One of the hottest topics in legal information today is the
use of data analytics, or harnessing large amounts of data to create
assessments and make predictions. Legal research vendors are now offering
their own, specialized tools that subscribers can use to take advantage of the
copious amounts of data already present within the system’s databases.
One of these vendors, Bloomberg Law, has introduced a
feature they call Law Firm Representation Analytics. This tool uses Bloomberg
Law’s popular and expansive database of court dockets to show users the top law
firms representing a particular company in federal litigation.
To use the tool,
simply search for the company’s name using the “Go” bar at the upper-right hand
side of any Bloomberg Law page. Once the
company’s name appears on the list of Suggested Companies, select it. The
federal litigation analytics will display on the company’s page, along with
other information about the company and its performance if it is a
publicly-traded company. Once you have clicked into the litigation analytics
information, you can look at the company’s litigation history, and the firms
that represent the company in various types of litigation.
For example, after searching Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
and launching the law firm analytics, I can see that Vinson & Elkins has
represented Southwest in 108 of 335 appearances in federal court over the last
five years. This information can be used by potential hires and competing
businesses and firms to understand who represents major clients, and in what
practice area. Though one should note that this information is limited to
federal court actions, this new tool is unlike any other we’ve seen from other major
legal research vendors, and is available to all Bloomberg Law users.
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