OpenLaw raises $3.5M to fix America’s broken legal system and democratize access to justice

Most Americans don’t get legal help—not because they don’t need it, but because they can’t afford it. Nearly 92% of civil legal problems faced by low-income Americans go unresolved. There’s just one legal aid lawyer for every 9,000 people who need one. Legal fees keep rising, and people are left Googling “lawyer near me,” hoping for a miracle and bracing for the bill.

OpenLaw is betting there’s a better way. The San Francisco-based legal tech startup just announced a $3.5 million oversubscribed seed round co-led by Flint Capital and Slauson & Co. The company uses AI to match individuals with vetted solo and small-firm attorneys—promising to cut intake time by 75%, reduce legal costs by up to 70%, and replace the guesswork with actual, qualified options.

With fresh funding, the company plans to expand into more states, including California, Texas, New York, and Arizona, and continue building out its AI infrastructure to make legal help less painful, more affordable, and easier to access. No buzzwords, no fluff—just real lawyers, real people, and a system that works a little more like it should.

With $3.5M in seed funding, AI Legal Startup OpenLaw Aims to Match Clients With Vetted Lawyers in Hours, Not Weeks

OpenLaw was born out of something founder and CEO Andrew Guzman experienced personally. At 14, he watched the legal system fail his own family. His father lost a case simply because the family couldn’t afford a lawyer. Years later, after building a multi-state law firm from scratch, Guzman decided it was time to build something that helped people on both sides of the legal equation: clients who need help and lawyers who want to help.

OpenLaw flips the old legal search model on its head. Instead of calling firm after firm or filling out endless forms, clients just describe their issue once. OpenLaw’s AI sorts through a network of vetted lawyers and sends back customized proposals with pricing, availability, and approach. Clients can compare and choose—all for free, including the initial consultation.

Unlike platforms focused on business or transactional law, OpenLaw zeroes in on life-impacting legal issues—housing, family matters, civil disputes—the kinds of cases where cost often stops people from even trying.

Since launching last year, OpenLaw has already helped resolve over 1,000 legal matters and onboarded more than 130 attorneys across the U.S. It’s not just saving clients time and money. Lawyers say they’re seeing a 3x drop in client acquisition costs, and less time wasted on intake means more time actually doing legal work.

“OpenLaw is bringing true marketplace dynamics to legal services, an industry overdue for change,” said Sergey Gribov, General Partner at Flint Capital. “We were impressed by Andrew’s depth of domain expertise and the early results the platform is already delivering.”

Legal help shouldn’t be a luxury, and most lawyers don’t work at big firms. They’re solo or small-practice attorneys trying to compete in a market that favors those with the biggest ad budgets. OpenLaw gives them a shot at connecting with the right clients—without the middlemen, the cold outreach, or the guesswork.