Conversation with Khaled Al Rashed – MasterMinds

Today on MasterMinds, we meet a Saudi innovator who’s transforming one of the world’s oldest professions through technology and design thinking. Khaled Al Rashed, Founder of Oqood.ai, stands at the forefront of LegalTech, leading a movement that reimagines how legal services are built, delivered, and experienced.

With over 14 years of experience in law, Khaled’s journey bridges deep legal expertise with a forward-looking vision for digital transformation. A PhD researcher in Law and LLM holder in Corporate Law, IP, and Franchise frameworks, he also earned a Professional Certification in Legal Technology from MIT and ESADE—a combination that fuels his mission to modernize the legal industry.

Through Oqood.ai, Khaled is pioneering a new era of smart, accessible, and user-centric legal solutions—empowering individuals and businesses to interact with the law more efficiently and intuitively.

From traditional courtrooms to AI-powered legal ecosystems, his path reflects a bold mindset: that the future of law lies not in complexity, but in clarity, design, and innovation.

My legal career spans over 14 years, during which I’ve served as both in-house counsel and a practicing lawyer. A significant milestone was founding my own law firm in 2017. We experienced rapid growth, expanding from 5 lawyers to 32 by 2022. The post-COVID era marked a pivotal moment, as I embarked on a clear strategic plan to rebrand the firm as "TAQNEEN LAW FIRM." This involved implementing new strategies focused on enhancing workflows and delivering an exceptional client experience.

Concurrently, I enrolled in the 18-month MIT LegalTech program. This extensive program, covering everything from innovation and digital transformation to legal operations, proved to be a crucial turning point, providing me with a deep understanding of the emerging opportunities and fundamentally reshaping our approach to legal practice.

The shift from traditional law practice to LegalTech was driven by a clear vision: to address the untapped potential in the MENA legal market. While change is often met with resistance, I made the conscious decision to exit my established firm and bootstrap Oqood.

This was fueled by the undeniable need and demand from lawyers in the region for robust, purpose-built tools designed to meet their specific needs. It was undoubtedly a difficult decision to leave behind a successful firm that I had built and scaled, but the increasing opportunities within the LegalTech venture made the transition compelling.

That journey was a masterclass in resilience and refinement. Each investor interaction, whether a "yes" or a "no," provided invaluable feedback, pushing us to constantly improve and articulate our vision more clearly. It taught me that while LegalTech is a nascent market in our region, unlike more established sectors like FinTech, the underlying demand is undeniably there.

The biggest takeaway, however, was the critical role of passion and storytelling. Investors aren't just buying into a product; they're investing in the founder's conviction and the narrative behind the solution. Effectively communicating that passion and the problem we're solving became as important as the solution itself.

Yes, AI will profoundly transform the legal profession. It won’t replace lawyers, but it will reshape their roles and enable entirely new types of legal firms, business models, and ways of delivering legal services. Routine work will be automated, and the value of strategy and judgment will rise. Lawyers who embrace technology early and adapt their skills will lead this transformation.

Closing our first $1M seed funding round was an incredibly validating experience. It amplified a sense of responsibility, confirming that it was time for a real push forward. Knowing that we had investors who believed in and trusted our vision was immensely motivating.

Their ongoing support also provided a great sense of comfort, allowing us to focus on execution with renewed confidence.

My studies at MIT and ESADE were instrumental in shaping my LegalTech vision. At MIT, the focus was on understanding global LegalTech trends, exploring new business models in the legal sector, and gaining practical, hands-on training. We delved into coding, creating cryptocurrencies, and other essential skills for modern lawyers.

ESADE, on the other hand, provided a crucial understanding of digital transformation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, which was vital for building and scaling a LegalTech startup. Both programs together provided a holistic view of the technological and business aspects of modern legal practice.

We treat law , technology and design as equal pillars. Legal experts ensure accuracy and compliance, while engineers build scalable, intelligent systems and design ensure a great understanding and experience. Every feature goes through a dual validation process, making the product both precise and practical.

