Keith secures £2 million to establish the UK's most automated legal practice.

      Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman, who established THIS as a market-leading plant-based food brand, are making a significant shift. Keith is an AI-centric regulated law firm focusing initially on conveyancing, featuring a 24/7 AI client agent and aiming to cut transaction times by 70%. The launch is scheduled for Q3 2026.

      Shovel's former company specialized in plant-based bacon and chicken, while his new venture will be regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

      This pivot is quite drastic, but the rationale is clear: target a large, fragmented market that has remained stagnant for years and reconstruct it using technology. For THIS, that market was meat alternatives, whereas for Keith, it is conveyancing.

      Keith has secured £2 million in seed funding, primarily led by Backed VC along with contributions from Breega and various angel investors.

      The funding will be utilized to create a fully regulated AI-native law firm that Shovel, co-founder Pete Sharman, and third co-founder Sam Tucker aim to unveil in Q3 2026.

      The initial focus will be residential property conveyancing, which involves the legal transfer of property ownership, before branching out into other legal fields.

      The core technology consists of a network of specialized AI agents that manage document reviews, drafting, client interactions, and workflow management, all adhering to legally established guidelines with oversight from qualified conveyancers at critical points.

      Keith estimates that as much as 80% of traditionally human legal work can be automated under this framework. The client-facing component is a 24/7 AI service agent available through phone and WhatsApp, which the company claims will closely resemble a human operator, capable of responding to inquiries, providing instant updates, and executing actions without the usual limitations of business hours.

      The market backdrop is clear. Over 530,000 property transactions in the UK fail each year, often due to the sluggishness and lack of transparency in the conveyancing process, which has not significantly evolved with technology despite the legal sector generating around £54 billion in annual revenue.

      Keith aims for a 70% decrease in transaction times. Shovel's motivation stems from a personal experience: he stated to Legal Futures that he faced a disastrous situation while attempting to buy a house about a year ago, which inspired the concept for Keith.

      Sam Tucker, the third co-founder, previously launched Common Surface, a hybrid scheduling platform, and now oversees product development at Keith.

      Eddie Goldsmith, the company’s non-executive director and strategic advisor, formerly chaired the UK Conveyancing Association and founded a notable conveyancing firm in the 1990s, bringing valuable regulatory and industry knowledge to the team.

      Keith is pursuing authorization from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers rather than the Solicitors Regulation Authority, a conscious decision by the founders who believe the CLC is better aligned with their intended tech-driven approach. Once Keith expands into additional practice areas, it plans to seek regulation from the SRA.