The AI-native Australian law firm — built inside a fifteen-year-old one.
Lawcaptain is the consumer face of an established Australian legal practice. We use AI to do — at fixed prices, without office visits — the legal work most people put off because traditional firms charge too much and take too long.
Why we built it
If you've ever needed a consent order or a prenup in Australia, you've probably had this experience: you ask a traditional firm what it costs; they say “we can give you a range — somewhere between three and six thousand dollars, and we'll need a few meetings”; you politely thank them and quietly decide to deal with it later.
The problem is, later is when refinancing falls over because the bank wants a binding document. Or a parent leaves an inheritance and your former partner can claim a share. Or a wedding date arrives and the prenup everyone agreed in principle still isn't signed.
Most of the legal work most Australians need is predictable, document-heavy work. It doesn't need twenty hours of senior-solicitor time. AI can do a real chunk of it. A real lawyer does the rest — properly. That should mean lower prices and faster delivery, without compromising quality.
Lawcaptain is what happens when that idea is put inside an actual law firm — registered, regulated, insured, with fifteen years of practice behind it — rather than a tech startup pretending to be one.
How we got here
MKI Legal founded by Nicholas Marouchak and Stefan Banovich — a boutique Perth law firm.
MKI Legal listed in Doyle's Guide as a category-leading WA law firm.
Family law arm launched, with Angelo Rechichi leading consent orders and BFAs.
The family-law arm hits roughly 100 consent orders prepared in the year.
Over 200 consent orders prepared. AI experiments begin on the intake side.
Jayden Collier joins as co-founder. Selected for the Plus Eight Accelerator (Spacecubed) and advances to Phase Two.
The first AI-assisted matters go through, a lawyer supervising every step.
Splitwise rebrands to Lawcaptain — the umbrella brand for an AI-native Australian law firm.
Backed by Australia's best startup builders
Lawcaptain came through the Plus Eight Accelerator — Western Australia's flagship startup accelerator, run by Spacecubed — and advanced to Phase Two of the 2025 cohort. The program is supported by BetterLabs, the $23M Perth-based venture fund backed by RAC.
Plus Eight has invested over $3.7M in WA startups, with a portfolio currently valued at over $187M.
What we stand for
Mission
Make good legal help affordable and accessible enough that people stop avoiding it.
Vision (by 2030)
The default place an Australian goes for everyday legal work — consent orders, BFAs, employment disputes, contract reviews — is an AI-native law firm. We're building that firm.
What we won't do
Take on matters where the AI shouldn't do the heavy lift — contested custody, criminal matters, anything where someone's safety is on the line. Blur the line between AI and lawyer. Promise outcomes. Or quietly bill hourly behind a “fixed price” headline.
The people building it
How we're regulated
Lawcaptain is the AI-native law firm built inside MKI Legal. The technology platform is operated by Lawcaptain, which is not itself a law firm. Legal services are provided by MKI Legal Pty Ltd (ACN 155 983 672).
In the media
MKI Legal is regularly featured in Australian media on legal topics, sharing plain-English answers to the legal questions Australians actually ask.
What's next
Right now, we serve separating and pre-separation families with consent orders and BFAs. That's the part of the firm where AI is most useful — predictable documents, clear legal frameworks, recurring patterns. It's where we focus.
Our self-serve portal replaces the human-driven initial intake with a voice-and-chat AI assistant, then hands off to a real Australian family lawyer once your information is gathered. Same lawyers. Faster process. Lower cost.
Beyond that: we want Lawcaptain to be the default place an Australian goes for the legal work they currently put off — because no-one should have to avoid getting a binding agreement done because it costs a fortnight of groceries.
