Cooley's New Portal Takes on Chatbots for Startup Legal Work

Cooley, the Silicon Valley law firm known for representing Google and Stripe, launched an online portal for routine startup legal work. The firm partnered with Legora, a legal tech company, to build the platform. The goal is to give founders a structured alternative to asking ChatGPT or other AI chatbots for legal advice.

Cooley said the portal will handle tasks like incorporation, fundraising documents, and compliance filings. The service is exclusive to Cooley clients. The law firm is betting that founders will pay for a vetted, lawyer-reviewed product rather than risk the errors that come with AI-generated contracts.

The move reflects a broader shift in legal services. Law firms have watched startups turn to chatbots for quick answers on term sheets, cap tables, and employment agreements. Some of that advice is wrong. Some of it is dangerously wrong. Cooley wants to capture that demand before it erodes billable hours entirely.

Legora's technology powers the portal. The company specializes in document automation and workflow tools for law firms. Cooley is not the first big law firm to try this. Latham & Watkins and Goodwin Procter have similar offerings. Cooley's client base – heavy on early-stage tech companies – makes the portal a natural fit.

The economics are straightforward. A startup that would have paid a junior associate $500 to draft a simple incorporation filing might now use the portal for $200. Cooley keeps the client relationship and the data. The firm also gets a chance to upsell more complex work when the startup hits a real legal problem.

Cooley did not disclose pricing or how many clients have signed up. The portal launched this month. The firm said it plans to add more features over time, including tools for intellectual property filings and employee equity grants.

For founders, the portal solves a specific pain point. Chatbots are fast and free. They do not know the law in Delaware or California. They do not know the latest SEC guidance on accredited investors. Cooley's portal embeds that knowledge into the workflow. The trade-off is cost and the loss of a direct lawyer relationship.

The question is whether founders will pay for something they can get for free. Cooley is betting that the risk of a bad AI-generated document – a missed filing deadline, a botched 409A valuation – is enough to push startups toward a trusted brand. The portal also gives Cooley a way to track which startups are growing and might need a full legal team later.

Legora's platform is already used by several Am Law 100 firms. The Cooley deal is its highest-profile partnership to date. The company declined to comment on revenue terms.

Cooley's portal is not a replacement for a lawyer on complex deals. It is a replacement for the chatbot. That is a smaller market. It is a growing one. Law firms that ignore it risk losing the next generation of clients before they ever pick up the phone.