Grant Hewlett spent 15 years advising law firms on how to run their businesses more efficiently. Now he’s switching sides.
Litera announced on Tuesday that Hewlett will lead its firm intelligence product portfolio as VP of Product, tasked with building AI-driven tools for the same AmLaw 100 and 200 firms he recently consulted. The Chicago and Austin-based legal technology platform serves 2.3 million daily users, including 99% of the AmLaw 100.
The move marks a shift from advisor to architect.
Hewlett brings experience spanning Big4 consulting at Deloitte, BigLaw operations roles at Norton Rose Fulbright and Vinson & Elkins, and most recently co-founding Gradient Legal Consulting. That firm advised top-tier practices on revenue optimization, operating model design, and AI integration—exactly the problems he’ll now solve from inside a technology company.
“Grant’s recent work advising AmLaw 100 and 200 firms gives him a firsthand understanding of what firms are navigating right now,” said Adam Ryan, Chief Product Officer at Litera. “His perspective will be invaluable as we build the next generation of firm intelligence with AI that drives both efficiency and growth on a single platform, embedded in the tools lawyers already use.”
Firm intelligence sits at the intersection of data analytics, business development, and practice management. It’s where law firms try to answer questions like: which partners generate the most revenue, which clients are at risk, which practice areas are growing. The category has attracted investment as firms face pressure to operate more like businesses and less like collegial partnerships.
For Hewlett, the appeal lies in scale. Advising one firm at a time has limits.
“The opportunity to help modernize the business of law through Litera’s technology and market presence is special,” said Grant Hewlett. “Firm intelligence is at an inflection point – it’s where data, decisions, and partner economics meet – and there are few platforms with the reach and credibility to define what comes next. I’m honored to help shape the next chapter of firm intelligence on a platform firms use every day.”
That last phrase matters. Litera’s software integrates directly into Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace rather than requiring lawyers to open yet another application. The company built its position over 30 years, starting with document comparison and drafting tools before expanding into AI-driven contract review and knowledge management. Its Legal AI agent, Lito, won industry recognition for reducing the context-switching that plagues legal workflows.
Hewlett’s background includes a stint building the legal business consulting practice at Gravity Stack, later acquired by Reed Smith. That experience straddling the consulting and law firm worlds gives him perspective on both sides of the technology adoption challenge: firms want measurable ROI, but they also want tools that don’t disrupt how lawyers already work.
At Litera, he’ll focus on enhancing AI capabilities within the firm intelligence suite and developing solutions that deliver what he calls “measurable value.” The phrasing is deliberate—law firms have grown sceptical of technology promises that don’t translate into billable hours or client wins.
The appointment comes as legal technology providers compete to define what “AI for law firms” actually means in practice. Some focus on document review, others on contract analysis, still others on client relationship management. Litera’s bet is that firms need an integrated platform rather than point solutions.
With 15,000 global customers already using its tools daily, the company has distribution that startups can’t match. The question Hewlett will help answer is whether firms will expand their use of Litera’s platform to include more business intelligence functions—or whether they’ll cobble together specialist tools from multiple vendors.
His consulting background suggests he knows which pain points hurt most. Partner economics, revenue lifecycle management, and operating model design aren’t abstract concepts when you’ve advised firms struggling to modernise without alienating senior partners. Whether that translates into product decisions that law firms will actually pay for remains to be seen.
The timing is notable. Legal technology funding has cooled from its pandemic-era peak, but established platforms with existing customer bases are consolidating their positions. Litera’s ability to point to 99% penetration of the AmLaw 100 gives it credibility with the remaining 1%—and with the AmLaw 200 firms trying to compete with their larger rivals.
For now, Hewlett’s task is translating years of advisory work into features that lawyers will use without needing a consultant to explain them. If firm intelligence truly sits at an inflection point, the next 18 months will show whether advisors-turned-builders can move faster than builders who never advised.
