Josef raises $2.5m to make legal services accessible

No-code platform Josef raises $2.5m to transform inaccessible legal services

Australian legaltech platform Josef has announced a $2.5m funding round to continue their vision of transforming inaccessible and complex legal services.

The round, led by Sydney’s Carthona Capital and including US investors The LegalTech Fund, brings Josef’s funding to $3.5m. 

Josef is a no-code software platform that empowers lawyers and legal professionals to automate legal tasks, including lawyer-client interactions, sending emails, generating legal documents and providing legal guidance and advice.

Users can automate document drafting, build bots to handle client interviews, triage paperwork or execute NDAs and instantly generate personalised documents, from letters to contracts.

Over the last three years, Josef has proved that having the right tech is a big part of the solution. Their automation platform is used by the best legal teams to transform the way they work, making their services more accessible and efficient.

A solution for lawyers by lawyers

Founded by lawyers Tom Dreyfus and Sam Flynn and engineer Kirill Kliavin, Josef grew from their first-hand experience of the complexities of legal services, which were time-consuming, costly and confusing. 

Co-founder and COO Sam Flynn said the new funding is an opportunity for the startup to capitalise on their growth, expand their overseas business, and become a household name for legaltech.

“Legal help is inaccessible. Most people can’t afford it, and those who can find it opaque and inconvenient. We set out to solve this problem by empowering lawyers to change the way they work.”

“This funding will help us to level up and take Josef global, building a world-class team and establishing bases in Europe and North America. With the support of Carthona Capital and the LegalTech Fund, we have the partners to make that happen.”

Since their $1m seed round in 2019, Josef has focused on growing their team and developing an enterprise-ready platform. Josef’s clients have grown to include major law firms including Clayton Utz and Herbert Smith Freehills, as well as in-house legal teams from L’Oreal and Randstad. The COVID-19 pandemic delivered a boost as legal teams searched for ways to streamline their systems and processes and reduce friction points.

Carthona Capital partner Dean Dorrell said Josef was primed to streamline legal services globally. 

“Josef’s platform makes lawyers more productive, develops their interactions with their clients and streamlines their operations. Our thesis about the legal profession is that you don’t need to replace the lawyers; the opportunity is to enable efficiency in their work, and that’s what Josef is all about.”

The LegalTech Fund partner Zach Posner said Josef is one of the most exciting investments he has seen in the space.

“Every now and then we see a product that feels like magic, as it enables anyone to build automation into their workflows. Josef’s mission is to help all legal professionals capitalize on their knowledge and become developers themselves. They have built a simple, elegant, ‘automation workbench’ for individuals to make their roles navigating the legal system easier and more efficient.”

Gary Adler, Chief Digital Officer at leading law firm MinterEllison, said the platform was bringing automation to every level of the firm.

“We’re thrilled by our partnership with Josef. Their technology is a simple, accessible way for all of our people to get involved with automation.”

Jenna Adamson, L’Oreal Legal Counsel said the tool had empowered the company’s in-house staff.

“Josef alleviates the time spent by our team on process-driven and low-risk tasks and yet is also seen as an engaging and efficient tool to the business. Josef also empowers us to up our game in the delivery of legal services in-house. We can’t wait to see it continue to evolve and learn with it!”