A project that shows innovation in action

Peter Jackson, chief scientist and vice president, Thomson Reuters, participated in a panel discussion at the SIAA NetGain Conference in San Francisco.

The topic was innovation and the challenges facing information companies in the digital age and amid the rise of social media.

Jackson, who is on the NetGain Steering Committee, discussed some of what Thomson Reuters has been working on, including the Reuters Insider multimedia project. Jackson’s team is involved in finding new ways to index video online and make it searchable, providing more insight and context to the end-user.

According to Jackson, the project is in beta and close to official release. He says it required new ways of thinking by his teams, and new uses for existing patented technology that’s already fueling many customer applications within the legal business.

In this video interview after the session, Jackson talked about the conference, the innovative work at Thomson Reuters and also provides more specifics on his team’s work on Reuters Insider:

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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SIIA NetGain Conference

Greetings from the Software and Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) NetGain Conference at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

I’m attending the conference for two reasons. One, WestBlog is a finalist for an SIIA CODiE Award in the Best Corporate Blog category and Westlaw Business is a finalist in the category of Best Online Business Information Service.

The second reason is to highlight some of the topics up for discussion at the conference for WestBlog, including a panel this morning on innovation featuring Peter Jackson, chief scientist and vice president, Thomson Reuters.

NetGain has several other interesting sessions on tap, and keynotes from author Judith Estrin, Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive, Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine and Kara Swisher of D: All Things Digital.

You can follow updates from NetGain here on WestBlog, and on Twitter with the hashtags #netgain or #SIIA.

By the way, the CODiEs will be handed out tomorrow night. We’ll be sure to let you know if we bring home some hardware.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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City Pages provides legal research history lesson

An article in City Pages traces the history of West and the value and expertise that West and Thomson Reuters provide through their professional legal research and reference products.

Erin Carlyle conducted interviews with several leaders within the legal businesses of Thomson Reuters, including President & CEO Peter Warwick.

City Pages is a weekly newspaper in Minneapolis/St. Paul, covering news and entertainment in the Twin Cities and Minnesota.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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First iPhone app from Thomson Reuters

Sometimes innovation starts with a trip to a bar.

Literally.

While winding down at the end of a day of recruiting new talent for West at Michigan State University last October, Dan Bennett and Jay Peyer started talking about the kinds of iPhone and iPod touch applications they could create.

Little did they know that conversation would put them on a path to develop the first Thomson Reuters app for the popular Apple mobile devices.

Today their creation, a Black’s Law Dictionary app, is officially for sale on iTunes.

The app features the 8th edition of the relied-upon and respected dictionary, edited by Bryan A. Garner. Black’s is considered by many attorneys, legal professionals and law students to be the most citable and credible legal dictionary. And a mobile version just made sense, to provide easy access to its legal terms and phrases and embedded audio of that information which does not require an Internet connection.

The process to create the Black’s Law Dictionary app allowed Bennett, a senior director in New Product Technology at West, and Peyer, a senior software engineer in Application Technology, to break new ground.

In this video interview, they explain how they made it happen:

The Black’s Law Dictionary app from Thomson Reuters is available for purchase on the App Store in Apple’s iTunes for $49.99.

Even Garner, himself very much a fan of books, is excited to see Black’s Law on the iPhone.

“The idea that you can have a very full, elaborate, complex and richly textured book like Black’s available at your fingertips is fantastic,” Garner says. “I myself am stubbornly in favor of print sources, but I like to watch my daughters use their iPhones. And I know that there’s another generation of people who really prefer the electronic medium at their fingertips.”

While Black’s Law Dictionary is the first iPhone application from Thomson Reuters, there’s more in the queue. We’ll keep you posted as more apps are launched.

More coverage:
ABAJournal.com

Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites

iPhone J.D.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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Doing deals in China

The practice of law in the People’s Republic of China can be a challenge for any attorney working on behalf of companies doing business with the Chinese.

China, now the world’s third-largest economy and the recipient of more foreign investment each year than any other country, can be a bit intimidating. Its business laws and the practice of deal-making have long been a source of confusion or mystery.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I recently talked with Owen D. Nee Jr., of counsel with Jones Day, for a Westcast podcast (Listen to the audio).

