Legora expands US footprint with new offices amid 'extraordinary demand'

Swedish legal AI startup Legora is opening offices in Houston and Chicago, with ambitions to grow to more than 300 US employees by the end of 2026, marking the next stage of its US expansion.

The company launched its first US office in New York in March 2025, followed by Denver, and already counts high-profile American firms including K&L Gates, White & Case, Cleary and Goodwin among its customers.

The expansion comes as Legora is reportedly in talks to raise $400 million at a valuation north of $5 billion - a move that would more than triple its $1.8 billion valuation secured in October at its $150 million Series C.

The market play

Notably absent from Legora’s expansion map is San Francisco, a conventional base for venture-backed AI companies and home to OpenAI, Anthropic and Harvey. Instead, the company has chosen Houston and Chicago, two of the most commercially significant legal markets in the US.

Houston is a powerhouse for energy, infrastructure, project finance and restructuring work, anchoring practices at firms such as Gibson Dunn, Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis.

Chicago, meanwhile, is a core Midwest legal hub for private equity, finance and litigation, and home to major firm headquarters including McDermott, Sidley Austin and Mayer Brown.

'Extraordinary demand'

CEO and co-founder Max Junestrand said the new office openings are a response to “extraordinary demand from US customers” and that Legora is “investing behind that momentum”.

Junestrand said: “We’re building Legora for the long term in the United States. Opening offices in Houston and Chicago – with more to come across North America later this year – reflects both the momentum we’re seeing on the ground and our ambition to become the partner of choice for legal teams during one of the most significant periods of change in the profession’s history.”