Matt Pollins scrolls through press releases, muttering about the flood of AI law firms nobody can keep track of. Then — bam — he builds a directory. Just like that, 27 NewMods hit the web, each one promising to torch the old legal playbook.
Zoom out. This isn’t some side hustle gone viral. Pollins, Lupl co-founder and ex-CMS partner, dropped the AI-native law firm directory last week. It’s searchable, global, covers NDAs to small claims. Crosby for US contracts. Soxton for startups. Garfield in the UK. And yeah, that Paris breakfast nugget makes 28 soon.
Here’s the thing.
These aren’t bolt-on AI tools. They’re AI-first outfits — born digital, lean, fixed-fee hungry. Traditional firms? Still billing hours like it’s 1999, slapping ChatGPT on top of pyramids that won’t budge.
Pollins nails it:
‘I created this initially as a weekend project for my blog because I’ve been struggling to keep up with all the press announcements about AI law firms and wanted to have them all in one place.’
Spot on. But let’s cut the niceties. This directory screams disruption. Or does it?
Why Track NewMods Now?
Because they’re multiplying. Started popping in 2025 — now 27, soon dozens. Worldwide. Pollins wants feedback, collaborators. Even dreams of Chambers rankings for AI-natives. Cute. But underneath? A gauntlet thrown at Big Law.
Traditional firms aren’t sleeping. They’re experimenting — autopilots, AI units. Yet most treat AI like a fancy printer. Plug it in, pray. NewMods redesign from scratch. Process over product. That’s the edge.
My unique take: This mirrors the online banking boom of the early 2000s. Remember ING Direct? No branches, low fees, sucked deposits from Chase. NewMods are legal’s ING — nimble, cheap, tech-native. Big banks bought them out. Watch firms snap up these upstarts in five years. Prediction: Consolidation by 2030.
But.
NewMods aren’t invincible.
Can NewMods Actually Profit at $500 a Pop?
Fixed fees sound sexy. $500 NDA? Clients drool. Reality bites. Efficiency or bust. Throw in a lawyer for tweaks — costs skyrocket. Good lawyers don’t cheap out. Ever.
Trad firms laugh. Hourly billing lets them milk matters forever. Client pays? They pivot. NewMods? One slip, margins evaporate. Fascinating cage match ahead.
Pollins sees evolution: Law firms become NewMods, vice versa. Blurring lines in a decade. Maybe. But feet of clay? Trad models built empires on that clay. NewMods must prove they scale without crumbling.
Corporate hype alert. Everyone slaps ‘AI-native’ like .com stickers juiced valuations. Pollins calls it: Debate rages on definitions. Regulated entities only — no SaaS pretenders. Smart filter.
‘There’s rightly a lot of debate about what is an AI law firm. It’s a bit like the .com days where adding an .ai adds to your multiple, but there are also real examples of business model innovation out there.’
Dry humor: .ai domains as the new mullet — business up front, party in back?
Look, check the directory. Understand the shift. NewMods won’t vanish. Funding flows. Clients wise up. Trad firms adapt or atrophy.
Challenges galore. Regulations differ — UK Garfield vs US Crosby. ALSPs, conveyancers. Pollins keeps it broad, regulated. Open platform. Feedback welcome.
Long game favors tech. NewMods ride the wave. Firms? Surf or sink.
And Pollins’ day job at Lupl? Watching firms graduate from AI tinkering to full redesign. Exciting, he says. Damn right.
Will This Kill the Hourly Bill?
Not yet. But pressure builds. NewMods force fixed-fee reality. Clients compare: $500 AI contract vs $5k lawyer dawdle. Math wins.
Firms counter with trust, complexity. Fair. But ignore at peril. Market share slips to efficient rivals.
Historical parallel deepens: Like LegalZoom democratized docs, NewMods upscale it. AI turbocharges. No more form-filling peasants.
Skepticism check. Hype? Plenty. Viable? Early signs yes. Directory proves momentum.
Pollins wraps hopeful: Every firm claims AI-native someday. Or new rankings emerge. I’ll take the latter — badges for real innovators.
Great work, Matt. But don’t stop at listing. Rank ‘em. Rate ‘em. Expose the pretenders.
The legal market? Transformed. Slowly. Painfully. Inevitably.
🧬 Related Insights
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AI-native law firm?
AI-first outfits like NewMods that redesign legal processes around tech, not tack it on. Regulated, fixed-fee often. See Pollins’ directory for 27+ examples.
Will NewMods replace traditional law firms?
Not outright — but they’ll grab slices of routine work. Firms adapt or acquire. Blurring lines in 10 years.
Where can I find the AI law firm directory?
Matt Pollins’ site — searchable list of NewMods worldwide. Fresh launches weekly.
