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NextLaw Labs
NextLaw Labs is a business accelerator and autonomous subsidiary of Dentons, with locations in global technology centers. It invests in and develops...
NextLaw Labs
NextLaw Labs is a business accelerator and autonomous subsidiary of Dentons, with locations in global technology centers. It invests in and develops technologies to transform the practice of law through partnerships with technology companies, startups, and legal vendors. NextLaw Labs has made 10 investments, including a Series B investment in Apperio on January 09, 2023, and has achieved 4 portfolio exits, including Apperio on May 05, 2025.
General information
Firm type
Family Office
Year founded
2015
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Mountain View
Corporate office
Mountain View, CA, United States
Additional offices
Toronto, Canada · London, UK · Geneva, Switzerland · Montreal, Canada · Palo Alto, CA, United States
Principals
Dan Jansen
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What was the relationship between NextLaw Labs and the law firm Dentons?
NextLaw Labs was a wholly owned venture arm of Dentons, the world's largest law firm by headcount. It operated with its own CEO and investment committee but leveraged Dentons' global platform of 190 offices for pilot deployments and client introductions. The structure was designed to give portfolio companies an immediate path to market inside a major legal buyer while insulating the venture team from law firm partnership politics.
Which companies did NextLaw Labs invest in?
Public record shows investments in ROSS Intelligence, an AI legal research platform that later ceased operations; Apperio, a legal spend analytics tool for in-house counsel; and Clause, a smart-contract startup acquired by DocuSign in 2021. The portfolio focused on companies building software to automate legal tasks or improve law firm business operations.
Is NextLaw Labs still actively investing?
Public communications from NextLaw Labs as a standalone brand have been minimal since 2021. Dentons integrated much of the innovation activity into its in-house technology function around that time. The firm has not announced a formal wind-down, but the absence of new disclosed investments suggests the external venture model may have been absorbed into broader firm strategy.
How was NextLaw Labs different from other law firm innovation programs?
Most large law firm innovation units build internal tools or run client-facing legal-operations consulting. NextLaw Labs made equity investments in external startups, functioning more like a corporate venture capital fund than a skunkworks. The Dentons verein structure — a Swiss association linking autonomous regional firms — allowed the Labs to sit above local profit centers and deploy capital centrally.
Who led the investment decisions at NextLaw Labs?
Dan Jansen, a former general counsel with entrepreneurial experience, served as CEO from the 2015 launch. Investment decisions were made by a management team that reported to Dentons' global leadership. The firm has not publicly disclosed a formal investment committee composition or whether external venture partners were involved in deal selection.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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