iManage links governed legal data to Gemini Enterprise

iManage has launched new artificial intelligence tools built on Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Legal. The integration gives users access to governed knowledge held in iManage from within Google's legal AI environment.

The move links iManage's document and knowledge management system with Gemini Enterprise for Legal, allowing users to query matter files, precedent and internal expertise without leaving the Google Cloud workspace. It is aimed at legal teams, as well as users in financial services and life sciences, where sensitive records and access controls are central to daily work.

At the centre of the announcement is an effort to address a recurring problem in corporate AI projects: staff often rely on duplicated or exported data sets that sit outside normal governance rules. iManage said the integration is intended to avoid that by retrieving information directly under existing permissions rather than from static copies of documents and records.

That means the system can draw on matter, client and personnel data alongside unstructured content stored in iManage. Users can ask natural-language questions and receive responses based on current information that remains subject to the same controls and audit requirements already applied inside the platform.

For law firms and in-house legal departments, this could affect work such as reviewing deal documents, handling e-discovery and searching for precedent. It also reflects wider demand for AI systems that can work with confidential information without forcing organisations to loosen long-standing compliance processes.

Governance focus

iManage framed the release as part of a broader effort to position itself as a knowledge layer for AI tools its customers already use. Rather than asking clients to move sensitive content into a separate AI repository, it is seeking to make its governed stores available to external systems while retaining existing controls.

That approach is likely to appeal to companies that have already standardised on Google Cloud but remain cautious about applying generative AI to legal or regulated workloads. In sectors such as legal services, banking and life sciences, the quality of source material and the chain of access around it often determine whether AI can move beyond pilot projects.

Google Cloud also used the launch to underline its legal industry strategy. "Legal professionals handle vast amounts of complex information and need AI tools that respect strict confidentiality while accelerating daily tasks. Bringing iManage into Gemini Enterprise enables teams to analyze deal documents, e-discovery files, and precedent with speed and confidence," said Satish Thomas, Vice President, Google Cloud.

The partnership gives Google Cloud access to one of the better-known knowledge management suppliers in legal technology. iManage said it is used by more than one million professionals across 4,000 organisations, giving it an installed base that includes firms and corporate legal teams dealing with large volumes of documents and email.

Industry pressure

Legal technology suppliers have spent the past two years trying to show that generative AI can be introduced without creating unmanaged copies of client files or exposing confidential work product. Customers have pressed vendors on how models access information, whether permissions are preserved and how outputs can be traced back to source materials.

Those concerns have become more acute as firms experiment with AI agents and workflow automation for drafting, research and document review. A system that can search governed repositories in place, rather than relying on one-off exports, addresses one of the practical barriers to wider deployment.

For iManage, the integration also broadens its alliance strategy by tying its platform more closely to external AI models and interfaces chosen by customers. The company wants to give organisations choice in how they adopt AI while keeping core knowledge secure and available across different tools.

David Zember, Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances, iManage, said the integration forms part of that effort. "This integration underscores our strategic commitment to building the industry's best ecosystem. This approach gives our clients choice in how they use AI to connect to the knowledge they already trust. Gemini Enterprise can securely draw on matter context, precedent and institutional knowledge in iManage while preserving the permissions, controls and auditability organizations already rely on," he said.

He added: "It is a practical example of how enterprise AI and governed knowledge systems can work together to deliver more useful outcomes without compromising trust."