My AI Lawyer
Category: AI in Legal
South African AI-powered legal assistance platform delivering affordable, on-demand legal guidance via WhatsApp and web, developed by Legal Interact and Legal&Tax Services. My AI Lawyer was founded in 2022. The company is led by Raphael Segal. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Team size: 2-10. Latest round: Bootstrapped.
- Founded
- 2022
- Headquarters
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Team size
- 2-10
Value proposition
Democratises access to justice in South Africa by putting a trained, empathetic AI legal advisor in citizens' pockets — accessible 24/7 via WhatsApp and web at R49–R99/month, with human lawyer hand-off for complex matters.
Products and solutions
My AI Lawyer platform (WhatsApp + web chatbot), voice-enabled legal Q&A, automated drafting of legal letters, agreements and contracts, contract upload/review, human lawyer consultation transfer, subscription tiers (Free; Go R49/24h; Digi R69/month; Plus R99/month; Pro R890/year), white-label/reseller partner program, Cell C airtime-based access (R5/day via ViaMedia).
Unique value
One of the first LLM-based legal solutions trained extensively on South African law by South African lawyers; closed-system, POPIA-compliant platform on Microsoft Azure that never uses user queries as external LLM training data; digital when you want it, human when you need it.
Target customer
South African citizens priced out of traditional legal counsel or ineligible for state legal aid; also delivered through ~70 partner businesses including employers, mobile networks and insurers.
Industries served
Legal services / access to justice, consumer legal assistance (tenant rights, employment disputes, arrests, maintenance orders, family law, civil disputes, criminal justice, consumer protection).
Technology advantage
Built on Microsoft Azure and OpenAI frameworks with a curated corpus of South African legislation and precedent; ISO27001 certified; Microsoft certified partner; closed-system architecture with encrypted, logically isolated databases for POPIA compliance; continuously updated (1,000–2,000 curated Q&As reviewed weekly); voice-enabled; human lawyer escalation protocol.
How they differentiate
Unlike generic AI tools, My AI Lawyer is trained extensively on South African law by South African lawyers, runs as a closed POPIA-compliant system on Azure (user data never trains external LLMs), and offers a human-lawyer transfer protocol — combining automated processing with professional counsel at an affordable R49–R99/month price point.
Main competitors
Generic AI chatbots (ChatGPT/Claude) not trained on SA law, traditional legal expense insurers (e.g. LegalWise-style, including Legal&Tax's own insurance products), other SA legal-tech/access-to-justice platforms.
Key partnerships
Microsoft (Azure backend; Global Inclusion Changemaker 2024 award — first African project to receive it), Cell C (R5/day airtime-based access), ViaMedia (carrier billing enablement for Cell C / mobile-network airtime access), Legal&Tax Services (legal expense insurer underwritten by Centriq Insurance), Legal Interact (legal software developer), ~70 partner businesses (employers, mobile networks, insurers).
Notable customers
Cell C subscribers (R5/day airtime billing via ViaMedia), ~70 partner businesses including employers, mobile networks and insurers, 30,000+ users served (cumulative, cited Aug 2026).
Major milestones
Co-founded Jun 2022, initial version deployed March/April 2023 (WhatsApp then full-scale legal dashboard; Freedom Day / Human Rights Day launch), 150,000+ legal questions, 9,200 AI advice sessions, 30,000+ users, ~119k impressions (cumulative, cited Aug 2026), Microsoft Global Inclusion Changemaker 2024 award (first African project), Cell C R5/day airtime access via ViaMedia (Aug 2026), broader public consumer launch / press push August 2026.
Growth metrics
150,000+ legal questions answered; 9,200 AI legal advice sessions; 30,000+ users; ~119,000 platform impressions; ~70 partner businesses (company-cited cumulative figures as of Aug 2026).
Market positioning
Positioned as South Africa's first AI lawyer and an award-winning (Microsoft Global Inclusion Changemaker 2024) access-to-justice platform, differentiated by SA-law-specific training, POPIA-compliant closed system, and human-lawyer escalation — targeting the mass market priced out of traditional legal representation.
Geographic focus
South Africa (domestic focus)
About Raphael Segal
Co-Founder of My AI Lawyer (Jun 2022–present); Director of Legal Interact (Jan 2014–present); Co-Founder of Contract Corridor (contract lifecycle management, built on Microsoft Azure); Group Director at Avantedge Group; prior roles at eBAM Systems. Senior software engineer with robotics, computer vision and data processing experience.
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Official website: https://www.myailawyer.co.za/
