August Bags $7m, OpenAI Exec Invests – Artificial Lawyer

August, the ‘first AI platform built specifically for midsize law firms’ – and previously called VecFlow, has raised $7m. It will provide configurable AI workflows that adapt to each firm’s tasks, they said.

The round was led by NEA and Pear VC, with strategic participation from leading law schools, Afore Capital, and notable angel investors, including Gokul Rajaram, Geoff Charles (Chief Product Officer at Ramp), David Azose (Head of Engineering at OpenAI), and Kevin Zhang (Partner at Bain Capital Ventures), among other prominent backers.

Rutvik Rau, Co-founder & CEO said: ‘August gives midsize law firms the freedom to shape AI around their own playbooks, whether they’re advising clients in Miami, Sydney, or Mumbai. Our approach combines modular technology with personalized onboarding led by both attorneys and engineers, helping firms consistently deliver high-quality legal services that unlock growth and enhance client relationships.’

August provides bespoke services catered to midsize firms, an underserved market with more than 50,000 practices worldwide that collectively employ half a million lawyers. With August, these firms can embrace alternative or flat‑fee billing and accelerate document‑heavy tasks such as contract review, due diligence, discovery preparation, and drafting, they explained.

August’s platform uses a modular AI agent orchestration framework that ‘closely emulates attorney thought processes, ensuring high accuracy, traceability, and quality of legal work. All deployments can run securely behind firms’ internal firewalls to meet regional data-residency requirements’.

Firms using August have already seen substantial impact, they claimed, ‘Hicksons, a leading Australian firm, reviewed 5,000 negligence files 90% faster, allowing the firm to expand its caseload capacity and compete more effectively for new clients. ELP, one of the largest tax firms in India, cut diligence time by60%, enabling more advisory work and optimized fee structures. Additionally, a Florida litigation team used August to analyze 40,000 pages in a $100M dispute, saving seven figures in external counsel costs and weeks of partner time.’

August was founded in 2023 by Rau, Thomas Bueler-Faudree, and Joseph Parker (see pic) who bring deep expertise across AI, legal practice, and enterprise technology. The team met at Columbia University’s ML research lab, with experience spanning midsized law firms, Blackstone’s data science team, and leading tech companies, including DoorDash and PayPal.

August is headquartered in New York. They will use some of the cash for hiring staff.

You can find more info here.

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