Google steps up legal AI push with Freshfields, Cleary and Weil already on board

Google has launched a suite of AI products built specifically for law firms and in-house teams, becoming the latest tech giant to move further into a market dominated by specialist legal AI companies.

Gemini Enterprise for Legal has launched with Cleary, Freshfields and Weil among its first customers.

The platform includes tools for tasks including drafting legal documents, checking citations, reviewing contracts and tracking regulatory changes. It can also connect to systems law firms already use, including iManage, NetDocuments and Thomson Reuters.

It marks Google's biggest move yet into specialist legal AI and follows OpenAI and Anthropic in developing dedicated legal offerings. Microsoft has also been moving closer to the market, including with a contract review agent built directly into Word.

Big Tech moves in

Both Harvey and Legora have signed up as launch partners for Gemini Enterprise for Legal, allowing their platforms to connect into Google's offering.

But the move nevertheless brings one of the world's biggest tech companies closer to the legal AI market and will put more pressure on specialist providers to demonstrate what sets them apart.

Cleary managing partner Jeff Karpf said Google's technology can “slot in seamlessly with other daily work tools”, helping the firm unlock greater efficiencies. “Cleary is committed to embedding AI into our workflows in strategic and competitive ways,” he added.

Freshfields has close ties with Google, having announced a multi-year partnership with the company last year.

“The legal sector is entering a period of accelerated change and transformation,” Freshfields global managing partner Alan Mason said.

“For Freshfields the opportunity lies in how effectively we combine frontier technology like Gemini Enterprise for Legal with our expertise, robust governance and institutional knowledge to create value for our clients.”

Pressure on legal AI

For the leading legal AI players, the answer to Big Tech’s legal push remains their knowledge of legal workflows - backed by huge teams of ex-lawyer legal engineers - integrations with law firm systems and ability to bring different models and tools together in one place.

The pressure will be greater for legal AI companies focused on narrower areas such as drafting and contract review, as those tools increasingly become part of much bigger platforms.