What product strategy should Harvey use to win mid-size law firms?

Introduction

Harvey built its reputation with the world's largest law firms: early partnerships with firms like Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) set the tone, and many top firms are customers. But there are far more mid-size firms (roughly 50 to 500 lawyers) than large ones, and they are now buying legal AI. They have smaller budgets, fewer innovation staff and different needs. Competitors such as Thomson Reuters CoCounsel, Clio's AI features and newer startups are targeting this segment.

The prompt: "What product strategy should Harvey use to win mid-size law firms?"

Key business objectives:

1. Grow customer count and revenue beyond large firms.
2. Keep the premium brand while offering a product mid-size firms can adopt without a dedicated innovation team.
3. Defend against competitors bundling AI into tools mid-size firms already use.

Step 1

Clarify the Strategic Goals (3-4 minutes)

• Is the goal revenue, logos or market share?

Why it matters: Shapes pricing and packaging. Expected answer: Market share in the mid-size segment over two years, with healthy unit economics. Impact on approach: We need repeatable, lower-touch sales and onboarding.

• Which practice areas dominate mid-size firms?

Why it matters: Determines which workflows to package. Expected answer: Litigation, real estate, employment, corporate and commercial, and private client work. Impact on approach: Package workflows by practice.

• What is the current approach?

Why it matters: Avoid redesigning what works. Expected answer: Same product and enterprise sales motion as large firms, with long sales cycles and heavy onboarding. Impact on approach: Packaging and go-to-market changes matter as much as features.

• How do mid-size firms buy legal technology today?

Why it matters: Buying process shapes go-to-market. Expected answer: A managing partner and an operations or IT director decide, often after a short trial and peer references, with annual budgets set in the autumn. Impact on approach: Trials, peer proof and budget-cycle timing matter.

Strategic assumptions:

1. Mid-size firms need value in weeks, not months, without dedicated AI staff.
2. Price must fit smaller budgets, but Harvey shouldn't compete as the cheapest option.
3. Integrations with the tools these firms use (practice management, document management, Microsoft 365) are critical.