LexisNexis has acquired the merger control intelligence provider Caselex. This acquisition stands in line with LexisNexis’ recent strategy comprehending the acquisitions of Parley Pro and Closd as well as the partnership with Josef.
LexisNexis told ArtificialLawyer that the acquisition is part of an “ongoing commitment to provide one place where lawyers can get the legal intelligence they need to advise their clients” and that with Caselex, LexisNexis can now offer “competition lawyers a truly integrated and differentiated suite of offerings”.
Caselex’ Netherlands-based core-team consists of six people, supported by about 40 editors, each having a background in competition law. Caselex declares to be the leader in merger control information, offering insight into market definitions. They have developed a client base consisting of over 100 leading national and international law firms, as well as Courts, Competition Authorities, and companies from over 30 countries across the world, as stated on their website: “So far, more than 5.000 professionals have used Caselex, conducting over 250.000 searches for merger control decisions and market definitions on our platform.” Moreover, their service covers 55 jurisdictions.
But what is a “market definition”? This is how Caselex explained it to ArtificialLawyer: “Market definition often plays a vital role in the application of competition law. A transaction cannot be said to effect competition until the relevant market has been defined. As such, market definitions established in previous cases by regulators around the world provide competition lawyers with invaluable guidance for their approach going forward.”
According to the British Legal Technology Forum, recent analysis from LexisNexis showed that 88% of Competition Lawyers wouldn’t be able to complete their job effectively without consulting market definitions, with 79% consulting them at least once a month. Without access to tools like Caselex, this would be a “highly time-consuming and manual task”.
By adding Caselex to their portfolio, LexisNexis’ fosters their commitment to create a one-stop-shop for legal professionals. With Law360, MLex, LexisNexis Practical Guidance, Nexis, and Caselex, LexisNexis will offer a broad and comprehensive access for legal professionals to legal intelligence. On the other hand, this deal will support Caselex’ expansion into global markets beyond Europe.
