It’s rare to ever find out about the inner workings of Lexis vs West? when bidding to keep a client. So we read with pleasure that Columbus OH County Legal Library managed to get their budget down – it is possible everyone
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If everybody started to make the figures public we’re pretty sure that it would affect prices.
We suggest all start doing it now. The economy is recovering and these leopards never change their spots.
Management at LN & West will soon be going misty eyed and dreaming that 2012 is the year that quarter by quarter growth will be back to pre 2007/08 figures and as always the library / Knowledge Centre will be squeezed
Here’s the story related by the Columbus Telegram
COLUMBUS – The Platte County Supervisors passed a measure that will save the county $730 per month in the first year of a new three-year contract for legal library research services.
District Court Judge Robert Steinke approached the board to discuss a need for a new contract for the electronic legal library.
The service is used by the trial court judges who serve Platte County, attorneys in the Platte County Attorney’s office and the Platte County Public Defenders office.
Steinke said the county’s current contract with Westlaw costs the county just under $1,400 per month.
He said in previous years other local attorneys made use of the service on the county’s coat tails and were billed accordingly.
Steinke said last year the Nebraska Supreme Court authorized the funding of law library research services for trial court judges but that letting the contract expire would leave the county’s attorneys without the service.
“So this year when we approached the program for the county attorneys we went shopping,” Steinke said. “The good news in this is that the price has gone down. Unfortunately both of the main companies that provide this service have disallowed the coat-tailing done by other local attorneys.”
Steinke explained the savings were coming as a result of strong competition between Westlaw and its competitor LexisNexis.
“We’ve used Westlaw for a long time,” Steinke said. “It turns out the state provides the service now for trial court judges using the program provided by LexisNexis.
He said a new contract with Westlaw would cost the county just over $1,000 per month with a 5 percent raise in that rate in year two and three of a three-year contract.
“With LexisNexis, option one provides the same resources we judges receive at a cost of just $630 per month with a 3 percent increase in year two and three of a three-year contract,” Steinke said.
Information provided by Steinke showed the cost of the new contract will be $7,560 in year one; $7787 for year two and $8,021 for year three of the contract.
