I recent months I have repeatedly highlighted the renewed energy and competition in the legal news space. I never anticipated that 
LexisNexis would be joining their competitors in launching a new legal news publication. After all, LexisNexis controls the majority of the US legal news content (Law360, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and a non-exclusive license for American Lawyer Media content.) And yet today LexisNexis is launching a new publication Law360 Pulse which will focus on the “business of law” and target readers in large and mid-sized firms as well as in house counsel.
Law360 Pulse is described in the press release as a “business of Law news service” including “ “the award-winning journalism and research of Law360 with powerful data and analytics from Lexis+ to deliver unparalleled business of law coverage, timely insights and industry intelligence that help law firms and legal departments succeed.”
The service will offer 24/7 breaking news, business of law feature articles, surveys, rankings and reports on law firm practices and trends. The first report, titled Physical Space in a Pandemic: How Law Firms are Adapting, was issued today alongside a broader series on how COVID-19 has impacted the business of law. Future content will include compensation data, attorney satisfaction, and surveys on managing partners and summer associates. Readers will also be able to set up custom news alerts.
At launch, Law360 Pulse will feature new business of law content spanning 14 topics and geographic regions, including:
- Modern Lawyer: Covering large law firm finances, leadership and lateral moves, compensation, government regulation, legal tech, legal ethics and disruption in the market.
- Mid-Law: Covering similar business of law topics from the perspective of regional and midmarket firms.
- In-House: Topics span executive moves, legal ops, technology, government policy, court developments and other forces reshaping how in-house lawyers do business.
- State-Specific Coverage: Focused business of law news from nine states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Additional state coverage will be added to the platform in the future.
- Courts: Covering the biggest news out of the courts, including major lawsuits and decisions, SCOTUS and other judiciary news, and policy changes that impact litigators.
- Daily Litigation: A sampling of federal and state litigation news from across the country, including complaints and decisions in notable cases such as class actions and MDL bellwethers.
“Law360 Pulse tracks the issues, trends and challenges that shape today’s leading firms and legal departments, with in-depth coverage on important topics that can give organizations a competitive edge, such as new technologies, diversity and inclusion programs, alternate fee options, and more,” said Rachel Travers, Vice President & General Manager, Law360. “Our exclusive Surveys & Rankings section will provide readers with critical insights and intelligence that can be used to inform business decisions.”
Future Developments will leverage insights from LexisNexis analytics tools by integrating data visualization and analytics from LexMachina and CourtLink “to help readers anticipate opportunities and uncover trends and patterns that affect their practice.”
Market Context I confess I am a little confused. Law360 Pulse sounds a lot like the existing Law360 product. Law360 has lots of “business of law” content including surveys and analytics. Until now all Law360 content was sold as an enterprise package – law firms could not lower their subscription cost by selecting the topics they needed. So is this content being peeled off of Law360 in order to create a new revenue stream? My cynical assessment is “yes” – this is all about inventing a new revenue stream. (Thomson Reuters has employed a similar tactic in charging for “new” Practical Law modules that are clearly part of an existing practice module but suddenly rebranded and sold separately). I am especially perplexed by LexisNexis decision to include litigation news – which is more than adequately covered by the existing Law360 newsletters. In addition to being redundant – won’t it also dilute the new Law360 Pulse brand identity? Or is adding litigation news an inexpensive way to pad “Pulse” with Law360 content? Or was Pulse developed in response to the recently announced change to LexisNexis relationship with American Lawyer Media – their main competitor in the business of law and law firm survey business? Law firms have an insatiable hunger for legal market insights and competitive news – so Law360 Pulse will have a ready market – but if the price it too high – law firms may “wait and see” how compelling and unique the content is.
Questions still to be answered
- How much will Law360 Pulse cost?
- Will Lexis sell stand alone subscriptions to Law360 Pulse?
- Does this signal a change in Law360 licensing terms, allowing firms to control costs by subscribing only to the Law360 topics of interest?
- Or will Pulse require a full Law360 subscription which in turn requires a full Lexis Advance or Lexis+ subscription?
Free Trial Complimentary access to Law360 Pulse is being offered for a limited period of time to legal professionals. For more information about Law360 Pulse, and to start a free trial, please visit www.law360.com/pulse.
