full stack vertical startup started by a non-subject matter expert (i.e. me who is not a lawyer), there is a risk that you come in and are very prescriptive on how things work,&#8221; Kan said. The fact that Kan managed to build LTS despite having little to no legal background himself is encouraging.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You build software that says \u2018the providers must do it this way!\u2019 but the practical reality is that it doesn\u2019t work with the nuanced, non-linear workflows that providers already have,&#8221; Kan said. &#8220;So the technology doesn\u2019t get adopted and fails to provide value. That to me is the biggest upcoming risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-113475 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/Justin_Kan-1-767x390.jpg\" alt=\"Making LTS more case-sensitive is the next big step for Kan\" width=\"767\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/Justin_Kan-1-767x390.jpg 767w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/Justin_Kan-1-767x390-300x153.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Recently Atrium announced that it has raised a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atrium.co\/blog\/a16z\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$65 million round of funding<\/a>, practically one year to the day after announcing its seed investment (which was over $10 million). This investment round is led by the mighty venture fund <a href=\"https:\/\/a16z.com\/portfolio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andreessen Horowitz<\/a>, and its co-investors include monoliths like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ycombinator.com\/continuity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YC Continuity<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sound-ventures.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sound Ventures<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.generalcatalyst.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">General Catalyst<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Using AI to speed along legal processes<\/strong> is a pretty radical concept, but with financial backing like that, we&#8217;re pretty confident that Kan&#8217;s onto something big &#8211; and very lucrative. Atrium could slowly generate network effects that end up fueling the whole legal business. &#8220;Legal has traditionally been something that people don\u2019t want to take risks with. But I think we\u2019re proving to the market that this is real, it\u2019s not going away, and it\u2019s a great opportunity for everyone,&#8221; says Kan. &#8220;This round of investment validates that as well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [playwire] does not match the conditions -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How will cutting-edge computer programs change the legal profession?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9155,"featured_media":114690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-113471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326965,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113471\/revisions\/326965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113471"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=113471"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=113471"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=113471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}