Segment 2. Law
Managing partner, head of marketing or BD, and the COLP. Solicitors' firms in England and Wales, typically 10 to 150 fee earners. Motion: considered, always; an estimated 3 to 6 months (not measured). Entry: a paid, scoped start with a small group of partners, agreed only by Alex or John (D17). Background: about 4,085 legal businesses with 10 to 249 staff; 8,923 SRA-regulated firms (August 2026). Route in: introductions first; LegalEx London, 11 February 2027, and Manchester, 24 February 2027; British Legal Technology Forum, 9 March 2027.
Care about. Partners who would be excellent in public say nothing, because posting feels like risk plus admin. Governance is the pitch: the managing partner wants visibility without embarrassment, marketing wants partners posting without chasing, the COLP wants a policy applied and a record, IT wants data location, access and an exit. Triggers: a partner posts something unwise; the SRA AI notice prompts a policy review; a new head of marketing or BD; a tender.
Opening, managing partner or head of marketing"Tell me if this is wrong for your firm: the partners who'd be excellent in public stay quiet, because getting a post approved feels like more risk than it's worth, and the ones who do post do it on their own."
Opening, COLP: "The SRA expects firms to assess social media risk and consider a policy, and says solicitors remain accountable for AI output. Maktura lets a firm turn its policy into rules that flag lines before an approver sees a post, require approval for the people it chooses, and log who did what. It's a second pair of eyes, not a compliance sign-off. How do you handle this today?"
Key discovery. When did a partner last post, and who saw it first? Do you have a social media policy, and how do you know it is followed? Which practice areas act for members of the public (this decides the Code 8.9 conversation)? Who owns the supplier security questionnaire?
Demo (governance first). Run the Observe-first demo (Holly playbook). Compliance oversight on the sample policy; the moment: "Draft a post on the SRA's new warning notice on AI, in [demo partner]'s voice, and check it against our rules", with the flagged line and one-click rewrite; approval chains, pinned notes, undo and the activity log ("every action is logged"). Holly: Observe, approvals on for everyone. Never mention any firm the founders know.
Objections
| Objection | Answer |
|---|---|
| "Is the engagement data permissible for a firm like ours?" | The spine answer, word for word. Never extend it; never offer a written assurance |
| "Our private client team can't be seen chasing people." | "Exactly right. The SRA's code says firms mustn't make unsolicited approaches that target members of the public individually, and that includes picking out someone who liked a post. Maktura helps partners publish and reply to comments on their own posts. It doesn't approach anyone for you, and how the firm applies the rule is your COLP's call." |
| "Are you certified? SOC 2, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials?" | "No, and I won't tell you we are. I'll get your questionnaire answered by the people who built it, with what we have: passwordless sign-in by one-time emailed code, owner, admin and member roles, an activity log, and tools to download or erase what's held. If certification is a hard requirement, tell me now." Questionnaires go to Dom and Karl; never fill one in yourself |
| "Partners won't accept AI writing in their name." | "Each partner's voice is built from their own writing; Holly drafts, the partner decides, and you choose who approves. Solicitors stay accountable for AI output, which is why the approval step is there. We'd suggest starting with partners who already want to post." |
| "Do our posts need to say they were written with AI?" | "Holly tells your people it's AI inside the product, posts are drafted by AI and approved by a person, and whether and how to say that on a post is your firm's decision. We're taking legal advice on disclosure, so I won't promise any disclosure feature." (D9) |
| "Will our data train the AI?" | "Each voice learns from that person's own posts and edits, and you can pause that or mark any post 'don't learn from this'. For the written position on where data is held and what the AI provider can and can't do with it, I'll get it to you in writing from the team rather than paraphrase." (D27) |
| "Can we have a free trial?" | "No free trial at launch. We recommend a paid, scoped start with a small group of partners at the published price, with success agreed in writing up front. John or Alex agree its shape." (D17) |
Offer and path. Never a signature on the first call. Next: a second meeting with the COLP or managing partner, the questionnaire routed through John to Neil Flannery and Karl, and a short written mutual action plan (data processing agreement, questionnaire, partner sign-off, scope and success criteria). Open founding band per partner seat; never invent a law firm price. First success, for example "four partners each posting weekly for six weeks, every post approved, no incidents". Growth: one practice group, then others after a COLP review, each starting at Observe.
Compliance. Code 8.9: solicitors must not make unsolicited approaches to members of the public (other than current or former clients) that target them individually, including online. Firms acting for the public must not use engagement on their posts to approach individual members of the public. Raise it before the COLP does. Code 8.8: publicity must be accurate; the firm owns accuracy. Connecting client meetings for post ideas is the COLP's decision, made first.
Not to say. "SRA compliant" or "approved by"; "already checked against your policy"; "separate instance"; any named law firm; "SRA rule templates" (not built); invoice terms nobody has confirmed.