US legal operations firm Harbor has acquired UK legaltech services provider Ascertus as it continues to expand globally.

Ascertus specialises in legal document and content management technology, consulting and IT support services. Harbor says the acquisition represents a “significant milestone” for the company’s strategic growth, further extending its legaltech offering. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Chicago-headquartered Harbor provides legal ops and strategic consulting services, technology and intelligence to the legal industry. The Ascertus acquisition is the company’s second in the UK this year, following the purchase of legaltech and managed services provider Pinnacle, which also expanded Habor’s footprint into Canada and Australia.

Matt Sunderman, CEO of Harbor, said: “The acquisition of Ascertus bolsters our legal technology services, particularly in the UK and EMEA, and enhances our ability to support corporate legal teams and law firms as they adopt cloud-based solutions and AI-driven technologies. Ascertus’s reputation for delivering high-quality results aligns perfectly with Harbor’s ambitious commitment to the success of our clients.”

London-based Ascertus was founded in 2000 as a provider of legaltech solutions to law firms and corporate legal departments. It works with a range of tech vendors providing technical consultancy, support and project management to help firms integrate legaltech into their operations. It is a leading reseller and implementation partner for iManage, a cloud-based document management platform.

Roy Russell, founder and CEO of Ascertus, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished over the last 20 years, and I’m confident that joining forces with Harbor represents the perfect opportunity to continue delivering success for our clients and growth for our employees.”

Russell will step back from his full-time role but will remain as a senior advisor during the integration. Damian Jeal, chief operating officer of Ascertus, will take on a new global leadership role overseeing Harbor’s content management and collaboration services.

Jeal said: “Joining Harbor enables us to broaden the range of services we provide to our clients, including strategic consulting, application management, intelligence and enhanced training programmes. It also creates exciting growth opportunities for our team. We are committed to ensuring a smooth integration and look forward to working as one unified organisation.”

Harbor is not the only US legal services business shopping for acquisitions in the UK. In August 2023, Consilio acquired flexible legal services firm Lawyers on Demand and legaltech consultancy SKYE to expand its enterprise legal services business.