Nee told me the failure of many joint ventures is linked to basic misunderstandings of the deal-making process, which too often occur because the investor or its counsel fail to study the applicable legal ground rules.

Nee wrote the new Shareholder Agreements and Joint Ventures in China from West, and co-authored Mergers and Acquisitions in China with Jingzhou Tao, partner at Jones Day.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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ABA TECHSHOW delivers value

ABA TECHSHOW, presented by the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section (LPM), just marked its 23rd year. The event in Chicago is billed as “the world’s premier legal technology CLE conference and expo,” with three days of educational sessions in legal technology and networking for legal professionals.

Several of our colleagues within the legal businesses of Thomson Reuters were on hand and we did some video interviews with a few of them on April 3, the last day of the show, to get a sense of what they were hearing from customers.

Sean Carter, field technology manager for West, discusses a presentation he gave on delivering value and using technology wisely to improve efficiency and workflow in this video interview:

We also talked with Jill Dabrowski, a product developer at West, who discussed the importance of understanding chronology and timelines for attorneys – especially litigators.

Knowing when things happened or what’s happening next is important- not only in managing a case, but also versions of documents and overall workflow. Here’s Jill’s interview about West Case Timeline:

And, Donna Weinberg, product specialist at West, told us about LiveNote and Case Notebook and the positive response from attendees about the products. Watch her overview of the features of Case Notebook in this interview:

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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Client development on display at ABA Techshow

We’ve moved on to the ABA Techshow at the Chicago Hilton. And it’s clear that the client development businesses of Thomson Reuters are showcasing their technology and tools at Techshow.

Preston McKenzie, vice president and general manager of Client Development for Thomson Reuters, explains in this video interview why it’s a good time to learn more about the benefits of these businesses:

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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West author confirmed to DOJ post

The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed David Kris as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Kris is the co-author of National Security Investigations and Prosecutions, published by West.

His confirmation yesterday is the subject of this article on Law.com.

Kris spent the last six years as senior vice president and deputy general counsel at Time Warner. From 2000 to 2003, he was associate deputy attorney general. In that role, his unclassified responsibilities included supervising the government’s use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

To hear some of his insight on national security, listen to this Westcast podcast.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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Challenging times for immigration law

Attorney – and West author – Careen Shannon recently paid a visit to the headquarters of the legal businesses of Thomson Reuters to help get the word out about a new book.

Shannon, along with Austin Fragomen and Daniel Montalvo, wrote the State Immigration Employment Compliance Handbook.

Shannon is with Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy. She also is an adjunct professor at at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

In this video interview, she told us there’s a real need for attorneys and businesses to pay closer attention to state immigration laws and the consequences of violating them:

Shannon, along with Fragomen and Montalvo, also is featured in this Westcast audio podcast, discussing the reason for the rise in state immigration laws and the challenges for abiding by them.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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See Scalia in a free CLE

Part of a continuing legal education event (CLE) featuring United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner, is now available on West LegalEdcenter.

For free.

The unique CLE course from LawProse was based on the book Scalia and Garner co-authored, “Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges,” published by West.

They teamed up for the CLE on July 25, 2008 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center has granted West permission to post one hour of the five hour event online.

The CLE excerpt provides a glimpse into how Scalia and Garner presented the points in their book about legal reasoning and argument, brief-writing and oral argument to the live audience.

It’s informative and often entertaining, with several memorable quotes from both men. All profits from the event went to Legal Aid of Washington, D.C.

In addition to the excerpt on West LegalEdcenter, highlights from the CLE – featuring clips from Scalia and Garner’s entire event – also are included in this three minute Westcast video podcast, along with an interview with Garner:

Again, to access the free video excerpt from the CLE on West LegalEdcenter, click here.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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IRS chooses Thomson Reuters

We wanted to let you know that West  has been awarded a new multi-year contract from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for comprehensive research services, including legal, tax, news and business information.

It means that up to 25,000 IRS professionals across all of its divisions will have access to a special version of Westlaw geared expressly for tax, legal and regulatory research.

“Over the past several years, the Westlaw team has worked closely with the Tax & Accounting businesses of Thomson Reuters to integrate a content set designed specifically for attorneys and tax practitioners researching legal questions,” said President and CEO Peter Warwick, Thomson Reuters, Legal.

