The choice for law firms
Harvey and CoCounsel are capable, well-regarded legal AI products. They are also cloud services: your documents are processed on the vendor's infrastructure.
If you're weighing an alternative, it usually comes down to attorney-client privilege and the duty of confidentiality — whether privileged matter should leave the firm's network at all.
This is a factual comparison. Both products do real work; the question is where the data is processed and who owns the system.
Cloud SaaS vs. owned and air-gapped
| Harvey / CoCounsel | ibl.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Your infrastructure — air-gapped if needed |
| Privileged data | Processed by the vendor | Never leaves the firm |
| Model | Vendor's chosen model | Model-agnostic, including open-weight |
| Pricing | Per seat | Flat-rate, unlimited users |
| Code | Closed SaaS | Full source code ownership |
Why architecture beats assurance for privilege
ABA Model Rule 1.6 requires reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized disclosure of client information. "We use a vendor that promised not to look" is a weaker position than "the matter never left our network."
An air-gapped deployment makes the confidentiality question architectural, not contractual. Open models now handle research, review, and drafting at a level that was cloud-only two years ago, so the firm no longer trades capability for control.
What attorneys run
A contract review agent that redlines against your playbook, a legal research agent grounded in your own briefs with verified citations, a client intake agent that screens and books — all inside the firm's boundary.
This is the model behind air-gapped AI for law firms you own, built on the Agentic OS, with full code ownership and client data that never leaves your infrastructure.
Where to start
Pick one workflow with clear value and low risk — internal knowledge search or first-pass contract review — and run it air-gapped against a single practice group. Prove the privilege model on real matters before expanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Harvey or CoCounsel alternative?
An air-gapped, owned legal AI platform where privileged matter never leaves the firm — versus Harvey and CoCounsel, which are cloud services priced per lawyer.
Can privileged data stay in the firm?
Yes. The runtime, the data, and the agents run on-premise or fully air-gapped inside the firm, with matter- and field-scoped access and audit trails.
How does the cost compare?
Harvey and CoCounsel charge per-lawyer subscriptions (often $200-500/user); an owned platform has no per-attorney seat fee, so cost does not multiply with headcount.
Can you run any model?
Yes, it is model-agnostic — run any model behind the firm's boundary, including self-hosted open-weight models for the most sensitive matters.