WestlawNext Folder Sharing Taps the Collective Knowledge of the Entire Organization

EAGAN, Minn., Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, is introducing powerful new folder-sharing capabilities to its ground-breaking legal research system, WestlawNext™ (http://www.westlawnext.com).

Managing the collective knowledge of your organization is at the core of WestlawNext's new folder-sharing feature. Modern organizations use modern technology to reduce costs and deliver better results faster. With folder sharing, the most experienced researchers in an organization can be part of every project. Folder sharing eliminates the need to redo research that's already been done, and it gives attorneys and research teams a simple and intuitive way to contribute to, and draw from, a growing, organization-specific knowledge base that becomes increasingly valuable to everyone in the organization. If an associate can leverage research that has previously been done by others within a firm, that can translate to thousands of dollars in real cost savings to the firm's clients.

Folder sharing for WestlawNext makes it easy for anyone in an organization to create, share and modify folders. For example, researchers can start a new research project by reviewing folders created by internal experts, eliminating hours of unnecessary research. Librarians can develop folders and subfolders that focus on current awareness, topical knowledge or practice-area expertise and make those folders available to every attorney in the organization. And while it's easy to share folders, the owner of the original folder is always in control by deciding who is allowed to review and contribute research to any particular folder.  

With folder sharing, WestlawNext users can now collaborate with team members across the office or across the country in real time. "[Folder sharing] is going to help offices like mine, which has satellite offices in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, share information with a partner who's two hours away," said Brent Kimball, associate, Greenspoon Marder, Orlando, Fla. "New research is clearly labeled, making it easy for team members to stay up-to-date on all of the organization's legal matters. Team members can store documents and selected text in folders that can be accessed by designated team members or made available to everyone in an organization."

"Folder sharing was the feature most frequently requested by WestlawNext customers – a testament to their need for increased efficiency and productivity in today's economy," said Stephanie Fox, director, New Product Development. "The bottom line: folder sharing is a powerful feature that builds on an organization's legal research and expertise by taking that research to a new level through collaboration with others in the organization."

Working with customers, the WestlawNext team saw that legal professionals could benefit from solutions beyond search. Using outdated tools, it was cumbersome to annotate, organize and share relevant documents. Dozens of practical and cutting-edge features in WestlawNext, such as folder sharing, not only save users time and complement their workflow, but also make them more effective by facilitating quick and easy knowledge sharing.

"This is ultimately what we're driving for," Fox added. "The ability to collaborate with everyone in a law firm or corporate legal department truly defines intelligent information and provides the competitive advantage that our customers experience with WestlawNext."

Introduced in February 2010, WestlawNext is the ground-breaking legal research system that represents the culmination of technological innovation and more than 100 years of the business's attorney-created editorial analysis. WestlawNext offers the world's most advanced legal search engine, a clean, modern interface, and intelligent workflow features and functionality that make legal professionals significantly more efficient, and gives them the confidence that they've uncovered every relevant document, ultimately providing better service and cost savings for law firms and the clients they serve.

For more information about WestlawNext, visit http://www.westlawnext.com.

For more information about the folder-sharing feature in WestlawNext, visit http://west.thomson.com/westlawnext/about/folder-sharing/

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in more than 100 countries. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com

SOURCE Thomson Reuters Legal