Can Lexis unRavel Westlaw?
By Michael Feit | Vendors
Lexis announced this week they have acquired Ravel Law. With acquisitions like Lex Machina and now Ravel, Lexis has seemingly cornered the market on analytics and data-driven decision making.
In recent years, due to Westlaw’s incredible popularity with law school graduates, and some notable problems with LexisAdvance rollouts, Lexis’ value–and pricing–diminished. However, Lexis has regrouped, formulating a strategy to rebound by acquiring new, innovative companies and reinvesting in law school programs. Most importantly, Lexis is promising to knit it all together, linking the new products with a common gateway into an improved LexisAdvance.
The Ravel acquisition is an important pivot point, and we think Lexis’ usage and pricing are headed for a bounce-back. Westlaw is ripe for a take-down. The market will continue to become less tolerant of Westlaw’s high pricing compared to Lexis’ (more than double). For the first time in a while, it is an excellent time to ‘buy’ Lexis, for firms that can negotiate a reasonable and optimal price.