Carta Just Bought Avantia and Launched Carta Law: Why the 'AI-Native Law Firm' Story Is Really a Unified-Platform Story for Mid-Market Firms in 2026

On May 12, 2026, Carta acquired UK ALSP Avantia and launched Carta Law — an AI-first law firm wired directly into a fund-administration ERP. The headline reads 'AI-native law firm.' The real lesson for mid-market firms is unified-platform architecture: legal work that runs on the same data layer as accounting, compliance, and operations.