New York, NY – LegalTech 2007 – Jan. 29, 2007 – Thomson West today announced that lawyers using West km, the legal market's leading knowledge management tool, now have a new level of power, functionality and flexibility when drafting documents using content from multiple sources thanks to the integration of West km with Microsystems D3 (Dynamic Document Drafting). The integration greatly improves lawyer productivity by making it easy to find the best knowledge accessible through West km, and reuse it while drafting documents in Microsoft Word with D3. West is a business within The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market.
On a daily basis, transaction and litigation lawyers face the challenge of drafting documents with content that is derived from multiple sources. West km now addresses this challenge by extending the content management functionality of D3 with West km's comprehensive knowledge management and search capabilities. For example, lawyers can now simply drag and drop relevant content from documents retrieved by West km when drafting Word documents, and the content will automatically match the format and style of the new document.
The integration is being lauded by market-leading law firms such as Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. "Orrick uses both West km and D3 to provide our firm with a competitive advantage when serving our clients," said Peter Krakaur, chief knowledge officer of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. "A combined interface promises to streamline our access to these solutions and enable our lawyers to produce a better quality work product even more efficiently."
West km is a knowledge management solution that combines a firm's work product – its briefs, memoranda and other authored work – with KeyCite® and Westlaw®, allowing practitioners to find relevant content and gain insight from their collective experience. D3, a document creation, automation and content management solution, enables lawyers to rapidly build first draft legal documents using boilerplate content, variable-driven content and direct connections to firm data sources.
"This integration makes it easier to leverage the real value of a law firm's expertise, and to apply that expertise in supporting other clients," said George May, vice president, Knowledge Management, Thomson West. "It also reflects our focus on delivering the productivity tools that best support the attorneys' practice," he added. "By combining D3's rapid first-drafting capabilities with West km content for rounding out drafts, lawyers are able to focus more of their billable time on serving the unique needs of their clients."
Editor's note: West km will be showcased at LegalTech New York 2007. LegalTech conference attendees can view a product presentation by visiting Microsystems at booth #415.
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About Thomson West
Headquartered in Eagan, Minn., Thomson West is the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market. Thomson West is a business within The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and was formed when West Publishing and Thomson Legal Publishing merged in June 1996. For more information, please visit the Thomson West Web site at west.thomson.com.
About Microsystems
Microsystems is the leader in providing complete, "first draft to final delivery" document lifecycle solutions to the legal and life sciences markets and other document-intensive businesses. The company provides more than 500 law firms and life sciences companies with an innovative combination of software products, consulting services, and training designed to improve the total document creation, quality control, and delivery processes. Microsystems is headquartered near Chicago in Lombard, IL.
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