The NEXT legal and product legislation team provides support to the business across multiple jurisdictions including the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the USA, as well as supporting a portfolio of brands including Cath Kidston, FatFace, GAP, JoJo Maman Bébé, Joules, Lipsy, Made, Reiss, Russell & Bromley, Seraphine, and Victoria's Secret.

Following a structured evaluation of the legal AI market, NEXT chose Wordsmith for the precision of its contract redlining, the depth of its playbook functionality, and because it is built specifically for in-house legal teams.

NEXT joins the Financial Times, BT, Deliveroo, and Belron as part of a growing roster of enterprise legal teams that have chosen Wordsmith as the platform for their entire legal function.

Built for in-house legal, not bolted on

Wordsmith AI, the AI command center for in-house legal teams, has announced that NEXT has selected Wordsmith to power its in-house legal function.

Managing legal and compliance risk across that many brands, markets, and jurisdictions generates work at a volume most tools were never designed to handle. Supplier contracts, franchise agreements, brand licensing across multiple jurisdictions, and a continuous flow of third-party paper that needs reviewing, redlining, and tracking — consistently, accurately, and fast. NEXT's legal team sits at the centre of all of it.

Following a structured evaluation of the legal AI market, they chose Wordsmith.

"NEXT operates one of the most complex legal functions in UK retail — managing compliance and legal risk across multiple territories and a portfolio of some of the country's most recognised brands. Wordsmith gives them the tools to handle that at scale, reduce dependency on external counsel, and stay ahead of the business rather than behind it. We are delighted to be their partner."

Ross McNairn, CEO, Wordsmith

Powering legal across the business

Wordsmith will be deployed across NEXT's legal team to support contract redlining against their own playbooks, AI-powered drafting using templates and blueprints, and centralised repositories with version control and matter-specific querying. The platform integrates directly into Microsoft Word, so the team works within the tools they already use with no disruption to existing workflows.

"By using Wordsmith to automate workflows and handle repetitive tasks, we're freeing our legal team to focus on the complex legal strategy that truly adds value to NEXT and its portfolio of brands. We look forward to using these efficiencies to support the wider business."

Anil Raja, Head of Legal & Product Legislation, NEXT

A pattern, not a coincidence

NEXT's decision is part of a broader shift taking place across enterprise legal departments. Teams that spent years managing with a combination of point solutions are moving to platforms that work across the full scope of their function. Wordsmith is becoming the platform they land on.

About Wordsmith

Wordsmith is the AI command center for in-house legal departments. The platform gives legal teams the infrastructure to manage all their work in one place — covering intake, contracts, research, compliance, and governance — and to extend legal support across the business without adding headcount. Wordsmith deploys directly into the tools teams already use, so legal stays in the loop without becoming the bottleneck. Customers include the Financial Times, Belron, Deliveroo, BT, and now NEXT.

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