Summary
Thomson Reuters has launched its CoCounsel Legal AI platform in the UK, introducing agentic research capabilities embedded within Westlaw and Practical Law. The platform features deep research functionality that will be available in the first half of 2026.
Thomson Reuters has launched its CoCounsel Legal AI platform in the UK, introducing agentic research capabilities embedded within Westlaw and Practical Law—the company's most valuable content libraries.
The UK release follows the launch of CoCounsel Legal in the US and represents a significant expansion of Thomson Reuters' AI strategy in Europe.
Key capabilities:
- **Agentic AI**: Multi-step reasoning that can complete complex research tasks autonomously
- **Deep Research**: Integrated analysis across Westlaw and Practical Law databases
- **Natural Language Interface**: Improved understanding of natural communication
- **Speed**: CoCounsel 2.0 operates three times faster than the first generation
Timeline:
- **August 2023**: Thomson Reuters acquired Casetext (creator of original CoCounsel) for $650 million
- **August 2024**: CoCounsel 2.0 launched in the US—"supercharged" with faster responses and more nuanced results
- **2025**: UK launch with agentic capabilities
- **First half 2026**: Deep Research on Practical Law available in US and UK
Thomson Reuters has continued building out CoCounsel's capabilities through further acquisitions, including legal AI startup Safe Sign Technologies. The company has indicated it has around $10 billion earmarked for potential AI acquisitions through 2027.
The competitive landscape:
- CoCounsel competes directly with LexisNexis's Protégé platform
- Both providers launched major AI updates on the same day in August 2024
- The market is increasingly focused on agentic capabilities over simple Q&A
For UK law firms, the CoCounsel launch provides an alternative to European-based solutions like Luminance and Harvey, with the advantage of deep integration with Thomson Reuters' established legal research databases.