Tech, AI lawyers join forces in latest US law firm merger

By Sara Merken

Jan 8 (Reuters) - ZwillGen, a law firm that focuses on technology and privacy law, said on Wednesday it has launched an artificial intelligence division with the acquisition of another small firm, Luminos.

Six attorneys and data scientists from the Washington, D.C.-based Luminos.Law have joined ZwillGen to expand the firm's work into AI bias and cybersecurity testing, which founder and managing member Marc Zwillinger said is a "high-demand service" for its client base amid regulatory scrutiny.

The new year has kicked off with a flurry of law firm combinations, primarily involving small firms. There have been at least five other tie-ups announced in 2025, including London-founded Clyde & Co.'s merger with a small insurance firm in Dallas, and London-based Withers' combination with a small firm in Los Angeles.

Several large mergers that were previously announced took effect on Jan. 1.

ZwillGen, founded in Washington in 2010, now has more than 45 attorneys with offices in D.C., New York, Chicago and San Francisco, Zwillinger said. It also operates a subsidiary to help clients handle subpoena requests and has an affiliate company focused on gaming licensing, bringing the total headcount to about 125 people.

ZwillGen's clients include technology and media companies such as Airbnb, Bose, DoorDash, NBCUniversal and the New York Times, according to its website.

The five-year-old law firm Luminos specialized in advising companies on auditing and managing AI and analytics risks. The firm in April spun off Luminos.AI as a separate software company to make its custom AI risk software more widely available on an enterprise platform.

Zwillinger said the software company currently remains an independent firm. Andrew Burt, co-founder and formerly managing partner at Luminos law firm, said in an email that he will focus full time on the software company and also serve as a legal advisor to ZwillGen's new AI unit.

Brenda Leong from the Luminos law firm was named director of ZwillGen's AI division.

(Reporting by Sara Merken)