Dentons and AXL Partner to Advance Legal AI Innovation
Dentons, Canada’s global law firm, and AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the next evolution of the legal industry with AI.
Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field, bringing outdated workflows, pricing, access, and the very definition of legal services into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialisation.
“This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI,” said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. “By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation.”
“We’re proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a forward-thinking AI roadmap,” said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. “Together, we’re launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice.”
Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organisations collaborating with AXL in “think tanks” to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, informed by deep customer insights and positioned for scale.
“With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups, we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one,” said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons’ Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group.
“Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the centre of that transformation.”
“The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab,” added Dr. Daniel Wigdor. “Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison’s lab, teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law.”
About Dentons
Dentons is Canada’s Global Law Firm – capitalising on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best possible outcome, blending creativity with practicality. We are more than just legal advisors; we are global problem solvers.
About AXL
AXL is a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class research into high-growth companies that shape the future of applied AI. Led by seasoned tech entrepreneurs and applied AI experts, AXL’s mission is to ensure Canada’s top breakthroughs are built and scaled at home. By connecting academia with real market demand and full-stack venture creation, AXL helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country.