“This tax content has been expanded into a unique offering for the IRS, easily managed in a version of Westlaw that uses the structure of the U.S. Federal Tax code as the primary navigational architecture.”

The Westlaw package was customized for the unique needs of IRS staff and agents. Select assets from across the Legal and Tax & Accounting segments of Thomson Reuters, as well as from BNA, are tightly integrated within a tailored Westlaw interface.

The service also enhanced West’s unique KeyCite citator to allow users to quickly and easily retrieve a list of all Westlaw cases and statutes, administrative decisions and analytical sources that cite a particular subsection or paragraph of the tax code.

“We make it our business to know our customers better than anyone else in this industry,” Warwick said. “The IRS Westlaw platform showcases the unique ability of Thomson Reuters to bring together the right mix of content, analysis, technology and customer service to meet the needs of even our most complex customers. The selection by the IRS is a gratifying endorsement for our work and speaks well of the collective strength of Thomson Reuters.”

Posted by Angelique Schaffer, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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State immigration laws

Noted immigration attorney and author Austin T. Fragomen Jr. says the increase in states enacting their own laws about the employment of unauthorized foreign workers requires businesses to learn more about those regulations and their relationship to federal laws.

“Companies frequently don’t understand the consequences of these state immigration laws,” said Fragomen. “This is a very fast-changing area of the law.”

Fragomen co-authored the newly-released State Immigration Employment Compliance Handbook, published by West, with Careen Shannon and Daniel Montalvo.

All three also participated in this Westcast podcast discussion about state immigration laws and the challenges for businesses and attorneys who need to understand them.

They also discuss the resources contained in their book which includes the full text of relevant state laws and state regulations for employing noncitizens and in-depth analysis of those laws.

“The specter of a state revoking a corporation’s license to do business in that state is a pretty profound and significant penalty,” says Fragomen. “So, this in an important area for a new publication.”

Austin Fragomen is chairman, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, P.C; Careen Shannon, of the same firm, also is an adjunct professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; and Daniel Montalvo is an immigration lawyer and author.

In addition to the State Immigration Employment Compliance Handbook, Fragomen, Shannon and Montalvo wrote the Immigration Employment Compliance Handbook, which covers federal immigration laws. 

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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Eagan TV coverage on the Web

The Star Tribune recently highlighted the Thomson Reuters partnership with Eagan (Minn.) Community Television.

We first mentioned the arrangement in a previous post (“Broadcasting from our basement”) here on WestBlog.

The partnership with the city has resulted in a broadcast studio within the headquarters of our legal businesses in Eagan. The studio also received coverage last week in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

(Photo: David Brewster, Star Tribune)

E-TV also has gotten coverage in the community newspapers that serve Eagan, including an article and video in This Week Eagan and a story and video on YouTube from the Eagan Sun-Current.

Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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The future of the book business

This is a guest post to WestBlog from Peter Jackson, chief scientist and vice president at Thomson Reuters in Eagan, Minn.:

A Nov. 2007 National Endowment for the Arts study showed that both book reading and book purchases are in decline (see “To Read Or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence”).

This is true even for popular titles, and even among college graduates. Meanwhile, online sellers are eroding book sales in stores, and the used book market is stronger than ever. With the recent advent of the Amazon Kindle, even the physical manifestation of the book seems to be in a state of flux.

What is the future of the book business?

What’s in a name?

If you’re an attorney researching a witness or doing any type of investigative research, you probably are familiar with the myriad resources for public records information.

It’s all out there … you might spend a few hours checking different sources, in the end compiling a report customized with the information you need.

West recently launched Westlaw PeopleMap – a new tool that will change how lawyers are doing public records research. According to Brian Knudsen, senior director of Marketing for West, “Westlaw PeopleMap is one of the biggest products we’re launching in 2009. It’s built on significant data architecture changes that make public records research more accurate and comprehensive for the researcher.”

We talked with Brian and Kevin Appold, senior director of Product Development. See them discuss the development of Westlaw PeopleMap and how it’s different from other public records research tools in this video:

You can get a glimpse at how Westlaw PeopleMap works, and a peek at the graphical display in a recorded demo.

Posted by Angelique Schaffer, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters

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