Litera has acquired leading UK Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) for law firms Peppermint Technology, in an acquisition that will bring Litera closer to Microsoft and bring legal marketing, business development and other workflows to the Litera platform.
Peppermint’s primary go-to-market offering is its client relationship management module, however its CX365 platform combines CRM, ERM, matter management, and case management. Given recent developments in the SharePoint space, there have been questions around whether Peppermint – now Litera – will also target the document management market, completing the vision of its founder Arlene Adams.
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Microsoft last year announced the general availability of SharePoint Embedded; a headless API that enables ISVs to integrate SharePoint document management features into their applications. This means Peppermint/Litera can create a customised, legally-tailored front end DMS, with Microsoft Graph in the back end. Microsoft consultants at the time Embedded was launched called it a paradigm shift in the debate over whether SharePoint will be adopted as a DMS among large law firms.
What is certain in the near term is this acquisition significantly expands Litera’s CRM portfolio, which will see clients of Foundation and Upper Sigma – earlier Litera acquisitions – seek clarification in terms of what the roadmap looks like, particularly as Upper Sigma is built on the Salesforce platform.
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A spokesperson for Litera said: “This acquisition allows us to expand our CRM portfolio to better serve customers who prefer operating within the Microsoft ecosystem. While we will focus much of our go-to-market efforts on Peppermint, we remain fully committed to supporting existing Upper Sigma customers. There will be no degradation in service, and there are no end-of-life plans for Upper Sigma at this time. Our priority is to continue building value in service of our long-term relationship with both Upper Sigma and Peppermint customers.
“Peppermint and Litera Foundation will offer a unified Legal BD & Intelligence stack, presented to lawyers in one Outlook add-in and Combining Peppermint with Firm Intelligence creates the single broadest legal-specific marketing and BD offering in the market.”
Avaneesh Marwaha, CEO of Litera said: “The combined offerings from Litera and Peppermint Technology will empower law firms to excel in client engagement and operational efficiency directly in the Microsoft tools they use every day.”
One law firm that has been with Peppermint from very early on in its journey is Blake Morgan. The national UK firm in 2019 swapped out its practice management system for Peppermint. “As mutual customers of both Litera and Peppermint, we are excited about the opportunities this acquisition presents for our lawyers, enabling seamless access to some of our most utilised applications within the cloud,” said Mike Wilson, managing partner at Blake Morgan. “By integrating our legal workflows directly into Microsoft cloud applications, we anticipate a significant boost in efficiency for our lawyers, and Litera and Peppermint have been key partners in achieving this vision. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and are confident that this acquisition further enhances the exceptional products and services we’ve come to expect.”
For Peppermint, this will give them the US presence that they have been growing organically, with hires such as Robert Beach as president of North America. We have yet to hear what roles the senior Peppermint leadership team will have within Litera.
Gary Young, CEO of Peppermint, said: “It is the right time in Peppermint’s growth journey to bring our businesses together, having similar cultures and ambition for our people, customers, and partners.”
We’ll bring you more on this acquisition in the coming days.
COMMENTS (We will update this as we receive them):
Matt Peers, Global COO, Pinsent Masons
“Litera and Peppermint is a good thing for firms. I’m positive about what it will bring in terms of innovation and integration with the tools lawyers and enabling teams are using every day.”
