Greenly: €50M and Merger, AI Does Not Replace Lawyers

At Greenly, AI is used to prepare and accelerate, not to decide. The scale-up secured €50 million in funding in 2024 and merged with Normative, while relying on its law firm. Meanwhile, Marvell equips its teams with a privacy-focused AI assistant, without relinquishing its role as an arbiter of risks and contractual priorities.

Major Operations Conducted with External Counsel

The collaboration between Greenly and the Marvell law firm has developed gradually. After a first simple case, Marvell assisted Greenly during a €50 million fundraising round in 2024. This relationship continued through the merger with Normative, a major competitor in the Nordic countries, concluded during the summer with the involvement of Charlotte Riberprey. Greenly, led by Laetitia Carle and present in Paris, London, Stockholm, and New York, relies on partner lawyers to secure its growth operations.

For Executives, AI to Explore, Not to Decide

Laetitia Carle uses artificial intelligence to explore legal topics or accelerate certain tasks, but does not rely on these tools for making important decisions. She does not systematically consult her lawyers for signing non-disclosure agreements, which she feels confident handling, and reserves consultations for questions that require them. AI also allows her to better prepare for discussions with her advisors, arriving more informed for conversations. Leading a team of 250 people, she is considering developing an internal AI agent to help sales teams distinguish between negotiable clauses that can be handled independently and those that require legal validation.

For the Law Firm, a Privacy-Focused AI Assistant

Marvell has participated in the development of Come On Law, an artificial intelligence assistant designed for lawyers, with a particular focus on the confidentiality of queries. This tool operates in a shared document environment, similar to a Drive. For Marvell, AI is a means to support the firm's expertise, as clients primarily seek high-value services or the signature of a lawyer, regardless of the method employed. This approach is particularly evident during fundraising or acquisition processes, where the goal is to help the executive understand what they are agreeing to and what risks they are taking, considering the company's situation, resources, and stage of development, and to arbitrate the clauses that deserve to be defended.

Costs, Trade-offs, and Limits of a Minimalist Approach

For some startups, the cost of legal fees represents a difficult investment to bear, which may lead them to opt for a minimal solution and defer legal upgrades. Charlotte Riberprey describes this method as a "cheap and dirty" option, which amounts to postponing the handling of legal issues and later entrusting the regularization to lawyers. According to her, the main risk is underestimating the consequences of this choice, such as missing a crucial point in a contract. Insufficient support can have significant effects, while good counsel does not mean accumulating precautions to the point of blocking all decisions. While AI tools allow for rapid analysis generation and change executives' reflexes, easier access to information and the perception of a right once reserved for experts do not eliminate the need for quality legal support.