Gowling WLG, A&O Shearman and Wilson Sonsini are among a line-up of law firms to have advised on Clio’s $1bn acquisition of vLex, a major deal in the increasingly competitive legal AI market.
The tie-up will see Clio combine its practice management platform – which is used by more than 200,000 legal professionals – with vLex’s legal research capabilities, including its much-touted AI offering, Vincent.
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt, Wilson Sonsini and Gowling WLG are advising Clio, which was founded in Canada in 2008.
The Gowling team is led by London-based head of tech M&A and venture capital Rebecca Burford, while West Coast US firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is fielding a team including M&A co-head Michael Russell, corporate finance co-head John Mao and fellow corporate duo Rezwan Pavri and Colin Conklin.
Osler is handling Canadian law aspects of the deal, with emerging and high growth companies group co-head Mark Longo leading a team from the firm’s Vancouver office, of which he is managing partner.
On the other side, A&O Shearman is leading vLex through the transaction, with a team including technology sector lead Will Samengo-Turner in London, Madrid-based M&A partner Iñigo del Val, and London senior associate Josh Little.
Hogan Lovells advised vLex management, with a team from the firm’s London, New York, and Boston offices led by corporate and finance partner James Cross, while M&A and finance partner Chris Jones from the Toronto office of Blakes is handling Canadian law aspects of the deal for vLex.
Uría Menéndez advised on management tax structuring in Spain, led by Madrid private equity and M&A partner Antonio Herrera and Barcelona-based tax partner Carlos Durán.
The merger was hailed by Clio CEO and Founder Jack Newton as a ‘watershed moment for Clio and the broader legal profession’ describing vLex as an ‘extraordinary legal intelligence platform that combines cutting-edge AI with the world’s most comprehensive global legal research database’.
