Contend

Contend is a legal technology company focused on the consumer market, leveraging generative artificial intelligence to provide affordable and accessible legal support. Founded in 2023 by Michael Stych and William Boan, the company targets the significant access-to-justice gap, where individuals often cannot afford traditional legal services for common life challenges. The firm is headquartered in London and operates exclusively within the legal framework of England and Wales, with its technology team based in Toronto. The founders' backgrounds are a direct fusion of legal and technological expertise. Michael Stych, the CEO, previously worked at legal tech companies like DraftWise and brings a career's worth of experience in applying technology to legal services. His personal experience as the son of immigrants highlighted the difficulties in obtaining reliable legal information when cost is a major factor. Co-founder Will Boan, serving as COO/CTO, is both a lawyer and a software engineer, formerly with KPMG. This combination of skills underpins the company's platform, which they developed after witnessing the barriers people face when seeking legal advice. Contend operates on a direct-to-consumer, business-to-consumer (B2C) model, addressing a global market valued at over $172 billion. It provides an AI-powered conversational chat service that helps users understand their legal situations, particularly in civil matters like housing, employment, and family law. The platform's core service allows users to get instant answers to legal questions, assess the seriousness of their situation, create action plans, and draft legal documents such as letters to landlords or employers. The AI is trained specifically on legal data for England and Wales to ensure accuracy. Revenue is generated through a transactional, paywalled model. After an initial free trial, users can subscribe for unlimited access, with pricing mentioned at around £19 to £39 per month. This model is designed to be a fraction of the cost of hiring a traditional solicitor. The company secured pre-seed funding in early 2025 from investors including Supernode Global and The LegalTech Fund, which will be used to accelerate product development and expand its legal coverage. Since its launch, Contend has assisted over 100,000 people, demonstrating significant early traction. Keywords: legal tech, AI legal assistant, access to justice, direct-to-consumer legal services, generative AI, online legal advice, legal document drafting, housing law, employment law, family law, affordable legal help, Michael Stych, William Boan, LegalTech Fund, UK legal market, landlord disputes, eviction notices, consumer legal, legal chat, AI lawyer