Toronto entrepreneur Jeff Dutton, CEO and founder of goHeather, is reshaping how small and mid-sized businesses approach contracts. A former Bay Street lawyer turned legal-tech innovator, Dutton built goHeather as an AI-powered contract review and drafting platform that brings expert-level analysis directly into Microsoft Word or the browser. Designed to democratize access to legal services, the platform delivers in-line AI redlining, clause-by-clause risk analysis, and customizable Playbooks created by lawyers—all features once reserved for large enterprises but now accessible at a fraction of the cost.
What is your business called and what does it do?
goHeather is an AI-powered contract review and drafting platform that makes expert-level legal work fast, accessible, and affordable. Built by lawyers turned engineers, it delivers instant and reliable contract analysis directly in Microsoft Word or your browser.
The platform offers in-line AI redlining powered by lawyer-created Playbooks, a rare feature in legal tech. It flags risks, ranks them by severity, and explains each issue in plain, practical language, customized by jurisdiction and deal side. Features include clause-by-clause redlines, smart filters, in-app chat, and no-code Playbooks to enforce company policies.
goHeather fills a critical gap for small and mid-sized businesses without in-house counsel, providing the level of analysis once reserved for large enterprises at a fraction of the traditional cost.
What made you want to do this work?
After a career on Bay Street, I founded Dutton Law in 2016 to bring more agile and accessible legal services to entrepreneurs. But I quickly saw that traditional legal models were not designed for small and mid-sized businesses. These are the companies that need guidance most and often cannot afford it.
That realization pushed me to take a bigger leap. In 2023, I founded goHeather with a bold goal: to democratize contract workflows by delivering expert-level legal information at a fraction of the cost. I bootstrapped from scratch, built a product from the ground up, and entered a space long dominated by legacy firms with a fresh, AI-first approach.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
Making traditional legal services more accessible to small and mid-sized businesses, while modernizing the legal industry and legal technology to keep pace with advancements in AI and its capabilities.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Small to mid-sized businesses, independent owners, small to mid-sized law firms, entrepreneurs, and individual contractors – those without the resources for full-time in-house counsel or easy access to a lawyer or legal team.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
goHeather is a lawyer-trained, AI-powered contract workflow platform. AI Review (2023) is our core product. It analyzes any contract against Playbooks, common-law principles, and industry standards, flagging risks and proposing stronger wording directly in Microsoft Word or your browser. AI Draft (2021) complements Review by transforming company templates into interactive builders, enabling non-lawyers to generate approved contracts in minutes, making goHeather a true end-to-end drafting and review solution. We have over 500 paying business customers and 14,000 lifetime free users.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
goHeather is headquartered in Toronto, with a tech hub in Montreal.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
What do I do if I’m a startup or small business and I can’t afford the legal counsel required to protect myself and develop or review contracts? The answer as it relates to contract law really is goHeather.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
Developing and launching a product that I know truly delivers on an unmet market need is rewarding (most of our competitors focus on enterprise customers only), and entrepreneurship comes with the freedom and opportunities that are empowering. On the other hand, working for a large corporation often comes with numerous benefits and generous time off. It can be startling to launch a startup and see firsthand the stark difference in entrepreneurship in that regard.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
It’s like this: How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb in 2025?
Ten to argue over jurisdiction,
One to file an emergency injunction,
Three to draft a 50-page light bulb replacement agreement,
Two to research precedent on wattage,
One to bill 6.0 hours for “strategic consultation,”
One to send a DocuSign for approval,
Four to CC everyone on the email chain,
One to order ChatGPT to draft a motion,
One to outsource the actual screw-in to a paralegal,
And thirty to record time entries and submit invoices to the client.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
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