Two leaders in start-up financing, with deep expertise in the legal aspects of funding rounds – but with very different perspectives.
Anthony Rose is Co-Founder and CEO of SeedLegals, a platform for automating “the legals” for start-up funding rounds, and which claims to be the largest closer of funding rounds in the UK.
Victoria Ferguson is General Counsel of MMC Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in early stage technology businesses.
We took 15 minutes for Anthony and Victoria to compare their views on how far legal automation can go, and what it means for lawyers.
ANTHONY: “In Phase 1, people are beginning to use automation platforms… In Phase 2, everything will change.”
VICTORIA: “There’s a point in time where, if we’re spending £20 million, I’m prepared to spend some money to have some humans who have done this for any number of years to help me do this… The asymmetric cost of getting this wrong is too great.”
But Anthony and Victoria’s discussion is not a case of technology and lawyers being diametrically opposed. As you’ll see, they agree on much of the potential for technology – including to liberate lawyers from the drudgery of commoditised work.
“Pick the tools to help you move on and change things… To get back the thing you thought became a lawyer for… solving problems, helping clients. Solving problems with your brain.”