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V O L . X X X N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 12 L AW / P O L I C Y "e law firm model doesn't work for everybody, but some people dealt with it because it was the best model there was," Dunitz says. "Now they have more options." Brief platform's 'sweet spot' Similar to how financial technology startups are disrupting the banking sector, hundreds of legal technology or "lawtech" startups are changing the way legal services are delivered in a market that AGC Partners says could reach more than $16 billion. As the international investment bank predicts industry-wide consolida- tion and later-stage growth financing, new ventures are spreading their wings on Maine soil. ey include Brief, a platform founded last year by Diana Tan and Andrew Wu. e startup is among 10 in the Founder Residency cohort at Northeastern University's Roux Institute in Portland. (e year-long program is designed for early-stage tech startups and focuses on supporting women, peo- ple of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and other historically marginalized groups.) e two have been friends since their undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, where the non-business majors entered a business-pitch competition on a whim, crammed the night before and ended up winning – though they chose not to go ahead with the business. Tan, a Seattle resident who went on to get an MBA from the University of Chicago, worked in product development at Amazon while Wu is based in San Jose, Calif., and built technology at oddFlex Games Inc., a sports betting application, before they joined forces to start Brief in July 2023. (She's the company's CEO, while he's chief technology officer.) e web-based platform is designed to steer users through contracts before signing them, flagging any rate traps, hidden fees, ambiguous clauses and other potential problem areas. "We provide the tools to help you make your own decision," Tan explains during an interview at the Roux, a cou- ple weeks into her year-long residency. "We're a self-help tool designed to save users money so they can then put more targeted questions to lawyers instead of paying more than they need to up front." "We still advise everybody to go see an attorney — and a lot of the con- tracts will flow through a compliance or general counsel at the end anyway," she says. "We're just facilitating and augmenting that process." Currently in beta testing, Brief is gearing up for a full commercial launch next year after raising more than $750,000 from angel and institutional investors. Santiago Zindel, director of the Roux Institute's Founder Residency, sees the early-stage capital as a "sign of traction" for the startup. "Brief is right in the sweet spot," he says. "ey've raised early money but are still developing their product and find- ing product markets." ClaimData's 'wild ride' Elsewhere in Maine, Jason Heinze founded a platform called ClaimData in early 2023 to help disability lawyers win injury and disability claims on behalf of their clients. Based in the Androscoggin County town of Wales, Heinze is a former disabil- ity lawyer who previously urged his own clients to keep daily journals of their pain and symptoms that he would compile and submit to judges adjudicating claims. In an effort automate the data entry that his clients were doing manually, he searched in vain for an app before decid- ing to launch his own with investment from a fellow attorney. Today, 21 disability law firms in 10 states — and 115 of their clients — are using Heinze's pain journal software. Clients receive daily prompts to report the real impact of their injury or illness, which are then summarized in a concise report designed to bolster their case. Diana Tan is the co-founder and CEO of Brief, a web-based platform designed to help users understand contracts. She was photographed at the Roux Institute in Portland. F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY G one are the days when a law school graduate would spend a career at a single law firm or in a corporate legal department until retirement. Owing in large part to tech- nology that accelerated during the pan- demic, a growing number of lawyers are leaving established practices and steady salaries to venture out on their own. In Maine, new law-related busi- nesses range from niche practices with clients in multiple states to disruptive technology startups. Non-lawyers are also getting in on the game, including the developers of a platform to guide users through contracts and agreements without initial assistance from an attorney charging by the hour. While attorneys are still needed, the ability to work remotely opens doors for those wanting to stretch their entrepreneurial muscles beyond building a client base for an employer. "Technology has certainly enabled people to practice law differently," observes Jonathan Dunitz, president of the Maine State Bar Association. inking back to the start of his own career in 1993, he doesn't recall even having a computer on his desk. At Verrill Dana for more than a decade, he chairs the Portland law firm's insurance coverage and litigation group. From 'lawtech' to niche practices, law-related business ventures are taking off in Maine B y R e n e e C o r d e s

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