Alumnus Timothy Metz: ‘I'm the link between lawyers and AI’
Timothy Metz studied Law and Tax Law in Leiden. Now he’s part of Andri AI, working on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal sector.
Why the combination Law and Tax Law?
I started studying Law because I didn’t want to become a computer nerd! I'd always been involved in technology and had a few IT businesses in the hosting industry. It was a conscious choice to go in a different direction. It turned out to be a good decision, because I really enjoyed my studies. During a year working on the board of the Grotius study association, I also decided to do Tax Law as well, which I actually found even more interesting.
As a student, you were involved in several start-ups: Cliq, LawDisk and now Andri AI. How did that come about?
I took on a part time job at Cliq, which was located at PLNT in Leiden. That’s where the idea for LawDisk originated. We wanted to create AI-driven legal transcription tools. In the end there was a difference in vision at LawDisk: my partners wanted to focus more on healthcare, while I wanted to focus on the legal sector.
And then Andri AI crossed your path?
Towards the end of LawDisk, I was tipped off about the existence of Andri AI. I joined the business in the early stages. We could see that AI had great potential in the legal sector. ChatGPT was quickly embraced by lawyers as a writing assistant, but at the time it had three major problems: sections of laws weren’t properly incorporated, you couldn’t upload multiple files at the same time, and client data is too privacy-sensitive to just put into ChatGPT. At Andri AI, we managed to solve these problems quite quickly.
What makes Andri AI so special?
From the start, we deliberately chose not to look at what competitors are doing, but at how the work of a lawyer is actually developing. Instead of copying international tools for the Dutch market, we delved deep into Dutch practice. We spoke to many lawyers and learned about what actually costs them a lot of time in their daily work.
At an early stage, we released an open demo. Anyone could freely test the product, which quickly gave us valuable and honest feedback about what did and didn’t work. We immediately translated those insights into improvements. Andri AI was therefore not built on assumptions, but on collaboration with its users.
What does your job involve?
My role focuses on the company’s growth: I’m the link between lawyers and AI, translating their needs into the product and explaining how AI works and what it can do. I’m also involved in our expansion efforts, such as our move into the United Kingdom, where I spend a lot of time speaking with clients and partners.
You already have an office in Amsterdam on the Zuidas, and are now also working on expanding to the UK. Did you expect that success?
At the start of 2025, we’d just secured our first paying customer. From that moment on, our growth took off. It became a sort of snowball effect: the bigger we became, the faster new clients found us through word of mouth. Now, one year on, more than 150 law firms have joined in the Netherlands as well as a few in the UK. I hadn’t expected the timing, the technology, and the team to come together so perfectly.
What’s it like for you to experience all this at such a young age?
It’s very special and I’m really enjoying it. A year ago, for instance, I never would have imagined that I’d now be speaking with British law firms. We work hard, in the evenings too, but it doesn’t feel like work at all. It’s energising to receive live feedback, build meaningful connections, and to see how much impact our tool has on the work of lawyers.
What’s your favourite memory from your student days?
I have really fond memories of time in Leiden. I made the most of everything: the student and study associations, committees, and even a board year. It all taught me a huge amount and gave me the opportunity to build a valuable network. It was a special time, much too short of course, but one full of friendships and experiences I’ll never forget.
What's your advice for current students?
AI is developing at lightning speed. Discover and embrace it, because there’s no sector in which AI is irrelevant. Plus, it's a lot of fun to explore new possibilities that previously seemed impossible. It would be a real shame not to take advantage of that.