And Justice for All: How Lawyered is Making Legal Help Instantly Accessible

 Legal processes have always been complex, intimidating, and challenging. For a country of our size and diversity, getting the right legal help at the right time is easier said than done. Can tech help? That’s what Himanshu Gupta, Founder & CEO of Lawyered, set out to achieve.

Founded in 2018, Lawyered started as a marketplace connecting people with lawyers but quickly pivoted when it realized access alone wasn’t enough—real-time legal intervention was the missing link.

In this conversation with CIOL, Gupta talks about how Lawyered has evolved from a legal marketplace to LOTS (Lawyer On-The-Spot), a 24x7 roadside legal assistance platform. He also discusses AI-powered innovations like LAILA, how his company is transforming the legal-tech landscape, their unique approach to preventive legal services, and what it takes to build a scalable legal-tech startup.

 I’m curious—what sparked the idea for Lawyered? Like, was there a specific “aha!” moment in 2018, or did it grow from smaller frustrations? And how’s the mission changed now versus when you first started?

The idea for Lawyered wasn’t a single “aha!” moment—it was more of a growing realization shaped by both professional and personal experiences. Having spent nearly two decades in the legal tech space, especially at LexisNexis, I saw how fragmented and intimidating legal services were for the average person. But the real turning point came when I faced legal challenges in my personal life. Despite my deep industry knowledge, I found it surprisingly difficult to navigate the system. That’s when it hit me—if someone like me was struggling, how difficult must it be for the average person? That’s when the vision for Lawyered was born: to provide every citizen with a personal legal advisor.

When we started in 2018, the mission was to empower everyone legally connecting people to lawyers through a marketplace model. But by 2021, we realized that access alone wasn’t enough. COVID was a game-changer—it exposed the urgent need for real-time legal intervention. Truckers were stranded with wrongful fines, families were dealing with court challans, and legal help wasn’t available when needed most. That’s when we paused the marketplace model and introduced LOTS (Lawyer On-The-Spot)—a 24x7 roadside legal assistance platform providing immediate on-call and on-site support for roadside legal issues pan-India.

India’s legal tech scene is booming these days. Honestly, how do you even cut through the noise? Is there something Lawyered does that makes people say, “Oh, this is different?

Cutting through the noise in legal tech isn’t easy, especially in a space where trust and clarity matter so much. But I think what sets Lawyered apart is how we’ve approached legal services—not just as a service, but as a product that people can rely on instinctively.

Most legal help today is reactive—you face a problem, then you look for a solution. We’ve flipped that model by focusing on preventive legal support. Through our upcoming products like LAILA, our AI-powered assistant, we’re helping people stay ahead of legal issues rather than scrambling to fix them afterward. It’s about solving problems before they even become problems.

Then there’s LOTS (Lawyer On-The-Spot), our flagship product. That’s been a game-changer. Imagine you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with a wrongful fine or an accident dispute. Instead of feeling helpless, you can just call LOTS and get immediate legal help—first on the phone and, if needed, with a local lawyer showing up within hours anywhere in the country. That’s legal support working in real-time, where and when you need it. Honestly, the commercial vehicle owners consider LOTS to be a "Sanjeevani Booti" for their business.

But what makes Lawyered different is how we’ve made legal help feel accessible and intuitive. We’ve focused on making legal support as easy as ordering a cab or food delivery. People don’t want complicated legal jargon—they want quick, reliable solutions. That’s the gap we’ve filled, and that’s why people are starting to see Lawyered as a trusted go-to for legal help.

Startups are brutal, especially in a niche like legal tech. What’s one thing that nearly broke you while scaling up, and how did you fix it?

The toughest period was around 2020–21 when we realized that our original marketplace model wasn’t scaling up the way we’d hoped. The model effectively solves the problem of awareness and accessibility by helping consumers connect with appropriate lawyers. However, the lack of affordability and control over service delivery posed significant challenges in scaling. Additionally, the solution was largely reactive, addressing legal issues only after they arose, which further complicated the scaling process. It felt like we were just adding another layer of complexity instead of simplifying legal help. The whole idea of “empowering everyone legally” wasn’t enough anymore—people needed real solutions, not just connections.

