Read Time: 4 minutes
Tech Topics In This Article: LegalTech, Atlanta startups
Georgia Tech students Sanay Shajith and Meeth Naik are balancing their own schoolwork and the needs of paying customers as they look to scale one of Atlanta’s latest LegalTech startups.
The two are the team and co-founders behind Lawdie, a platform designed to make tailored legal representation accessible to all through its one-stop shop for connecting clients with legal representation. Its AI paralegal technology helps both sides of the legal process by “eliminating inefficiencies,” Shajith told Hypepotamus.
“In today’s digital age, finding legal representation is still overly complex, and lawyers face outdated workflows that hinder productivity. Lawdie simplifies these challenges, making legal representation accessible while redefining how the legal industry operates.”
The young Lawdie startup team has already seen some unique success, winning the HackMIT‘s Codebase Startup Challenge late last year.
We spoke with Shajith and the Lawdie team as they look to take on the LegalTech landscape. Here is a look at our Q&A:
QUESTION: Did you always think about entrepreneurship as a potential career path?
ANSWER: Absolutely! I’ve always been drawn to entrepreneurship. Growing up, I was active in business clubs and fascinated by technology, so I knew early on that building something impactful was part of my future. During my second year at Georgia Tech, I felt ready to create something meaningful—not necessarily as a business at first, but something valuable. When the idea for Lawdie emerged, it was clear we’d entered a crowded market that hadn’t truly met user needs or embraced the potential of AI and emerging technologies.
QUESTION: Tell us about the name Lawdie. Why was this the right name for what you are building?
The name Lawdie came to me in a moment of spontaneous inspiration. We wanted something that played on the word “law” while being approachable and memorable. Funny enough, I was looking at a litter of Labrador retrievers when the name popped into my head—I thought, “Lawdie would be the perfect name for a Lab.” It just felt right, so we ran with it for what we were building.
QUESTION: How has Georgia Tech / the Atlanta community helped you build early on?
Georgia Tech and the Atlanta community have been absolutely pivotal in our early growth. The legal professionals around metro-Atlanta have been incredibly supportive and generous with their time. A special shoutout to Amanda Runnels from the Kalka Law Group, who not only became our first customer but has also served as a mentor, guiding us through the nuances of the legal field. Her advice has been huge for our growth.
As the sector head for Georgia Tech’s student innovation program, I’ve also been fortunate to tap into workshops and resources that have been instrumental in shaping our strategy & approach. The broader Georgia Tech network—alumni and students alike—has been amazing, offering feedback, connections, and advice at every turn. Being part of such a supportive and innovative ecosystem has been a huge advantage as we build Lawdie.
QUESTION: How did you find your early customers?
In the early days, finding our early customers was just about trying to cast a wide net and reel in as many attorneys as possible. We’d try sneaking into law offices and suites, hoping to speak directly with lawyers about what we were building. We also cold-emailed countless attorneys, targeting a different practice area every other week. The attorneys we did manage to connect with were incredibly helpful, offering valuable feedback and even connecting us with their friends in the industry.
To better understand the client side, we tapped into our personal network, speaking with friends and family, and also reached out to people online. This direct approach gave us real insights into the needs and challenges faced by both lawyers and clients, which helped us refine our platform. The support we received from attorneys early on made a huge difference, and we continue to build on those relationships.
QUESTION: At the time of launch, how many paying customers do you have?
At the time of launch, we have 32 paying customers and 40 participants in our test group.
QUESTION: As you’ve been building, what are some of the hardest parts of breaking into the LegalTech space?
Breaking into the LegalTech space has been an incredible learning experience. It’s such a complex industry, and we spent the first two months just talking to attorneys, clients, and all of our stakeholders to truly understand the challenges they face. Every day, we’re learning more about the intricacies of legal workflows and how to build tools that genuinely make a difference.
One of the toughest parts has been navigating a space with well-established competitors. Even though we wholeheartedly believe our platform is 10x better than our competitors, it’s challenging to convince firms to adopt new software and move away from the systems they’re reluctantly comfortable with. It’s very much like the cold start problem—getting that initial trust and adoption takes time and persistence.
Another unique challenge has been bridging the generational gap in the legal profession. As a team of college students, we’ve noticed that many in the older generation are hesitant to adopt more tech-savvy solutions simply because they’re used to traditional methods. For example, one of our now-clients used to do their document review by spreading hundreds of papers across a table. Showing how technology can streamline those processes without losing the personal touch has been a critical part of our pitch.
Despite these challenges, we see them as opportunities to bring fresh perspectives to an industry that’s ripe for disruption. The learning curve has been steep, but it’s been a lot of fun!
QUESTION: What are your big goals for 2025?
We’re incredibly excited about what’s ahead for Lawdie in 2025. Growing our customer base is a priority (as it is for any startup haha), but our primary focus is launching the client side of our platform to better serve Atlantans seeking legal assistance. We’ve also kicked off a formal fundraising round to scale effectively and implement the features outlined in our P&L forecasting.
One of our major goals is rolling out practice-area-specific tools, starting with a patent law feature. This includes automated document generation for tasks like claim charts and examiner responses, streamlining repetitive work with boilerplate language and formatting to reduce errors and save time. Features like content-aware citation handling will further simplify workflows, making it easier for legal professionals to manage references and citations seamlessly.
On the growth side, we’re applying to accelerators to fuel our next phase. Following a learning experience with YC’s W25 batch interview, we’re reapplying with a more focused product and greater traction while also exploring other accelerator opportunities.
2025 is set to be a big year for Lawdie, and we’re eager to continue building meaningful solutions for the legal community.
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Photos provided by Lawdie
