Alternative legal services provider Axiom is embarking on a new hiring spree that could make the company a bigger player on the legal technology market—and more of a rival to some law firms.

The company is planning to open a new research and development facility in Seattle, and over the next 18 months it will likely more than double its number of technology employees, including engineers and data scientists, CEO Elena Donio said in an interview this week.

On Monday Axion tapped Doug Hebenthal, a tech industry veteran who has worked for Microsoft and Amazon, to serve as its first chief technology officer.