Definely

Definely is a legal technology platform that helps lawyers draft, read, review, and proofread complex contracts. Its tools are designed to work within Microsoft Word, helping legal teams understand defined terms, navigate cross-references, locate relevant precedents, and identify potential drafting issues without repeatedly switching between documents. The company serves law firms and in-house legal departments, including organizations such as Dentons, DLA Piper, KPMG, Samsung, and BT Group.

The company was founded by Nnamdi Emelifeonwu and Feargus MacDaeid, who met while working at Freshfields, a major international law firm. The idea originated from a practical accessibility challenge: MacDaeid is registered blind and experienced difficulties navigating complicated contracts using conventional tools. The founders developed technology that made it easier to access definitions and references without losing one’s place in a document. They subsequently recognized that the same approach could improve contract work for legal professionals more broadly.

One of Definely’s defining characteristics is its integration with Microsoft Word. Lawyers frequently prepare agreements, negotiate clauses, and review tracked changes in Word. By embedding its tools within this familiar environment, Definely aims to reduce interruptions to established working practices. Legal professionals can access contextual information, inspect document references, and carry out review tasks without constantly moving between separate applications.

A core capability is contract navigation. Commercial and transactional agreements often contain extensive definitions, schedules, cross-references, and provisions that depend on one another. Understanding a particular clause may require consulting several other parts of the same agreement. Definely helps users locate and examine these connected elements, making it easier to understand the meaning and implications of the language they are reviewing. This is especially valuable when working with lengthy financing agreements, acquisition documents, commercial contracts, and other complex legal instruments.

Definely’s product suite includes tools for document reading, drafting, review, proofreading, and legal knowledge management. Its product naming has evolved over time, so the precise names and availability of individual features should be checked against the company’s current product pages. One of its key offerings, Definely Read, helps lawyers navigate documents and understand definitions and cross-references while working. This supports a more contextual reading experience and reduces the need for repetitive manual searches.

Definely also offers proofreading capabilities through its product suite. Contract proofreading can involve checking for inconsistent terminology, incorrect references, formatting problems, missing information, and other drafting errors. These issues may appear minor individually, but mistakes in legal documents can create confusion, delay transactions, or increase the need for later corrections. Automated checks can provide an additional layer of quality control before a document is shared or finalized.

For organizations that need to reuse approved legal language, Definely Vault provides a way to search and retrieve clauses, precedents, definitions, and other material from a legal team’s knowledge resources. Lawyers often need to locate an earlier clause that has been approved for a particular transaction or retrieve a relevant precedent from a large document repository. Search and retrieval tools can reduce the time spent looking for suitable language and help teams use established drafting approaches more consistently. The company’s materials describe connections with document management systems, including iManage and NetDocuments.

Another advantage of the platform is its potential to standardize legal work across an organization. Different lawyers may approach similar drafting tasks in different ways, especially when working across offices, departments, or practice groups. A shared set of review tools and a searchable repository of approved precedents can help teams follow consistent procedures. This can support internal quality standards, reduce avoidable rework, and make established legal knowledge easier to reuse.

Definely is intended for both private-practice law firms and in-house legal departments. Law firms may use it to support transactional work, contract review, and the management of drafting precedents. Corporate legal teams may use it when reviewing supplier agreements, customer contracts, partnership arrangements, financing documents, and other commercial agreements. The most suitable use cases depend on the organization’s contract types, existing document systems, review processes, and security requirements.

The company emphasizes enterprise adoption and security. Its website references security standards and compliance measures relevant to large law firms and corporate legal teams, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR-related information. Prospective customers should consult Definely’s current Trust Center and contractual documentation to confirm the precise scope of certifications, data processing arrangements, retention settings, and deployment options applicable to their proposed use.

The company’s growth reflects increasing demand for AI-assisted legal work. Definely’s official materials describe it as a funded, expanding LegalTech business serving more than 150 law firms and in-house teams. In June 2025, it announced a $30 million Series B funding round led by Revaia to support international growth and product development.

Despite these benefits, Definely should be treated as a professional support tool rather than a substitute for qualified legal review. AI suggestions can be incomplete or incorrect, and the interpretation of contract language depends on context, governing law, commercial intent, and the facts of a particular transaction. Lawyers remain responsible for checking suggested revisions, validating references, and ensuring that the final agreement reflects the parties’ intentions.

Overall, Definely is best suited to legal professionals and organizations that regularly work with detailed contracts and want to improve document navigation, drafting consistency, proofreading, precedent retrieval, and contextual review. Its emphasis on Microsoft Word and complex contracts distinguishes it from general-purpose AI assistants and broader contract lifecycle management systems. Organizations evaluating the platform should consider their document workflows, integrations, security requirements, licensing costs, and the extent to which its features address their specific legal work.