A New Era of Legal Productivity
Adjunct, a pioneering South African technology company, has unveiled an advanced suite of AI-driven tools designed to transform the way lawyers conduct research, ensure compliance, and manage litigation. By combining artificial intelligence with cutting-edge search technologies, Adjunct enables legal professionals to efficiently retrieve, analyse, and interpret a vast body of legislation, regulation, and case law—helping them deliver faster, more accurate, and more insightful outcomes.
Purpose-Built for Legal Practitioners
The Adjunct product suite is structured around three key workflows: Research, Compliance, and Litigation Procedures. Each solution is crafted to complement, rather than replace, a lawyer’s expertise—streamlining workflows while preserving the precision and creativity that legal practice demands.
“We’ve built Adjunct to work with local law at its core, leaving the unessential behind,”
says CEO Alessandro Scarcella.
“It’s about amplifying what lawyers already do best—thinking critically and creatively.”
The Thesis: Amplifying Human Expertise
Founded in 2024 by Alessandro Scarcella and Julita Ramsunder, Adjunct was conceived from a shared vision to amplify human capability through technology.
“Our goal has always been to increase the amount of high-quality work in the world,”
explains Scarcella, whose background in AI engineering spans over a decade across multiple industries.
“AI should make work less mundane and open space for deeper thinking and expression.”
Chief Operating Officer Julita Ramsunder, an economist and former strategic consultant, brings a complementary perspective rooted in data-driven problem solving.
“We see tremendous potential in how AI can reshape the professional services landscape,”
she says.
“By starting with the legal sector, we’re addressing one of the most information-intensive professions in South Africa.”
Human-Centred AI Technology
Adjunct’s system integrates a series of sophisticated AI techniques—vector embeddings, retrieval augmented generation, hybrid search, and LLM fine-tuning—to ensure accuracy, transparency, and relevance. Central to its design are two principles: Verifiability and Complementarity.
The workflow begins when a lawyer inputs a query—whether a full legal question, a set of bullet points, or shorthand notes. The AI assistant refines the query, searches across public databases and private repositories, retrieves relevant source documents, and generates an answer with complete citations. Every response is traceable, ensuring that lawyers can confidently verify and expand upon the AI’s findings.
Redefining the Future of Legal Work
By positioning itself as an adjunct—literally “something added to another as a supplementary rather than an essential part”—the company embraces the idea that AI should enhance, not replace, human expertise.
“Technology has always served to extend human capability,”
says Scarcella.
“AI is simply the latest iteration of that. Our mission is to build tools that amplify the abilities of knowledge workers.”
As Adjunct continues to refine its products and expand its footprint, it stands poised to become a cornerstone in the digital transformation of South Africa’s legal industry—one where precision meets productivity, and human insight remains at the heart of every decision.
