The Future of Legal Work is Here: How Our Partnership with Gunderson Dettmer Shaped Our Agentic AI

When we launched agentic AI capabilities, we knew we were onto something transformative. But the response from lawyers has exceeded even our boldest expectations. Daily active users have nearly quadrupled since the launch, and we’re adding new users to the platform at a remarkable rate. 

Today, as we head into ILTACON with expanded capabilities, a comprehensive rebrand, and rapid global growth, we wanted to share a story behind this momentum. It’s a story that starts with a partnership that fundamentally changed how we think about legal technology.

Building the Future with Gunderson Dettmer

Three years ago, we embarked on something ambitious: a multi-year partnership with Gunderson Dettmer, one of Silicon Valley’s most respected law firms. This wasn’t your typical vendor-client relationship. Gunderson signed on as our design partner, meaning their lawyers would work directly with our product and engineering teams to shape what enterprise-grade AI could become.

“This partnership has redefined what’s possible in legal technology. Our lawyers are genuinely excited about Draftwise—that's rare with new technology. Draftwise perfectly aligns with our innovation strategy of adopting cutting-edge solutions that enhance our ability to serve clients in the fast-moving venture capital ecosystem.” – Joe Green, Chief Innovation Officer, Gunderson Dettmer

What made this partnership so powerful wasn’t just Gunderson’s willingness to experiment—it was their commitment to pushing our capabilities beyond what we thought possible. The Gunderson team’s feedback is relentless, precise, and invaluable. They worked with us exactly like they practice the law–at an exceptionally high level.

The capabilities we’ve launched that excite lawyers to use Draftwise can be traced back to real problems Gunderson’s team helped us identify and solve.

The results speak for themselves. Gunderson’s lawyers don’t just use Draftwise—they’ve integrated it into their strategic thinking.

“The agent is natural. It drafts and reviews how I want to do it. That will get me to change my day-to-day workflow. It is a game changer and it will fundamentally shift how we go about our work.” – Jeff Stricker, Partner, Gunderson Dettmer 

That tells the whole story. When lawyers are genuinely excited about a tool in an industry notorious for technology skepticism, you know you’ve built something special.

Three Capabilities That Change Everything

Our work with Gunderson confirmed what we suspected: lawyers don’t need more AI tools. They need AI that thinks like they do. Our latest release focuses on three capabilities that fundamentally advance how legal teams approach deals:

Intelligent Precedent Benchmarking turns what used to be hours of manual research into instant insights. Ask “What other reps and warranties might my client want in this agreement?” and get answers from your firm’s experience, not generic templates.

Automated Term Sheet Validation eliminates the tedious cross-referencing that eats up billable time. Upload a term sheet and a draft agreement, and instantly identify where they’re not aligned.

Strategic Contract Guidance is where things get exciting. This isn’t just about finding language—it’s about applying your firm’s strategic wisdom. Ask Draftwise to “Delete buyer/seller reps that my client hasn’t agreed to in the past 2 years” or "Make my clause more buyer-friendly based on recent similar deals,” and watch it learn from your historical practices to provide tailored recommendations.

These features are the building blocks of a legal practice that scales hard-earned institutional knowledge across every transaction. 

“One thing about being here for fifteen years is that I constantly know that I’ve done something and drafted specific clauses, but I just don’t know where they are. With Draftwise, I can simply say, agent, give me a clause that says XYZ in plain English. It's been an excellent experience so far.” – Aaron Rubin, Partner, Gunderson Dettmer 

More Than a Rebrand: A Recommitment

You’ll notice something different about Draftwise as we head into ILTACON. We've undergone a comprehensive rebrand that reflects not just where we are, but where we're going.

This rebrand isn't changing who we are; it’s about showing up authentically for our customers. From day one, we’ve been a legal AI company built with lawyers, for lawyers. We focus on solving real problems and keeping our promises to our customers. 

Our new brand identity captures that focus.

We’re confident in our impact and unafraid to share our vision of a better, different way of practicing law.

We show up with energy and optimism about what’s possible when technology truly serves legal expertise.

We’re honest about what we can do, humble about what we’re still learning, and clear-eyed about the legal industry’s challenges.

Our vision is a legal industry in which institutional insights are never buried, where AI works to better lawyers and never replaces them. Every lawyer should inherit the expertise that came before them and see AI as a valuable learning partner. We’re turning cultivated legal strategy into an enduring asset that every lawyer in an organization can turn into value for the client.

This rebrand reinforces our position as a leader in transforming lawyers’ work. AI does not replace human judgment but amplifies the strategic thinking that takes law firms decades to develop.

Building a Global Team That Gets It

Our rapid expansion across continents brings together people who understand the legal profession from the inside out. We’ve grown to nearly 70 employees globally, with significant expansion in London and New York City, and we’ve made some notable additions that reflect our commitment to legal expertise:

Emily Lew joined us from Magic Circle firm Slaughter and May, where she led the Client & Practice Solutions team for five years. She now heads our client engagement efforts in London and brings a deep understanding of how global law firms operate.

Elizabete Ludborza, a former founder and London-based attorney with in-house experience, has joined our go-to-market team, adding a crucial perspective on how legal departments think about technology adoption.

Stephanie Nweke practiced at Wilson Sonsini in the Venture Capital group before joining our GTM team in New York City, ensuring we stay connected to the realities of transactional practice.

These aren’t just great hires—they’re proof of our commitment to building technology that truly serves the legal profession. When experienced lawyers choose to join a legal tech company, it says something about both the opportunity and the approach.

The Impact Is Real

But all the partnership work, product development, and team building boil down to one question: Does it help lawyers do better work?

The answer is an emphatic yes.

Global law firm Womble Bond Dickinson recently shared results that capture what we’re hearing from clients everywhere. Their case study showed marked efficiency improvements with Draftwise, with time savings that compound across hundreds of searches per major transaction.

Womble lawyers using Draftwise “don’t need to bounce out of Word, run a DMS search, look for language there, find a template, insert it, and copy-paste.” Instead, Draftwise “simplified all that... it turned a roughly 10-minute endeavor into a 60-second search.”

“Our attorneys are more optimized when they use Draftwise,” says Bill Koch, Womble’s Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer.

But here’s what’s exciting: these efficiency gains improve over time. Because Draftwise learns from each firm's specific practices and precedent, the compound effect creates truly institutional knowledge that benefits every lawyer in the organization.

What’s Next

As we head into ILTACON today, we’re energized by what lies ahead. The legal industry is at an inflection point because of AI, and we’re proud to lead the charge toward a future where every lawyer has instant access to their firm's collective wisdom. Find us at Booth #403.

Lawyers see what Draftwise is capable of – how easily they can access decades of winning insights in minutes – and can’t wait to have full access. Our work with Gunderson confirms this excitement because our product amplifies the strategic thinking that takes law firms decades to develop.

We're not just building better legal technology. We’re building a world where institutional insights are never buried, every lawyer inherits the expertise that came before them, and where cultivated legal strategy becomes an enduring asset that drives value for every client.

That’s a future worth getting excited about.

Ready to experience the future of legal work? Contact our team at sales@draftwise.com or meet us at ILTACON 2025.