Zach Abramowitz is Legally Disrupted E23 - Investment Hype vs. Reality in Legal AI, Eli Amsellem, Ridge Ventures
Jun 10, 2025
Eli Amsellem, an investor at Ridge Ventures specializing in legal AI, joins to dissect the investment landscape in this field. He addresses the stark contrast between the hype around big valuations and the reality of customer adoption. Eli shares firsthand insights from engaging with legal professionals and hosting gatherings for GCs. The discussion includes the future of legal AI, weighing horizontal assistants against vertical automation, with a spotlight on companies like Harvey and Legorm. A nuanced look at innovation, challenges, and opportunities in legal tech unfolds.
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Legal AI Hype vs Reality
- Investment in legal AI is accompanied by hype, but true customer adoption and sustainable revenue are more complex.
- Legal AI faces challenges like trial-like customer commitments and threats from large AI firms.
GC Therapy Dinners Insight
- Ridge Ventures hosts GC therapy dinners to hear directly from general counsels around their struggles and tool needs.
- These dinners offer valuable insight into actual buyer behavior beyond just company pitches.
Generative AI's Unique Legal Value
- Generative AI shifts what's possible in legal with potential to democratize specialized legal expertise.
- Legal work's manual, content-heavy nature uniquely benefits from AI summarization and content generation.