Over the past week legal tech news has continued apace, with US law firm Husch Blackwell adopting legal AI platform Legora, a trio of senior hires at Harvey, a new partnership between Spellbook and the Canadian Bar Association, and a $25m funding round for patent AI company DeepIP. Here’s what you need to know.
Husch Blackwell rolls out Legora
US law firm Husch Blackwell has rolled out legal AI platform Legora across the firm, becoming one of the latest large firms to deploy generative AI tools to support legal workflows.
The firm is implementing Legora to assist lawyers with a range of tasks including document review, legal research and drafting support. As part of the rollout, Husch Blackwell will deploy Legora’s Workflows – AI-powered tools that help legal teams automate multi-step processes, from document review to regulatory analysis, and refine those processes over time. The firm will also expand its client portal capabilities through Legora.
Legora, formerly known as Leya, has been expanding rapidly as firms look beyond early experimentation with generative AI toward broader deployment across practice groups. If you haven’t yet read our interview with Pinsent Masons on their selection and rollout, you can do that here: https://legaltechnology.com/2026/02/24/pinsent-masons-selects-legora-for-corporate-commercial-and-property-groups-interview/
Harvey adds trio of legal innovation leaders
Legal AI startup Harvey has recruited three high profile legal innovation specialists to strengthen its client advisory capabilities, continuing a hiring strategy focused on bringing into the fold experienced lawyers and legal technologists.
The 2022-founded company has hired Tara Waters, formerly chief digital officer and partner at Ashurst; Farrah Pepper, previously chief legal innovation counsel at Marsh McLennan; and Joe Marando, former director of AI and legal technology at Canadian law firm Fasken.
All three join Harvey as legal innovation partners and will work closely with both law firm and corporate legal department clients on the adoption of generative AI tools and broader legal transformation initiatives.
The hires follow an earlier move this year by Harvey to recruit Joe Cohen, previously head of legal innovation at Charles Russell Speechlys, as part of the company’s growing team of legal experts working alongside its engineering and product teams.
Harvey, which develops generative AI tools designed specifically for legal workflows, has expanded rapidly as law firms and corporate legal departments experiment with AI-driven research, drafting and analysis tools.
Recruiting senior lawyers and innovation leaders is becoming an increasingly common strategy for legal tech vendors looking to bridge the gap between product development and real-world legal practice. One AI head joked: “It’s like the Premier League transfer window right now in legal tech. Some of the salaries are eye watering.”
Spellbook partners with Canadian Bar Association
Elsewhere, legal drafting platform Spellbook has announced a new two-year partnership with the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) aimed at expanding access to AI tools for lawyers across Canada.
Spellbook, which integrates with Microsoft Word to assist with contract drafting and review, will collaborate with the CBA to provide members with preferred access to its technology and training resources.
The partnership reflects the growing role bar associations and professional bodies are playing in helping lawyers navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape. As generative AI tools become more widely used across the profession, organisations such as the CBA are increasingly working with legal tech vendors to provide guidance, education and vetted technology options to their members.
Spellbook has gained traction particularly among small and mid-sized firms looking to incorporate AI into drafting workflows without building bespoke systems.
“This is a significant milestone for Spellbook and a signal of how quickly AI is becoming part of everyday legal work,” said Scott Stevenson, CEO and co-founder of Spellbook. “We’re proud to support CBA members as they navigate AI with the confidence, standards, and judgement the legal profession demands. As a Canadian company, earning the trust of the nation’s preeminent bar association is particularly meaningful.”
DeepIP secures $25m to expand patent AI platform
Last but not least, patent AI startup DeepIP has raised $25m in new funding to accelerate development of its AI platform designed for patent drafting and prosecution.
DeepIP’s technology focuses on automating elements of the patent drafting process and assisting patent attorneys with prior art analysis, specification drafting and patent workflow management. The company says the new funding will be used to expand its engineering team, develop new product features and scale adoption among intellectual property law firms and corporate patent teams.
Investment in specialist AI tools for intellectual property work has increased significantly over the past year. In December last year, patent drafting and prosecution company Solve Intelligence raised $40m Series B, and in the same month patent lifecycle vendor Ankar raised $20m Series A.
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The post Legal tech latest: Husch Blackwell rolls out Legora; Big name hires for Harvey; Spellbook partners with CBA; DeepIP raises $25m appeared first on Legal IT Insider.