The Crosby Story – With Co-founder, Ryan Daniels

2026-06-18 · Source: Artificial Lawyer · Field: Legal & Regulatory — Legal Technology (LegalTech), Corporate Law & Business Legal Services · Depth: Intermediate, extended

Summary

Crosby, an AI-first "NewMod" law firm, is rapidly growing by integrating experienced lawyers with advanced AI to deliver customized, sophisticated legal products. Co-founder Ryan Daniels explains their model focuses on efficiency, speed, and fixed fees, contrasting with traditional time-based billing. The firm, which has raised \$85 million and employs nearly 100 staff, including 50 attorneys, utilizes an MSO (Managed Service Organization) structure. Crosby initially focused on high-volume contract review (NDAs, MSAs, DPAs) and is now tackling more complex agreements. They are also developing a "Crossway Intelligence" research group and a benchmark for multi-step legal negotiations, aiming to enhance AI's ability to exercise human-like legal judgment and personalize lawyer "avatars" for scalable service delivery.

Key takeaway

For Directors of AI/ML evaluating legal tech investments, Crosby's success demonstrates that an AI-first, fixed-fee model with profit reinvestment can disrupt traditional legal services. You should consider how your firm can integrate AI to personalize legal outputs and enhance lawyer judgment, rather than merely automating commoditized tasks. This approach attracts top talent and offers a competitive edge by delivering faster, more cost-effective, and sophisticated client solutions.

Key insights

AI-first law firms redefine legal services by integrating advanced AI with human judgment for efficiency and personalization.

Principles

• Aligned incentives drive AI adoption in legal services.
• Legal AI must master nuanced human judgment.
• Personalized AI agents amplify lawyer productivity.

Method

Crosby employs an MSO model, where a corporate entity licenses technology and services to a law firm, enabling profit reinvestment into R&D for continuous AI improvement and efficiency gains.

In practice

• Implement AI for high-volume, judgment-based contract review.
• Develop AI agents to mimic specific lawyer personas.
• Reinvest profits into R&D to enhance AI capabilities.

Topics

• Legal AI
• New Model Law Firms
• AI Agents
• Contract Automation
• Legal Technology Innovation

Best for: Investor, Entrepreneur, Legal Professional, Director of AI/ML, Consultant

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Artificial Lawyer.