LexisNexis parent company RELX Group has entered into an agreement to acquire French legal AI platform Doctrine.
The proposed takeover would expand LexisNexis’s legal AI offering in France and other key European markets including Germany, Spain and Italy.
Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO LexisNexis, said: “We are excited about the prospect of welcoming Doctrine, so that we can serve customers in France, across Europe and beyond in even greater ways.
“Doctrine’s customer-centric innovation approach, powerful platform and expert talent complement LexisNexis’s global capabilities in authoritative legal AI workflow solutions, and we look forward to delivering even more value to customers.”
Doctrine’s AI platform enables law firms to draft and analyse documents, highlighting the most salient parts, while also suggesting legal arguments.
In February, it agreed to acquire Spanish legal information provider Maite, its fifth acquisition or strategic investment over the past three years, powered by a 2023 majority growth investment from Summit Partners and Peugeot Invest.
Doctrine says that it serves 27,000 legal professionals across France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain.
Guillaume Carrère, CEO of Doctrine, reflected that the firm has been “obsessed” with developing cutting-edge AI solutions for legal professionals across Europe, and joining the RELX Group is the next chapter of that mission.
He added: “LexisNexis brings unparalleled depth of content, global reach and a shared conviction that AI, applied responsibly, will transform how legal work gets done.
“For our customers, this means faster access to a richer set of capabilities; for our team, it means joining a company that recognises and will invest behind the technical and product excellence we have built.”
The proposed deal is subject to customary regulatory consents and consultation procedures with employee representative bodies.
Paris-based Doctrine was founded in 2016 by Nicolas Bustamante, Raphaël Champeimont and Antoine Dusséaux, who are all no longer with the firm.
Bustamante was the longest-serving of the trio, remaining at Doctrine for seven years, and serving as chairman in his last role before leaving the firm to become CEO of financial services AI firm Fintool, which was acquired by Microsoft earlier this year.
RELX is a global information and analytics firm that builds legal databases to research cases and draft arguments. The group focuses on risk, scientific, technical and medical and the exhibitions sectors alongside the legal industry, serving customers in 180 countries.
Last week, the group said that it has made a positive start to this year across its four business areas, reporting underlying revenue growth and adjusted operating profit for 2025 of £9.59bn and £3.34bn, respectively.
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