The number of women who have founded companies focusing on legal AI is growing, but those women founders receive a disproportionately small percent of media attention and funding. Women who have played a role in the founding and launch of a legal AI product or company beyond idea stage qualify for inclusion in this category. (Women who are in the early exploratory stage of ideating or building a legal AI company may benefit from becoming “WiLAI Explorers” or Allied Members of WiLAI and will be invited to selected early-stage focused educational events and activities.)

Mirroring the absence of representation of women founders of legal AI companies, the women who have led the funding of legal AI companies are also relatively few or unknown. Increasing the proportion of women investors in women-led legal AI ventures is fundamental to our thesis, and magnifying and supporting women investors is critical to the growth and success of all women in legal AI.

The majority of AmLaw 100 firms have formed a client-facing practice area to focus on legal issues for their clients in AI. However, fewer than 15% of those groups are led by at least one woman lawyer. This category will promote women who are leading AI client-focused groups in law firms, including AI practice and industry groups and AI issue task forces, as well as women lawyers in charge of AI legal issues in corporate law departments.

In addition to the women leading client-focused legal AI groups, WiLAI supports the women leading functional areas of AI in law firms and corporate law departments. This group includes both lawyers and nonlawyers who are women in C-suite roles at legal AI companies and equivalent executive leaders of AI functional groups in law firms.