Legislate
About the Company
Legislate is a software platform designed to simplify contract creation for non-lawyers by providing lawyer-approved templates that can be customized through a user-friendly interface. Users can create, sign, and track contracts within the platform, ensuring that all data is easily accessible and manageable. The company primarily serves the property and employment sectors, offering solutions that reduce the need for legal expertise in contract management.
The idea for Legislate arose from Charles Brecque's frustration with the slow and inefficient contract processes he encountered while working in business development. Recognizing that traditional contracts were not machine-readable, he sought to create a solution that would make contracts more accessible and manageable through technology. This led to the development of a platform that leverages knowledge graphs to model complex contract data, allowing for faster processing and better data management.
Since its founding in April 2020, Legislate has grown into a team of 12 employees and attracted over 120 paying clients. The company has also raised over £1M in funding, which has been instrumental in scaling the business and expanding its product offerings. Legislate continues to focus on improving its platform and expanding its customer base, particularly in the property and employment sectors.
Idea Behind Company
The concept for Legislate was born out of Charles Brecque's experiences in business development, where he frequently dealt with the challenges of creating, negotiating, and tracking contracts. Frustrated by the slow and cumbersome nature of traditional contracts, which required extensive legal review, Brecque identified an opportunity to streamline the process by making contracts machine-readable. This approach would allow technology to handle much of the work, reducing the time and effort required to manage contracts.
Brecque's vision was to create a platform that would make contract data more accessible and usable, enabling non-lawyers to create and manage contracts without needing legal expertise. To bring this idea to life, he secured initial angel funding of £150k, which allowed him to begin developing a minimum viable product (MVP). The MVP was built using knowledge graphs, a technology well-suited to handling the complex information contained in contracts, and was designed to meet the needs of customers in the property sector during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The success of the MVP in addressing the needs of early customers validated Brecque's idea and laid the foundation for Legislate's growth. The platform's ability to make contract data usable and accessible has proven to be a key differentiator in the legal tech space, and the company has continued to build on this foundation by expanding its product offerings and customer base.
Creating the Company
The process of creating Legislate began with extensive design and prototyping work to ensure that the platform would be user-friendly and meet the needs of its target audience. Before writing any code, Brecque and his team spent several weeks iterating on design concepts using InVision, a tool that allowed them to refine the user experience and optimize the platform for mobile devices. This mobile-first approach ensured that the platform would be accessible and functional across a range of devices, a key consideration given the diverse needs of potential users.
Once the initial design was finalized, the team began developing the MVP, which was released to a small group of early adopters. These beta users provided valuable feedback that helped the team identify gaps and areas for improvement in the product. After three months of testing and iteration, the team decided to go back to the drawing board to redesign some of the core workflows, making them more intuitive and user-friendly. This process of continuous improvement was essential to ensuring that the platform would meet the needs of its users and deliver on its promise of making contract management easier and more efficient.
In addition to refining the platform's workflows, the team also had to consider client feedback related to user management and team collaboration. These features were crucial for ensuring that the platform could be used effectively by organizations with multiple users and complex contract management needs. By taking client feedback into account and continuously iterating on the product, the team was able to create a platform that met the needs of its users and positioned Legislate for success in the legal tech market.
Launching the Business
Legislate's launch strategy was unconventional in that the company never scheduled a formal launch event. Instead, the team focused on acquiring early customers through personal and investor networks, allowing them to continuously iterate on the product based on real-world feedback. This approach proved effective, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown, when property managers were seeking digital solutions to manage contracts without meeting in person. These early customers were instrumental in shaping the platform and validating its value proposition.
To attract and retain customers, Legislate adopted a content-driven go-to-market strategy, consistently publishing articles and blog posts to drive traffic and generate inbound leads. Initially, content was published on Medium to reach a broader audience, but the team eventually shifted to publishing directly on their website to improve SEO performance. This strategy paid off, as the website began to rank higher in search results, leading to increased visibility and customer acquisition. The team's commitment to content marketing and SEO has been a key factor in Legislate's growth, helping to establish the company as a thought leader in the legal tech space.
As Legislate continued to grow, the team also explored other marketing channels, including paid advertising on platforms like Facebook and Google. However, they found that SEO was the most effective and sustainable way to attract customers, particularly in the early stages of the business. By focusing on content creation and organic search, Legislate was able to build a strong foundation for long-term growth and establish itself as a trusted provider of digital contract solutions.
Earnings
Legislate has seen steady growth since its inception, with the platform currently generating $5,000 per month in revenue. This revenue comes primarily from the company's subscription-based SaaS model, which offers users access to a range of contract templates and management tools. Despite the company's early success, Legislate is not yet profitable, as the team is focused on growth and expanding the platform's capabilities. The venture-backed company has raised over £1M in funding, which has been used to fuel product development, marketing efforts, and customer acquisition.
In addition to its core platform, Legislate is also developing a public API that will allow third-party software platforms to integrate its contract creation capabilities into their own applications. This API has the potential to open up new revenue streams for the company by enabling partnerships with other software providers and expanding the reach of Legislate's technology. The team is also exploring opportunities to add more contract types to the platform and expand into new jurisdictions beyond England and Wales.
Looking ahead, Legislate's focus is on continuing to grow its customer base and enhance its product offerings. The company is investing in its team and infrastructure to support this growth, with plans to hire additional sales and marketing staff over the next six months. By maintaining its focus on innovation and customer satisfaction, Legislate is well-positioned to achieve its long-term goals and become a leading player in the legal tech industry.
