Ask HN: Why are there so few law startups?

I'm an ex-lawyer and co-founder of Dragon Law (www.dragonlaw.com.hk). We're based in Hong Kong, the legal hub of Asia. We'll be launching in Singapore in a month or two's time.

Our online contract automation tool allows business owners to create their own legal documents, have them reviewed by a lawyer, and signed electronically.

Check us out! Happy to hear feedback from you all!

Several legal startups exist but maybe they are not sexy enough to be profiled. Much of the law is local, down to the municipal level. What works in Amsterdam won't in NYC. What works in LA won't in San Francisco. Tough to scale. I think because so much of the legal profession is based on relationships and creative arguments we'd see much of the legal landscape off limits to what HN would call a startup. Would Watson come up with, "if the glove don't fit you must aquit?"

There are some startups that make tools for lawyers. Non-lawyers probably aren't aware of them. FastCase seems like a fairly new company to me. Others mentioned Clio.

If the question meant, why aren't there startups replacing lawyers, possible answers include: 1) In the U.S., non-lawyers can't be owners or investors in law firms; 2) There isn't a lot of overlap between the tech industry and the legal industry; 3) Much substantive legal work is custom knowledge work that would require a human level AI to replace. An approximation won't work.

There is still plenty of money to be made with something that helps lawyers do their jobs. Suggest document assembly as ripe for disruption. Existing tools are too costly.

Lawyers are typically hired to apply their expertise to a particular problem and to tailor there advice based on a particular set of facts and circumstances. One of those circumstances is the desired outcome of the client. People don't hire a lawyer to go before the jury and say "My client is probably guilty."

Day in and out, much lawyering is piece work of a custom or semi-custom nature...even with standard contracts getting the execution date and names of the parties correct and double and triple checking matters: GIGO doesn't make the grade.

Years ago I worked on a team that designed renovations for a courthouse parking structure. Documents were done, competitive biding had been announced, closed and fixed price bids received, a contract awarded, notice to proceed given, and selective demolition began at 7am or so Monday morning. 10am the phone call comes in. The job is shut down. The bailiff told the superintendent that the Judge said he would throw his ass in jail for contempt of court because the construction activity was disruptive to proceedings in his courtroom [jackhammers can do that]. Twelve months of daylight construction became thirteen months of night time construction. I'm not sure if the contractor started preparing the change order price or started shopping for a new boat first.

Anyway, moving fast and breaking things in law runs the risk of winding up in jail. If the judge doesn't like it, the bailiff comes just got a change order to move toand hauls you away with "Tell it to the judge" the only response to your protestations of good intent while knowing full well its irony.