It was a turning point, not a breaking point when COVID came. Truck drivers were getting slapped with wrongful fines, vehicles were being impounded, and people were stuck in legal limbo. We had customers calling us in panic, and all we could do was recommend a lawyer and hope for the best. That’s when we realized: that access without resolution isn’t enough.

So, we made a bold move—we paused the marketplace model and pivoted to LOTS (Lawyer On-The-Spot). This meant building a 24x7 operational framework, onboarding local lawyers across the country, especially around highways, and setting up systems for rapid case resolution. It was tough—we had to rework the tech, retrain the team, and convince investors that this shift would work. But once the first few successful resolutions happened—like helping a stranded driver avoid a hefty fine in the middle of the night—we knew we were onto something.

The turn? We stopped being a service and became a platform with a focus on consumer products. Instead of saying, “Here’s a lawyer,” we said, “We’ve got this.” That shift from being a connector to a resolver—that’s what turned the tide.

Now that AI’s everywhere, how’s it impacting lawyers and clients in India? Like, are we talking about chatbots handling paperwork, or something radical? What’s Lawyered’s approach here?

AI is shaking up the legal space, but it’s not just about automating paperwork—it’s about making legal expertise instantly accessible. In India, legal help is often reactive and delayed. AI allows us to flip that dynamic by making legal guidance immediate and preventive.

That’s why we built LAILA (Lawyered AI Legal Assistant)—India’s first conversational AI designed for legal support. LAILA isn’t just a chatbot—it’s a legal companion that can analyze complex legal scenarios, provide real-time guidance, and even suggest the next best steps based on local laws and court precedents for any legal advice seeker.

For consumers, this means they can get legal clarity within seconds—whether it’s understanding a traffic challan, navigating tenancy issues, or resolving contract disputes.

We’re also integrating LAILA into platforms like LOTS and WILLS24. Imagine getting pulled over for a traffic challan and instantly knowing if it’s valid, what fine applies, and how to dispute it—without ever needing to call a lawyer. Or a wealth manager drafting a complex Will in minutes with AI-assisted precision. That’s the kind of radical shift we’re aiming for—AI that doesn’t replace lawyers but empowers them and makes legal help frictionless.

Money talk:  How much have you raised so far? Who’s been betting on you (any big names?), and what’s been the biggest unlock from that cash—like hiring, tech, or going international?

We’ve been fortunate to have some incredible backers who believe in our mission to democratize legal. So far, we’ve raised around $1 million across multiple funding rounds. It’s been a solid mix of strategic investors and industry veterans who understand both the legal and tech landscape deeply.

We’ve had strong support from platforms like India Accelerator and Finvolve Ventures, which have helped us sharpen our growth strategy. We’ve also got backing from TiE India Angels, MeitY Startup Hub, and Logistics Fund India (LFI)—that’s been huge for expanding our reach in the mobility sector. Then there’s Bhuvan Gupta from OfBusiness, and Anil P Gupta (Ex-CXO of Reliance, Honeywell, GE) —people who not only bring capital but also operational wisdom and networks that have been game-changing.

The biggest unlock from this funding has been about building the right foundation. We are a tech startup and LOTS itself is a tech-driven platform—we’ve built the LOTS24x7 app for consumers, a dashboard for partners and businesses, and an app for our network of lawyers to ensure seamless legal assistance on the road. Then there’s LAILA—our AI-driven voice-based legal assistant—which we believe is going to be a game changer in democratizing legal access. LAILA provides instant legal guidance, helping users navigate complex legal issues without the wait.

We’ve scaled up our tech infrastructure and expanded our lawyer network to 75,000+, which is critical for the real-time nature of LOTS. We’ve streamlined onboarding by cutting down response times, improved accuracy, and enhanced our product offerings—LOTS, WILLS24, and LAILA wouldn’t have been possible without this backing. It’s allowed us to move from just providing legal help to reshaping how legal support works in India.