Keith secures £2M to automate UK legal services

A new venture from the founders of the plant-based brand THIS has secured £2 million in seed funding to launch a fully regulated, AI-native law firm. Named Keith, the startup aims to first tackle the UK’s residential property conveyancing market, promising to dramatically accelerate a process often criticized for its inefficiency. The company plans to launch its services in the third quarter of 2026, backed by investors including Backed VC, Breega, and several angels.

The co-founders, Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman, are executing a significant strategic shift from food technology to legal technology. Their approach, however, follows a familiar playbook: identify a large, traditional, and fragmented industry ripe for technological disruption. Having applied this logic to the meat alternatives market with THIS, they are now targeting the legal sector, starting with the complex process of property transfer.

Keith’s core innovation is a sophisticated network of specialized AI agents designed to manage the entire conveyancing workflow. This system handles critical tasks like document review, drafting, and client communications, all operating within strict legal frameworks. A qualified human conveyancer provides oversight at mandatory checkpoints, but the model is built to automate what the founders estimate is up to 80% of traditional legal work. For clients, the primary interface will be a 24/7 AI service agent accessible via phone and WhatsApp, engineered to mimic human interaction by answering questions and providing real-time updates at any hour.

The urgent need for such a solution is clear within the current market. More than 530,000 property transactions collapse annually in the UK, with a slow and opaque conveyancing process frequently cited as the culprit. This represents a major pain point in a legal market generating roughly £54 billion in revenue each year, yet one that has seen little meaningful technological modernization. Keith has set an ambitious goal of reducing average transaction times by 70%.

Shovel’s drive to reform this system is personal, stemming from a disastrous experience he endured while trying to buy a house last year. That frustration directly inspired the creation of Keith. He is joined by third co-founder Sam Tucker, formerly of hybrid scheduling platform Common Surface, who now leads product development. The team also benefits from the guidance of non-executive director Eddie Goldsmith, the former chairman of the UK Conveyancing Association, who provides crucial regulatory and industry expertise.

A key strategic decision involves the firm’s chosen regulator. Keith is seeking authorisation from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, a body the founders believe is better suited to their innovative, technology-driven model than the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The plan is to begin operations under the CLC’s oversight for conveyancing before eventually expanding into other legal practice areas, at which point SRA regulation would be pursued.