Key facts
- Harvey, a U.S. legal AI company, plans to open an office in Japan in early 2027.
- The company will target major Japanese law firms and corporate legal departments.
- Harvey has partnered with leading Japanese law firm Mori Hamada & Matsumoto (MHM).
- MHM will use Harvey's platform for document review, due diligence, drafting, and research.
- Harvey's Series C funding round valued the company at $1.5 billion.
- The company raised an additional $100 million in a funding round led by GV.
U.S. legal artificial intelligence company Harvey is set to enter the Japanese market in early 2027, with plans to open an office and target major law firms and corporate legal departments. This expansion follows a strategic partnership with leading Japanese firm Mori Hamada & Matsumoto (MHM), which will utilize Harvey's platform for services including large-scale document review for M&A due diligence, drafting, and research.
Harvey's move into Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy, is significant given the traditionally conservative nature of the Japanese legal market, where legal tech has had limited impact outside of domestic companies like LegalOn. The partnership with MHM, a firm with 1,600 employees and multiple offices, signals a growing interest in AI adoption among Japanese legal professionals.
The expansion comes shortly after Harvey secured an additional $100 million in Series C funding, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. Investors in this round included OpenAI, Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, and Alphabet Inc-backed GV, which led the round. MHM's managing partner, Koichiro Iida, stated that the partnership with Harvey aims to integrate cutting-edge technology to enhance legal services and client value.
Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg expressed that the partnership with MHM is a crucial step for expanding into the Japanese and Asia-Pacific markets, built on shared values of excellence and innovation.