LexisNexis has announced Lexis for Microsoft Office -“ a new set of research capabilities that will enable legal professionals to access content and services from LexisNexis and other sources while operating directly within Microsoft Office applications. Legal professionals can now find, analyze and act upon legal content while working within Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.
Input from hundreds of customers and other legal professionals shaped the development of Lexis for Microsoft Office, which was specifically designed to address their need to work more efficiently and productively, and ultimately serve clients better. Customers can now access vital information from the LexisNexis services, the open Web as well as designated law firm or corporate files in one place and with the click of a button -“ eliminating time and energy intense searches across disparate sources and applications.
“Lexis for Microsoft Office is a significant leap forward in the transformation of legal technology – both in what it delivers and how it is being created,” said Michael F. Walsh, CEO of LexisNexis U.S. Legal Markets. “Working closely with our customers, we’ve created a whole new way to access and use the trusted information they need directly from their day-to-day desktop applications. This frees them to focus on legal reasoning and strategy, responding faster to client issues and questions, and confidently managing legal matters.”
How it Works
While reviewing a Word document or an Outlook e-mail message, Lexis for Microsoft Office users can seamlessly access content and resources from LexisNexis, the open Web, or their law firm or corporate files. Key features include:
- “Search” -“ A single search box that delivers one-click access to the vast collection of legal content from LexisNexis, the open Web and the user’s internal company information database. Results from all sources are displayed in a window next to the active document.
- “Background” -“ This function provides background information on “entities” such as people, companies, organizations and cases mentioned in the text of a Word document or Outlook message. It automatically indexes the working document with hyperlinks to relevant information from internal, LexisNexis and Web resources. Upon clicking the hyperlink, the information is displayed in a side pane within the Microsoft Office applications. The Background feature will also display full Shepard’s reports and apply Shepard’s Signal indicators directly to the cases cited within the text of the document. Full text versions of case law, news and information cited within an e-mail message or Word document can also be accessed through the lexis.com resources directly within the Microsoft software application.
- “Suggest” -“ Similar to the Background function, this functionality interacts with any text in a Word document or Outlook message. By manually highlighting text, the user can prompt a search that will pull up relevant information from internal, LexisNexis and Web resources. The content is displayed in a side pane within the application.
While using SharePoint Server and Microsoft SharePoint Workspace, subscribers also have the ability to store, organize and share documents on a related topic from a SharePoint site. SharePoint can also act as an internal company database from which Lexis for Microsoft Office pulls information.
“With the increasing importance for law firms to bring meaning to content more quickly and cost effectively, Lexis for Microsoft Office provides a powerful new tool for legal professionals to access their information through a familiar, easy-to-use and integrated environment,” said Brian Zeve, U.S. professional services industry managing director, Microsoft Corp.
Lexis for Microsoft Office will launch for Microsoft Office 2007 in spring 2010, and will be available with Microsoft Office 2010. To access and use these capabilities, users will require a current LexisNexis subscription.
