Relativity, a prominent player in the field of e-discovery and legal data intelligence, is maintaining its stance on migrating all new matters to its cloud-based platform by January 1, 2028. CEO Phil Saunders reiterated the company’s commitment to this deadline during a recent media briefing at
Relativity Fest in Chicago. His message to partners hesitant to transition was unequivocal: “Know we’re going to run through you.”
Relativity’s plan, announced in January 2025, requires all new cases to transition from its legacy Relativity Server to the cloud platform, known as Relativity aiR. This transition has received varying levels of acceptance among Relativity’s partners. Saunders categorized these partners into
three groups: those fully aligned with the cloud transition, those maintaining a hybrid approach, and those resistant due to existing capital expenditure models.
Read more about the initial announcement here.
Saunders emphasized the financial implications of this shift, noting that Relativity earns significantly less from its cloud platform compared to the legacy server. However, he stressed the importance of adapting to market movements. For partners who have yet to align with this strategy, Relativity
has earmarked resources to facilitate their transition to a more sustainable operational model.
Breaking the mold of legal tech partnerships, Relativity is prioritizing collaborations with frontier AI labs like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google over legal AI companies such as Harvey and Legora. Saunders expressed confidence that frontier models will persist within corporate customers’
operations, alongside companies like Harvey and Legora, which he acknowledged as valuable players. Chris Brown, President, affirmed the ongoing strategy to work with frontier models first.
Learn more about Chris Brown’s role in advancing Relativity’s AI platform.
Additionally, Relativity’s acquisition of the document automation company Gavel is set to enter the advanced access program within the year, reinforcing its aim to keep work product aligned with evidence. This development aligns with customer requests for streamlined operations across tools
like Word and Excel.
While Relativity remains vocal about its technological advancements and clear on its corporate direction, the company is equally forthright about its financial strategies. Despite a recent confidential IPO filing, Saunders assured that the move does not indicate intention to sell the company.
Major stakeholders include Silver Lake and the company’s employees, each retaining significant equity shares.
In other notable updates from the briefing, Relativity’s R&D spending exceeds $200 million annually, and plans for expansion into Singapore are anticipated next month. Additionally, KPMG has been confirmed as the initial user of Relativity’s claiR advanced access program, representing the platform across 22 countries.