We’re entering a period where regulation will need to catch up quickly with technological change. I expect to see more specialized regulations for AI, data, and smart contracts focusing on accountability, transparency, and ethical use. In the Arab region, frameworks will likely evolve gradually but steadily, often inspired by global models but adapted to local legal traditions and regulatory styles.

The Arab market is more ready than ever, but adoption happens at different speeds. There’s growing momentum as legal teams look for efficiency and smarter ways of working. Once barriers of language, localization, and trust are addressed, adoption accelerates quickly.

Oqood’s journey began as an assignment during my digital transformation class, where the focus was on redesigning legal processes and establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to achieve specific objectives. This academic exercise quickly evolved into a real-world experiment. I decided to take the concept further and develop a Minimal Viable Product (MVP).

The response was overwhelming; the demand was insane, leading to over 3,000 users in a very short period. This incredible initial traction confirmed the urgent market need for such a solution and provided the impetus to transform a university project into a full-fledged startup.

AI is at the core of Oqood’s experience. It powers legal search, drafting, analysis, and compliance checks. But we see AI as an enabler, not a replacement. It handles repetitive, time-consuming work so lawyers can focus on strategy, judgment, and client relationships.

Legal work involves context, nuance, and ethical responsibility things AI can support but not fully replicate.

My advice is to acquire and learn a new set of skills that will allow them to solve real problems and think outside the box. There are also many great resources in books and courses that, to me, are a must. They should focus on understanding the intersection of law and technology, developing a strong grasp of business fundamentals, and cultivating a problem-solving mindset. Networking with other LegalTech professionals and staying updated on emerging trends is also crucial.

After securing this funding, our main goals at Oqood.ai are to rapidly scale up our dream team and aggressively pursue market share across the MENA region. We aim to enhance our product offerings, expand our operational footprint, and solidify our position as the leading LegalTech solution tailored for the Arab market.

The biggest challenges are mindset, localization, and trust. Many legal professionals are still used to traditional workflows and are cautious about change. There’s also a shortage of tools truly tailored to the region’s legal and linguistic context.

Finally, concerns around data privacy and accuracy make trust a key factor, once these gaps are addressed, adoption grows rapidly.

Oqood solves the inefficiency, cost, and risk embedded in legal workflows across MENA by providing a unified and collaborative, AI-powered legal workspace that automates legal research, document drafting, analysis and compliance, all tailored to local laws and languages.

Many factors contributed, importantly the undeniable traction and validation we had achieved. Our strategic partnership with the Kuwait Lawyers Bar Association also played a significant role.

Furthermore, the recognition we received, including being named one of the top 10 innovative products in Kuwait by the Sabah Alahmad Creativity Center and Kuwait Foundation, helped us attract investors to this emerging sector.

Oqood is built and designed from the ground up for the linguistic, legal, regulatory, and cultural realities of the MENA region. It’s fully bilingual, understands legal Arabic, and unifies fragmented regional laws and regulations in one intelligent platform.

When I was practicing law, it became increasingly apparent that the legal profession in our region lacked purpose-built tools designed to address our specific needs, language, and culture. The existing international platforms, while powerful, were often expensive and offered only basic search functionalities for local laws, with templates that were merely translated rather than culturally and legally tailored.

This significant gap highlighted a clear opportunity for innovation and a technology-driven approach to legal practice.

The transition presented numerous hurdles, both professional and personal. Professionally, navigating the unknown and uncertainty inherent in any entrepreneurial journey was a significant challenge. I had to deal with everything from building a new team and developing a product from scratch to securing funding and establishing market presence, all of which provided valuable lessons.

Personally, it required a shift in mindset, leaving behind the comfort and stability of a successful traditional law firm to embrace the risks and demands of a startup. Balancing this intense professional pivot with personal life required resilience and a strong support system.

Never stop learning, and never be afraid of change. Be flexible to pivot and adapt, because the landscape of traditional sectors is ripe for disruption. Your unique insights into the local market, combined with innovative technological approaches, can transform long-standing industries.

Focus on solving real problems with purpose-built solutions, and remember that resilience and passion are your most valuable assets.