Here is the full press release:
LexisNexis Launches Law360 Pulse, a Comprehensive Business of Law News Service
Award-winning journalism combines with deep data and analytics to deliver unparalleled business of law news coverage, timely insights and industry intelligence
NEW YORK, January 4, 2021 – LexisNexis® today unveiled Law360 Pulse, a new business of law news service. Law360 Pulse combines the award-winning journalism and research of Law360 with powerful data and analytics from Lexis+ to deliver unparalleled business of law coverage, timely insights and industry intelligence that help law firms and legal departments succeed. The new offering complements Law360’s industry-leading practice of law coverage, giving legal professionals a single best source for comprehensive legal news.
Law360 Pulse keeps lawyers on top of industry issues and trends, such as leadership and lateral moves, finances, compensation, technology, government policy, regulations, ethics and more. With in-depth focus on large and mid-market firms, in-house counsel, courts and litigation, and local coverage in nine states, readers can customize their Law360 Pulse news feed by selecting the content that’s of most interest, signing up for daily newsletters and setting alerts to stay better informed.
“Law360 is already the legal industry’s daily ‘must read’ source for news and content across a broad spectrum of practice areas. The addition of Law360 Pulse to that platform gives readers a single destination for all of their business and practice of law news,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO, LexisNexis North America. “Law360 Pulse also connects directly to source documents available in Lexis and Lexis+, integrating the day’s news and feature content directly into the attorney’s workflow.”
In addition to 24/7 breaking legal news and in-depth features on business of law issues, Law360 Pulse will release a series of insightful surveys, rankings and reports on law firm practices and industry trends to keep law firms and legal departments better informed. The first report, titled Physical Space in a Pandemic: How Law Firms are Adapting, was issued today alongside a broader series on how COVID-19 has impacted the business of law. Future content will include compensation data, attorney satisfaction, and surveys on managing partners and summer associates.
“Law360 Pulse tracks the issues, trends and challenges that shape today’s leading firms and legal departments, with in-depth coverage on important topics that can give organizations a competitive edge, such as new technologies, diversity and inclusion programs, alternate fee options, and more,” said Rachel Travers, Vice President & General Manager, Law360. “Our exclusive Surveys & Rankings section will provide readers with critical insights and intelligence that can be used to inform business decisions.”
At launch, Law360 Pulse will feature new business of law content spanning 14 topics and geographic regions, including:
- Modern Lawyer: Covering large law firm finances, leadership and lateral moves, compensation, government regulation, legal tech, legal ethics and disruption in the market.
- Mid-Law: Covering similar business of law topics from the perspective of regional and midmarket firms.
- In-House: Topics span executive moves, legal ops, technology, government policy, court developments and other forces reshaping how in-house lawyers do business.
- Courts: Covering the biggest news out of the courts, including major lawsuits and decisions, SCOTUS and other judiciary news, and policy changes that impact litigators.
- Daily Litigation: A sampling of federal and state litigation news from across the country, including complaints and decisions in notable cases such as class actions and MDL bellwethers.
- State-Specific Coverage: Focused business of law news from nine states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Additional state coverage will be added to the platform in the future.
Law360 Pulse will continue evolving to keep ahead of the changing needs of its readers. In addition to expanded news and feature content, future enhancements will include insights derived from LexisNexis’s industry-leading analytics tools. Articles will integrate data visualizations and analytics from authoritative sources such as Lex Machina and CourtLink to help readers anticipate opportunities and uncover trends and patterns that affect their practice.
Starting today, LexisNexis will be offering legal professionals complimentary access to Law360 Pulse for a limited time. For more information about Law360 Pulse, and to start a free trial, please visit www.law360.com/pulse.
About LexisNexis Legal & Professional
LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 10,600 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.
About Law360
Law360, a LexisNexis company, is a one-stop source for legal news and in-depth analysis, with up-to-the-minute coverage of litigation, regulation and enforcement, legislation, executive orders, administrative hearings, corporate deal-making, and more across dozens of practice areas, industries, and jurisdictions. With a unique blend of cutting-edge technology and journalistic expertise, Law360 delivers the intelligence legal and business professionals need to remain experts and get ahead of the curve. Visit www.law360.com to find out what more than 1.5 million readers at top law firms, Fortune 1000 companies, and key government agencies already know.
