Two Belgian legaltech innovators partner to make AI a trusted thinking partner for legal professionals

A summary of the article by Dimitri Dewever – Trends Magazine

https://trends.knack.be/ondernemen/belgische-legaltechs-lawcloud-en-nexa-ai-bundelen-de-krachten-ai-wordt-een-sparringpartner-van-de-advocaat/

Belgian legaltech companies Lawcloud and Nexa AI have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at transforming how law firms handle legal work through artificial intelligence. Their collaboration is designed not just to accelerate tasks such as drafting pleadings, preparing legal opinions, and analyzing case files, but also to raise the quality of legal reasoning itself. The core idea is that artificial intelligence should function as an intelligent companion that challenges lawyers with questions, encourages deeper interpretation of legal issues, and supports better decision making without replacing human judgment.

Lawcloud’s Established Role in Legal Practice Management

Lawcloud, founded in 2017 and led by Joeri Maes, has grown into one of Belgium’s dominant platforms for law firm administration. Its software integrates everything from case file management and document handling to billing, communication, and Microsoft Office 365 features. The company’s ambition is to serve as the central digital hub for all activities within a law office. Through integrations with services such as bpost for registered mail, Connective for digital signatures, and Fonzer for telephony logging, it aims to give lawyers a single environment in which they can perform all daily tasks.

The Addition of Nexa AI: An Intelligent Legal Assistant

The ecosystem expanded significantly with the introduction of Nexa AI. Cofounded by Jasper D Hooghe and Sam Van Praet, Nexa AI builds tools that interpret large volumes of legal material and guide users through complex files. Its system can read and summarize documents, map out procedural events, identify positions taken by parties, and analyze arguments. The tool’s distinguishing feature is its questioning approach. It prompts lawyers to reconsider their reasoning, identify blind spots, and refine their arguments, rather than generating final answers on its own. This creates a sparring partner that stimulates thoughtful legal analysis.

Nexa’s founders saw the opportunity for artificial intelligence in the legal field because of how much time lawyers spend reviewing documents and composing arguments. Their product was built to help lawyers write higher quality drafts more quickly or, alternatively, to help them deepen the quality of their work within the same timeframe. Early adoption has been strong. More than 25 law firms including Lydian, Elegis, Lawtree, and Desdalex use the technology.

Deep Integration Between Both Companies

The collaboration is not superficial. The artificial intelligence assistant is directly embedded into the Lawcloud platform. This allows users to access advanced artificial intelligence features inside the software environment they already rely on. Although Nexa AI can connect to other systems, the integration within Lawcloud’s infrastructure is considerably richer.

Both companies share an international vision. With Lawcloud already active in Belgium, the Netherlands, and expanding from offices in Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Dubai, the partnership positions them to build a pan European software ecosystem tailored to the legal sector. The idea is to create a unified digital space where the best legal technologies can work seamlessly together. This is something that Joeri Maes believes the legal industry has long been waiting for.

Responsible Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Issue in Legal Practice

The timing of this partnership comes as the legal world is increasingly focused on the risks of unsupervised artificial intelligence use. A recent incident in the Ghent Court of Appeal illustrated this when a lawyer was reprimanded for improper use of generative artificial intelligence that fabricated legal information. Nexa stresses that its artificial intelligence avoids these pitfalls by relying on legally trained models, authoritative sources, and a design philosophy where the technology guides rather than dictates. The lawyer always remains responsible for conclusions and arguments.

The Broader Legaltech Landscape in Belgium

The Belgian legaltech sector has advanced notably over recent years, shifting from simple workflow tools to sophisticated artificial intelligence driven products. A high profile example is Henchman, which gained international recognition and was acquired for 150 million euro. Despite successes like this, overall investment in Belgian legaltech remains modest compared to the broader European market. Experts such as Frederik Tibau from Agoria note that legaltech companies must operate with near perfect reliability because even small errors can have severe consequences for legal professionals. Startups that target specific niches and produce exceptionally robust technology have the greatest chance of succeeding.

Impact on the Legal Profession and Business Models

As artificial intelligence becomes more integral to legal practice, questions naturally arise about the future of lawyers. Both Lawcloud and Nexa emphasize that human expertise remains indispensable. Artificial intelligence handles repetitive and time consuming work such as reviewing vast documents or compiling case law, freeing lawyers to focus on interpretation, strategy, human judgment, and advocacy.

However, the increased speed and efficiency brought by artificial intelligence will inevitably influence how legal services are priced. Traditional hourly billing may become less compatible with tasks that artificial intelligence can complete in a fraction of the time. Routine work might become less expensive, pushing lawyers to differentiate themselves more through strategic insight, client management, and specialized expertise.