Mark Doble And Sam Bhasin, Founders Of Alexi
Mark Doble and Sam Bhasin, the founders of Alexi, started their journey to revolutionize the legal industry in 2017 using artificial intelligence (AI). They were dedicated to merging law and AI as they believed AI could transform the legal profession and enhance the legal system.
Alexi is the brainchild of Mark Doble, the CEO and co-founder of the company. He first got interested in AI and NLP when he was studying law at the Queen’s University located in Kingston, Canada. He realized that the rapid progress in foundational technologies meant AI would greatly benefit the legal profession and the system. Nevertheless, he observed these technical challenges that only a few people addressed. After working for less than a year in a law firm, Mark decided to start the company Alexi, a company aimed at leveraging AI to enhance the legal profession and the legal system.
Soon after, Mark met Sam Bhasin, a brilliant engineer with an aerospace technology background. Sam’s technical expertise and dedication to solving complex problems led him to become the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Alexi. He left his previous company to build an engineering team focused on tackling the intricate challenges at the intersection of AI and law.
Mark believes that conflict and disagreement are the keys to success in a startup. “Startups face many obstacles on the route to success, and often these obstacles come from within. Many fail due to a fear of conflict among team members. Sam and I believe that it is often through conflict that we have our best ideas. Despite days of yelling at each other for hours due to disagreements, the next day we would start working together like nothing ever happened. Every disagreement, every argument, it’s all for one thing, to make something great. It is essential not to be afraid of conflict and disagreement, as it allows for the rallying of ideas and the ability to push forward.” By embracing conflict and fostering a positive environment, the founders believe they will remain strong and resilient.
Alexi, a combination of AI and law, has emerged as an early innovator in the development of next-generation AI technologies for the legal industry. Most lawyers, ranging from solo practitioners to some of the world’s largest law firms, now rely on their products. Alexi’s vision is to redefine possibilities in legal technology by harnessing AI to deliver substantial value to people.
“Innovation isn’t always easy. Especially in industries where tradition has built up over decades. New ideas in the legal industry are often shot down immediately because they’re too new. This makes innovation hard to happen,” said Mark. “The best innovations come from where people think it’s wrong at first. It’s important to start with a counterintuitive idea and build it up over time. You’ll need to build a product that shows value and then convince people that it’s the right thing to do until it becomes the norm. The key to innovation is persistence. It doesn’t matter how many times you’re told that what you’re doing isn’t right. Being open to change and not letting one opinion or a bunch of opinions convince you that your idea is wrong isn’t enough to change your mind. If we hadn’t thought past the negative comments we never would have gotten to where we are today. The rise in popularity of AI proved us right and who is to say what the future holds, he added.
The founder’s creation, Alexi, is revolutionizing the industry one law firm at a time. One of their key products, ‘Arguments,’ helps lawyers identify legal issues and arguments needed to achieve their desired outcomes. It streamlines the legal research process by generating possible legal arguments based on the law, empowering lawyers to kickstart their research efficiently.
Alexi also offers a range of memo products, including “Instant Memos” which are AI-drafted and produced within 5 minutes, setting a new industry standard for efficiency. They combine large language models with proprietary AI to create these memos. Pro Memos provides lawyer oversight to ensure the highest quality standards. It caters to lawyers who may be less comfortable with AI or have complex questions that require human intervention.
The founders believe that AI should complement lawyers by automating objective tasks, leaving the subjective aspects to human professionals. AI can draft documents, identify errors, prompt lawyers to address potential misstatements, and stay updated on evolving laws.
Although the company is innovative and committed to openness in the legal industry, it has encountered initial criticism. At first, AI’s integration into the legal industry was met with skepticism due to concerns about job loss and loss of knowledge.
However, as AI technology became more mainstream and accepted as a tool to aid lawyers rather than replace them, perceptions began to shift. Clients now recognize the value of AI-driven legal tools in saving time and resources, leading to a growing interest in adopting AI in legal practices.
The founders have overcome these obstacles and continue to redefine what’s possible in the world of legal tech. Mark Doble and Sam Bhasin are transforming the legal world, legal tech, and legal services with their strong belief in the power of AI in law.
