Lawyers don’t want to be anyone’s tech guinea pig. Still, legal tech startups looking to break into the industry aren’t out of luck. It’s not impossible to overcome attorneys’ skepticism and garner initial investment, though the path is far from easy.

A cold email to then-Fenwick & West venture partner Ted Wang about the intersection of technology and law got then-Notre Dame Law School student and future Ironclad Inc. co-founder Jason Boehmig out of Indiana to Silicon Valley.