Discovery helps you uncover pain. But just because a law firm has a pain doesn’t mean your product solves it in a way they understand, value, or will actually adopt. That’s where problem–solution fit comes in.

At this stage, you’re not trying to scale. You’re trying to prove that your solution solves a clear, painful problem for a specific segment of firms in a way that feels obvious, credible, and valuable to them.

 

What Is Problem-Solution Fit (and Why It Matters)?

 

Problem–solution fit is when your target customer:

 

• Acknowledges the problem exists and it matters.

• Agrees your product addresses that problem in a meaningful way.

• Engages with or adopts your solution to try solving it.
   

You can’t shortcut this. Too many legaltech startups confuse polite interest with real traction. A lawyer nodding on a demo call or a KM lead asking for a deck is not the same as fit.

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You have problem–solution fit when your target users:

 

• Ask insightful follow-up questions about how it works.

• Connect the solution to something painful or costly in their day-to-day.

• Want to get their hands on it.

• Are willing to loop in others, try a pilot, or commit budget.
   

 

Three Ways to Validate Fit

 

There are three primary methods founders should use in parallel:

 

1. Interviews and Willingness-to-Pay Signals

 

This is the first layer: qualitative depth.

 

• Are firms clearly articulating the problem without prompting?

• Do they light up when you describe the solution?

• Would they pay for it now (even a small amount)?

• Do they ask, “Can I try it?” before you pitch the pilot?
   

If you're hearing "yes, this is interesting but not urgent," you haven’t hit fit yet. Problem recognition without urgency equals stalled deals.

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2. Pilots: Free vs. Paid

 

Pilots are where legaltech products often win or lose momentum.

• Free Pilots:
   

  • Best for unproven categories or early prototypes.

  • Can help you iterate rapidly and observe real-world usage.

  • But beware: free often means low commitment. Set clear success criteria and expectations upfront.
     

• Paid Pilots:

 

• Ideal once you’ve seen repeat signals of pain.

• Forces the firm to assign budget, time, and internal champions.

• Even a small fee ($5K for 60 days) drastically improves engagement and internal momentum.
   

Use pilots to test:

 

• Is the end user able to complete a meaningful workflow?

• Do they return to it without hand-holding?

• Is your onboarding and support enough for someone outside your inner circle?
   

3. Actual Early Sales

 

There is no better validation than a real sale.

 

• A firm paying you money out of their tech, practice, or innovation budget means they believe it works.

• Real deals often bring procurement, security reviews, and contract processes, those hurdles are evidence that you’re solving a real problem.
   

If you're getting pilots but can’t convert them to paid contracts, revisit whether you're truly solving something mission-critical or whether the outcomes are too vague.