On Wednesday, November 25, 1998 Christopher Noe said
>>Colleagues:
>>Quote from the West letter about Shepard's Citations on Westlaw:
>>"We believe it is not in the best interests of the marketplace
>>because it will reduce the choices available to legal professionals."
>>For some reason this struck me as a rather amusing statement coming from
>>a company which has itself been responsible for reducing the choices
>>available to legal professionals.
So here's an openletter/question to Ms. Ellis and Mr. Hall:
Are West & Lexis really in competition?
Didn't the two firms enter into two secret
agreements in the late 80's which have been
'updated' in the 90's. This creates the
appearance of competition, but now
won't everyone have to buy from one or
the other (and frequently both) of the only
two suppliers--both of which is a party to the "caselaw"
and "statutory" agreements referred to in the D.C.
Antitrust case? This didn't happen until RE, Lexis'
parent bought Matthew Bender, which purchased Shepards?
Is it, or is it not true (as West has said) that even the judge
who supposedly "oversees" these 2 agreement doesn't have a copy?
Carl Hartmann
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu]On
Behalf Of Ellis, Anne
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 3:23 PM
To: 'law-lib@ucdavis.edu'
Subject: Letter to AALL Members from West Group's Brian Hall
The following is a letter from West Group CEO and President, Brian Hall,
which addresses the continued migration from Shepard's to KeyCite.
November 23, 1998
Dear AALL Members:
West Group appreciates the opportunity to respond to Lexis-Nexis' November
18 announcement that it will not be renewing its contract with West Group to
provide its Shepard's* citation service on Westlaw*. We were in contact with
Lexis-Nexis' parent company Reed Elsevier within the last two weeks to
discuss the contract negotiations. West Group prefers to provide our
customers with a choice in citators and we are disappointed with Lexis'
decision. We believe it is not in the best interests of the marketplace
because it will reduce the choices available to legal professionals.
We would like to assure you that Westlaw will continue to provide you with
the superior service that you have come to expect. Our renowned Key Number
System, headnotes, comprehensive case law and revolutionary citator service,
KeyCite*, are available only through Westlaw. We have been providing legal
professionals with premier legal research tools such as these for more than
120 years.
Although Shepard's will no longer be available on Westlaw starting July 2,
1999, you can be confident all of your research needs will continue to be
met by KeyCite. KeyCite supports all of the essential research functions
that Shepard's does, and provides many added functions as well. When you
take advantage of KeyCite, you can have confidence in your research results,
because you know the same editors who create West Group's reliable Key
Number System and headnotes also make the case law judgments and connections
used by KeyCite.
Studies have shown that KeyCite is more accurate, current, comprehensive and
efficient than Shepard's. A recent independent study by Fred Shapiro,
associate law librarian at Yale University, found that KeyCite retrieved 57
percent more citations than Shepard's on Lexis. Moreover, KeyCite usage is
more than double that of any other citator service currently available on
Westlaw. Because customers recognize its value, KeyCite has become our
fastest-selling product.
We are currently doing everything necessary to continue to ensure a smooth
transition from Shepard's to KeyCite for our Westlaw users. We have account
management teams determining, on an account-by-account basis, the easiest
method for each legal professional to continue the transition. As part of
our commitment to provide personalized service, account managers will be
working with customers to develop customized plans within the next two to
three weeks. We will continue to provide you with the choice, accuracy and
credibility that you have come to expect from Westlaw, the trusted standard
of online legal information.
Respectfully,
Brian H. Hall
President and CEO
West Group
Anne V. Ellis
Director, Librarian Relations, West Online
West Group
610 Opperman Drive
Mail Code D5-19B
Eagan, MN 55123
651-687-5019
651-687-5614(Fax)
anne.ellis@westgroup.com
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