Fairhope Lawyer Develops Software for Attorneys

Clay Rankin of Cognito has practiced law in Mobile—at a big firm and, for the past seven years, as a sole practitioner—for more than 50 years. At 77 years old, he has become an entrepreneur. Rankin developed Cognito, a newly launched web-based platform intended to help attorneys everywhere use their time more efficiently, according to a recent feature in Business Alabama. Using Cognito, a lawyer creates tasks and can attach any text-based information to easily recall it later. Rankin worked with technology incubator Hatch Fairhope since 2019 to attract investors and change the trajectory of Cognito. Beta users include Rankin’s church, a regional conference center that uses it to organize events, several law firms in Baldwin County and a legal technology class at Birmingham’s Cumberland School of Law. Demonstrations may be scheduled.