Cem Ucan, who previously worked at Baker McKenzie before joining Legora in 2024, has now moved on to launch a NewMod law firm, Athena, with the pre-Seed backing of the a16z Speedrun accelerator and fund, (see AL interview below). He becomes the co-founder and CEO of its tech element.
a16z Speedrun is an intensive 12-week accelerator program by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) that invests up to $1m.
As with other NewMods using an MSO arrangement, it has a tech side and a separate legal part. Kieran Keenan, who was also at Legora, is Cem’s co-founder for the tech bit.
Ucan told this site that ‘[Kieran] built Legora’s evaluation infrastructure from the ground up and worked on LLM quality. At Athena, he leads the technology and evaluation systems used by the law firm’s attorneys’.
Meanwhile, the California-based NewMod’s lawyer co-founders are Karen Abesamis and Juan Soto. Abesamis was a Corporate and M&A partner at Morgan Lewis and later Head of Corporate and Compliance at Superhuman, formerly Grammarly. Soto was counsel at Lowenstein Sandler, where he led venture financings, M&A and other domestic and cross-border transactions.
It’s one of many NewMod law firms coming to market, in this case covering M&A, VC funding and real estate. And in relation to the last area, they are now ‘on a hiring spree’ they told this site.
AL Interview with Cem Ucan
Tell us about Athena
We built a law firm designed to pass the efficiency gains of AI directly to clients.
Law firms have adopted AI. Yet clients are still paying by the hour, blowing through fee caps and waiting for important work to reach the top of someone else’s queue.
Has the technology made any noticeable difference to your bill, timetable or experience?
Kieran (see above) and I saw this gap while building technology for lawyers at Legora. Legal tools became dramatically more capable, but the economics and operating model around them remained unchanged.
Put better technology inside the same billable-hour model and staffing pyramid, and clients get innovation theatre: the same delays and uncertain bills, now produced with better software.
Athena is built differently. Partners lead every matter. Our technology accelerates diligence, drafting, negotiation and closing. Before work begins, we agree on the scope, timetable and fixed fee. Clients get faster execution and lower, predictable costs.
Why do this and why now?
My career has been guided by a simple goal: help lawyers go home earlier and clients close deals faster. AI can now handle meaningful parts of transaction work, but most law firms still make more money when work takes longer. Kieran and I founded the technology company Athena runs on to build the systems behind a faster model, while Athena delivers the legal work through former AmLaw 50 partners and counsel on fixed fees.
Do you believe NewMods will change the legal world?
Yes. AI use will become standard, so that alone is not the change. NewMods matter because they rebuild workflows, pricing and incentives around the technology. The firms that combine experienced lawyers with better economics will reset client expectations on speed, cost and accountability.
What did you learn from Legora?
Two things. First, lawyers will adopt AI quickly when it genuinely improves their work. Second, software alone does not change the economics of legal services. If the firm still sells hours, efficiency is not necessarily passed to the client. Athena connects the technology to a legal-service model built entirely around fixed fees.
How much have you raised?
We are not disclosing the amount. Athena’s technology company is backed by a16z Speedrun.
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Thanks, and congrats!
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More here about Athena.
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Two Major Legal Innovators Conferences this November
Come and join us in New York and London this November at Legal Innovators!
Legal Innovators UK – London, Nov 4 and 5
And, then Legal Innovators New York – Nov 17 and 18.
After another fantastic Legal Innovators California, where we had speakers from OpenAI, Y Combinator, Google, Meta, and many more pioneering organisations; and our stellar inaugural event in Paris this June, we are now looking forward to the landmark conferences in London and New York, both in November, and both across two days: Law Firm Day, and Inhouse Day.
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