Wavelength, the world’s first regulated legal engineering firm, has announced that it has joined Simmons & Simmons following its acquisition by the leading international law firm.
Simmons & Simmons explained that they had approached Wavelength and that from first discussions to deal completion it had taken about three months in total – which is a fast M&A process by law firm combination standards.
The firm would not comment on the exact nature of the transaction, but has confirmed to Artificial Lawyer that the Wavelength brand will live on and the group will operate as a business unit inside the international law firm, as Simmons Wavelength.
As part of Simmons & Simmons, Wavelength will introduce new services and solutions for clients around the globe, by utilising its diverse blend of legal, data, design and engineering skills drawn from in and outside the legal profession.
Peter Lee, co-founder and CEO of Wavelength, told Artificial Lawyer in an interview: ‘[Why do the deal now?] We knew we would have to scale eventually and we have worked with Simmons & Simmons before. We share a similar vision focused on solving problems that involve large data sets.’
Jeremy Hoyland, Managing Partner at Simmons & Simmons, also told Artificial Lawyer: ‘We approached Wavelength because we wanted to provide a better offering for our clients. All the big firms have been struggling with this area [of legal technology].’
‘Wavelength has a lot of people who can help with this, and it would have been hard to grow such a capability organically,’ he added.
