VLex and Fastcase, two of the largest and fastest-growing legal technology companies, announced today that they are merging to form one of the world’s largest law firm subscriber bases with more than one billion legal documents from more than 100 countries, according to a press release. As part of the merger, Oakley Capital and Bain Capital Credit are investing in the combined business to expand its global reach and accelerate the company’s legal artificial intelligence, or AI, lab. The lab develops AI tools that streamline research, tracking, writing, and filing documents for the legal industry.

“The legal profession has been a late adopter of technology, but lawyers are gaining more of an appetite for artificial intelligence tools in recent years,” said vLex CEO Lluís Faus in a press release. “Bringing these two highly successful businesses together will help democratize the law for legal professionals worldwide through a dynamic and robust platform that improves legal research accuracy, efficiency, and affordability.”