THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • TechCrunch confirmed that Crosby bid for Weil's trademark, brand and some internal data; terms were not disclosed.
  • Weil's management committee recommended an orderly wind-down on October 28, after partner departures and failed merger talks, according to City AM.
  • Crosby has raised about $85 million, including a $60 million Series B led by Lux and Index in March.

Crosby, a law firm founded around its own AI tools, has made an offer for part of what remains of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, the New York firm that is preparing to dissolve. TechCrunch confirmed that the bid covers Weil's trademark and brand, along with some internal data it did not describe. The offer was first reported by The Information.

What Crosby wants

The financial terms have not been disclosed, and TechCrunch stresses that there is no guarantee Crosby will win the assets. In parallel, the startup is trying to recruit some of Weil's roughly 1,200 lawyers.

Crosby, about two years old and co-founded by John Sarihan and Ryan Daniels, is an actual law firm rather than a software vendor. Unlike companies such as Harvey or Legora, which sell AI tools to existing firms, Crosby uses its own AI to deliver legal work directly and argues this lets it move faster. It came out of stealth in 2025 with $5.8 million in seed funding led by Sequoia and has raised about $85 million in total, according to TechCrunch, including a $60 million Series B in March led by Lux and Index. Elad Gil, 01 Advisors and Bain Capital Ventures also took part.

Why Weil is coming apart

City AM reported on October 28 that Weil's management committee had recommended an orderly wind-down of the 95-year-old firm, with partners expected to vote in the following days. The outcome of that vote is not confirmed in the sources reviewed here.

The reported causes are a series of departures and setbacks rather than technology. According to City AM, a wave of partners left in the US and London in recent months, and merger talks, understood to be with Willkie Farr & Gallagher, collapsed earlier in October. The New York Times, cited by TechCrunch, added that the expected next leader of the firm declined the role. City AM says Weil will keep serving clients during the wind-down and may file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to exit its office leases.

A symbolic bid

TechCrunch notes that nobody has blamed legal AI for Weil's downfall. Still, an AI-native firm trying to acquire one of the best-known names in corporate law is a sign of how newer players see the market. Whether a brand built over nearly a century can be transferred to a firm with a very different model, and whether Weil's partners will accept the offer, remains open.