Alistair Vigier was the CEO of Clearway but is no longer with the company. Mr. Vigier was awarded the BC Business 30 under 30 award and the Victoria Police Civic Service Award for stopping car theft.

He was born in Toronto and lived in Victoria and Vancouver for many years.

Alistair also writes for Canadian Lawyer, Law Times, Business In Vancouver, and the Vancouver Sun. His stories are on Muckrack.

Alistair Vigier’s story isn’t just another tale of tech innovation; it’s the journey where grit, experience, and a bit of unpredictability combine to create something transformative. Alistair’s entry into the tech world wasn’t what you’d expect.

His story starts in the Canadian Army, where he spent seven intense years dedicating himself to serving his country until a mission changed everything. Shot in his right leg, he faced an unexpected medical release. For most, an experience like that might lead to a recovery period. But Alistair Vigier? He spun it into an entirely new direction.

Alistair Vigier joining the Canadian military

With the military supporting his educational pursuits, Alistair landed at the University of Victoria, diving into psychology and statistics. But he didn’t stop there; he crossed the Atlantic to study law at the University of Birmingham in the UK. This mix of psychology, statistics, and law – not your average combo – sparked a unique perspective he’d eventually channel into the legal tech landscape back in Canada.

When he returned, he joined a divorce law firm and wasted no time making an impact. With Alistair Vigier’s work, the law firm’s revenue surged from $2 million to $5 million. He won the BC Business 30 under 30 for growing the law firm.

Alistair had a knack for boosting business and quickly realized that the legal world was ripe for innovation. At the same time, the emotional toll of divorce cases eventually left him seeking something less draining yet just as challenging. This is where Alistair’s story takes a significant turn.

Alistair getting into legal tech

In 2019, at ClioCon in San Diego, Alistair crossed paths with Rian Gauvreau, co-founder of Clio, a heavyweight in the legal tech scene. Rian, stepping back from daily operations but still deeply invested in the industry’s evolution, saw something in Alistair Vigier’s ideas. The two hit it off, and this initial meeting became the seed for a project that would eventually evolve into Clearway Law.

Initially, Clearway wasn’t about profitability but experimentation and engagement. Alistair and Rian set up a platform that allowed users to interact with and review lawyers directly—think Yelp but for the legal field.

Clearway quickly amassed 200,000 monthly unique visitors and a massive database of 20,000 lawyer reviews. Clearway Law became one of the largest online legal marketplaces. Users could search through a massive database of lawyers, leave reviews, and even customize lawyer profiles, giving the platform a more interactive and client-focused edge.

With 1.1 million lawyers listed, Clearway had solidified its spot on the legal tech map. But Alistair’s vision extended beyond just building another platform. He knew the future was in AI, especially in a market shifting toward technology that could reshape client interactions.

But the platform’s popularity alone wasn’t enough—they needed to monetize it effectively. They discovered it would cost $20m to build a two-sided legal marketplace properly, and most investment was going toward B2B SaaS with AI.

Entry into legal tech AI

With the rise of AI, Alistair saw a chance to pivot Clearway in a more focused direction. This led to the development of Clearway Time, a tool for law firms to pre-screen clients. It uses AI to assign a “conversion rating” to potential clients based on their answers to an intake questionnaire, enabling law firms to focus on those most likely to sign on. This innovation was a step toward something even bigger and better – a new platform that could one day harness Clearway’s traffic and take legal tech to another level.

Enter Caseway. Alistair launched Caseway as a separate AI-driven platform aimed at streamlining legal research and making it accessible to everyone, from paralegals to self-represented litigants.

Unlike many AI tools that pull information from any available source, Caseway focused solely on court decisions. There were no Reddit threads or social media posts—if a judge didn’t write it, Caseway didn’t know it. For legal professionals, this kind of focused, reliable source was a game-changer.

What made Caseway stand out even more was its transparency. Each AI-generated result came with its sources listed, allowing users to verify the information. Alistair Vigier felt this feature was crucial, especially given the recent rise in AI-generated “hallucinations,” where AI agents can confidently produce incorrect details. For lawyers and paralegals who need their research to be rock-solid, this transparency was a breath of fresh air.

Alistair’s vision for Caseway extended beyond just case law search functions. He had a broader goal: to use AI to help self-represented individuals, who comprise about 70% of people navigating the legal system.

Caseway AI

With Caseway, they could now access information on successful legal arguments, case precedents, and related documents, making their journey less daunting. Alistair Vigier plans to expand Caseway’s database to include American court decisions, making it a resource for a wider audience.

But he wasn’t stopping there. Another of Alistair’s big ideas for Caseway involves integrating document samples that could help users navigate complex forms and procedures. Filing for bankruptcy or divorce isn’t just legally complicated; it’s administratively overwhelming.

Alistair wants to develop a feature that provides draft documents to guide users through these processes, helping them avoid common pitfalls and saving them time and money. This move aligns perfectly with Alistair’s goal of making legal assistance more accessible, affordable, and less intimidating for the average person.

The response to Caseway’s initial launch has been overwhelmingly positive. In its first week, 175 users signed up for a free trial. Alistair describes lawyers as “a hive mind”—cautious but quick to adopt once they see others doing it successfully. His approach to building credibility for Caseway is to get respected lawyers on board, showcasing the platform’s value through their endorsement.

Alistair Vigier

Despite the success, Alistair knows Caseway isn’t flawless yet. The team is constantly refining the AI, fixing bugs, and improving its resistance to potential cyber-attacks.

However, Alistair’s commitment to quality and innovation means Caseway’s current “beta” label is only temporary. He’s pushing for constant improvements to ensure it remains a dependable resource for lawyers and anyone needing legal information.

Alistair Vigier is carving out a space for technology that genuinely helps people in a legal industry that is often resistant to change. His transition from military service to legal tech entrepreneurship isn’t just an inspirational journey; it’s a testament to how perseverance, adaptability, and vision can redefine an industry.

Alistair has transformed his experiences into fuel for innovation, and his story is still unfolding. With Clearway and Caseway, he’s not just building platforms – he’s paving the way for a legal system that’s faster, fairer, and more accessible to everyone.

Who’s someone you admire, and why?

I have always looked up to Arnold Schwarzenegger as he is multi-talented. He was a successful bodybuilder, movie star, and politician. The only thing he ever failed at was as a husband.

I look up to him because he has a positive outlook on work. He decided to be a bodybuilder, so he worked hard at it.

He then pivoted and entered the movie industry instead of staying at the top of the bodybuilding industry.

Once he was done with athletics, probably because of his age, he became the governor of California.