Edinburgh tech chief on mission to transform legal landscape
Ross McNairn, co-founder and CEO of Wordsmith AI, aims to build a globally significant company from Edinburgh by transforming legal intelligence with AI.Summary
Ross McNairn, a lawyer and former CTO at TravelPerk, co-founded Wordsmith AI in Edinburgh with the mission to transform the legal industry through artificial intelligence. The company develops a platform that helps legal teams automate workflows, incorporate process work, and maintain control over their operations, saving significant time and reducing external spend. Wordsmith AI has grown rapidly, with revenue increasing tenfold in 2025 and a workforce of around 100 people across Edinburgh, London, and New York. McNairn is driven by the belief that a globally significant company can be built from Scotland and aims to reshape how corporates run their legal intelligence, positioning the company to define a new professional role called the "legal engineer". Despite the challenges of hypergrowth and fundraising, McNairn remains focused on product development and is inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech, emphasizing the importance of being actively involved in the work rather than observing from the outside.
(Source：The Herald)