AI isn’t doing the work—it’s just picking the best model for the job
Legora’s AI strategy relies on existing models, not its own.
The story
Legora, an AI legal startup, raised $550 million, emphasizing its use of existing AI models and partnerships with law firms. CEO Max Junestrand claims legal work will always exceed lawyer capacity, and AI won't reduce that gap.
Source: fortune.com
Our reading
Legora’s CEO says there will always be more work than lawyers, which is a comforting thought—until you realize the AI is just a glorified traffic cop, directing tasks to the best model available. The company claims it ‘builds boats, not houses,’ which is a fancy way of saying the AI does the work when it can. But when it can’t, the lawyers still have to step in. So the workload hasn’t shrunk—it’s just been shuffled, with a side of algorithmic bureaucracy.
The real kicker is that Legora’s legal engineers are now more lawyers than software engineers. Which means the system is built around human judgment, not AI autonomy. And yet, the company still insists the AI is doing the heavy lifting. It’s like saying a chef is cooking when they’re just stirring the pot while the sous-chef does all the work.
Legora’s pricing model is based on value, not volume, which is a nice way of saying they only get paid if the lawyers are happy. But if the AI keeps failing and the lawyers keep stepping in, the system might end up doing more work than the lawyers, and the AI, combined.
