Wolters Kluwer to Acquire Brightflag for €425M to Expand Legal Tech Portfolio

Wolters Kluwer will acquire legal tech company Brightflag for €425 million, expanding its e-billing and matter management presence among mid-sized corporate legal departments.

Key points:

  • Wolters Kluwer is acquiring Brightflag for €425 million in cash.
  • The deal expands Wolters Kluwer’s presence in the mid-sized corporate legal tech market.
  • Brightflag saw 36% revenue growth in 2024 and recently launched AI tools for legal spend management.

Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory has signed an agreement to acquire e-billing and matter management provider Brightflag for €425 million (approximately $460 million USD), the companies announced Wednesday. The acquisition is expected to bolster Wolters Kluwer’s reach among mid-sized corporate legal departments in the U.S. and Europe.

The Dutch-based global information services company already operates its own enterprise legal management (ELM) platform under the ELM Solutions brand, primarily serving large corporations. With Brightflag—an Irish-founded and New York-headquartered SaaS provider—Wolters Kluwer aims to strengthen its position in the fast-growing mid-market segment of legal operations technology.

Founded in Ireland, Brightflag employs 155 full-time staff, all of whom will join Wolters Kluwer following the acquisition. Brightflag experienced a record year in 2024, with revenues rising 36% to approximately €22 million. As of April 2025, the company had reached €27 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), with 95% of its revenue recurring and 60% coming from U.S.-based clients, according to Legal IT Insider.

Brightflag recently launched several generative AI features, including “Ask Brightflag,” which enables in-house legal teams to query and analyze their legal spend data using natural language. In April, it also introduced AI-powered “Invoice Summaries,” streamlining invoice review processes across legal departments.

“Since our founding, Brightflag has been committed to revolutionizing legal spend and matter management through AI-driven innovation,” said CEO and co-founder Ian Nolan. “Wolters Kluwer shares our vision for leveraging advanced technology to enhance legal operations, and we look forward to accelerating the future of legal solutions together.”

This deal follows Wolters Kluwer’s other recent legal tech acquisitions, including its 2022 purchase of AI startup Della, now rebranded as Legisway Analyzer. The publicly traded company continues to invest in SaaS platforms that offer subscription-based services for legal compliance, document automation, and analytics.

 

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