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FindLaw To Provide Free Access to Experience Records of Attorneys and Law Firms
Thomson Legal Record integrates directory listings and profiles with objective litigation history, additional third-party information
EAGAN, Minn., July 29, 2004 -- FindLaw® today announced the launch of the Thomson Legal Record, a first-of-its-kind resource designed to help in-house corporate attorneys make more informed decisions when hiring outside counsel. The Thomson Legal Record enables users to research and verify an attorney's real-world litigation experience by combining a high-level view of an attorney's litigation history drawn from Westlaw® with an attorney's West Legal Directory® profile and published articles on FindLaw.com. FindLaw is the leading provider of client development services to the legal profession and is a business within The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).
Visitors to the FindLaw Corporate Counsel Center (http://corporate.findlaw.com) or the FindLaw for Legal Professionals Web site (http://lp.findlaw.com) can now access the Thomson Legal Record at no charge to evaluate an attorney's skills and experience. While users can still find attorneys by name, practice area and location, the Thomson Legal Record introduces an entirely new dynamic – the ability to search for experience on specific legal matters, in specific courts and before specific judges.
The Thomson Legal Record is the latest FindLaw innovation that revolutionizes the way law firms market their services and expertise to new clients. With an average of 250,000 unique monthly users, the FindLaw Corporate Counsel Center provides legal professionals access to an audience that includes law departments at 83 of the Fortune 100 companies, who report FindLaw plays a role in their selection of outside counsel.
With the Thomson Legal Record, FindLaw plans to play an even more valuable role in helping in-house corporate counsel make hiring decisions by providing a free view of an attorney's litigation record drawn from court decisions on Westlaw, the legal profession's most powerful and preferred legal research service. West Legal Directory profiles also are displayed, providing a full-view of the individual's law practice, credentials and experience. To delve further into an attorney's litigation experience, researchers simply sign on to Westlaw or sign up for a limited free trial.
According to Debbie Monroe, FindLaw president and CEO, the Thomson Legal Record changes the landscape of directory service offerings. "By integrating this information into one easy-to-use interface, the Thomson Legal Record is the legal industry's only source for lawyers and law firms to market their expertise in a format that ties together self-reported credentials with an objective record of experience on specific legal matters, in specific courts and before specific judges," she said.
The launch of Thomson Legal Record is part of FindLaw's strategy to provide corporate law departments with comprehensive information and investigation tools that support the selection of outside counsel and managing the interests of their businesses.
In the coming months, the Thomson Legal Record will be expanded to draw on additional information resources, including Thomson Financial. These resources will enable users to assess transactional data and additional dimensions of lawyer and law firm expertise and experience. Visit http://www.findlaw.com for more information.
About FindLaw
FindLaw (www.findlaw.com) is the leading provider of online legal information and solutions for the legal community, businesses and individuals. According to comScore Media Metrix, a leading independent Web usage reporting service, the FindLaw Internet portal is the highest-trafficked legal Web site with 3.7 million unique monthly users – three times more than its closest competitor. The site provides comprehensive, plain-English legal information to businesses and individuals. These resources include West Legal Directory®, the Internet's largest directory of lawyers and legal professionals. FindLaw also offers comprehensive information, resources and services for law practice and legal career development, including free case law, an online career center, breaking legal news, newsletters, message boards, service directories, continuing legal education and legal search tools. In addition, FindLaw provides access to tools and services that help connect legal professionals with potential clients. FindLaw is a business within The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).
About The Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2003 revenues of $7.6 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 39,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).