Repario, an e-discovery and managed review specialist, has acquired UnitedLex, the global alternative legal services provider, in a deal that combines two private equity-backed companies into a single technology-led legal services business aimed at deploying artificial intelligence across complex legal workflows at enterprise scale.

Repario announced the acquisition on Wednesday. The company framed the deal as a merger of complementary strengths: Repario's agility and innovation paired with what it called the "operational depth and multinational scale" of UnitedLex.

The combined entity will support law firms, corporations, and government agencies from delivery centers across the United States, Mexico, India, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

What Each Company Brings

Repario, owned by the private equity firm JLL Partners, has historically concentrated on e-discovery, digital forensics, managed review, data hosting, and related advisory services. Its work spans collections, processing, hosting, review, forensic work, incident response, and discovery workflows.

UnitedLex, owned since 2018 by private equity company CVC Capital Partners, operates on a broader footing. The company provides legal process outsourcing, legal operations, litigation, IP, contracts, and technology services, with a focus on helping enterprise customers transform or operate their in-house legal functions and workflows.

For customers of both companies, Repario said the combination pairs legal expertise with AI-enabled workflows engineered around human review and accountability.

CEO Targets AI Trust Concerns

David Moran, chief executive officer of Repario, positioned the deal squarely around client concerns over AI adoption in legal services.

"There have been significant concerns that using AI in legal means giving up control of your data, visibility into the process, and confidence the results will hold up," Moran said in a statement. "Clients deserve a higher standard of legal service and shouldn't have to make that trade."

He added that the combined company would give clients predictability and defensibility in an era of expanding AI use.

"Together, Repario and UnitedLex provide clients the ability to reach case strategy sooner, with costs they can predict and AI they can defend," Moran said. "That is how we deliver better outcomes from a partner clients can trust."

Deal Follows Turbulent Period at UnitedLex

The acquisition comes after a period of upheaval at UnitedLex. In 2024, CEO James Schellhase departed suddenly after roughly a year in the role.

Schellhase had been only the company's second CEO since its 2006 founding. On October 1, 2024, he appeared as a guest on the LawNext podcast to discuss his first year leading the company. One week later, he was out of the job, replaced by the company's general counsel, Renee Meisel.

It was later revealed that Schellhase had been the target of a group that aims to expose child predators.

What It Means for Practitioners

For law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies that use ALSPs, the consolidation signals continued private equity-driven consolidation in the sector and a sharpening focus on AI-enabled service delivery. Clients of both providers should expect the combined company to market AI-assisted review and workflow tools built around human oversight and accountability — an approach designed to address defensibility concerns that have slowed AI adoption in litigation and discovery contexts. The deal also reduces the number of large, full-service ALSPs in the market, a factor worth noting for legal operations leaders evaluating vendor relationships and negotiating service agreements.