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ANALYST INSIGHT

Analytics  and  Data  Visualization  in  the  Legal  Market  Published: May 2016 Report Number: A0239

Analyst: Jim Duffy, Research Analyst Share This Report

What You Need To Know Recently, there has been a trend in the legal tech market to develop data visualization and analytics tools to allow legal practitioners to develop a better understanding of relationships between datasets. Visual data displays allow users to identify patterns and relationships they wouldn’t otherwise notice and “to transform collections of data into a cohesive story.” (See my colleague James Haight's piece, How Data Visualization Empowers Decision Making.) Traditionally, these tools have been limited to larger firms and organizations, and the benefits of engaging in big data analysis have largely been out of the reach of small- to medium-sized law firms and other organizations on the periphery of the legal world. Legal tasks require the ability to quickly identify patterns and relationships in data and to understand the cohesive story behind the data.

How Data Visualization and Analytics Enhance Legal Technology Despite the relative reticence of legal stakeholders to adopt and apply new technology, some organizations have been making a major push to develop and apply analytics, and to provide users with the ability to engage meaningfully in the manipulation of large datasets. LexisNexis has been making significant strides in this field. Through partnerships with and acquisitions of other organizations, such as Brainspace and Lex Machina, and an internal development strategy, LexisNexis has made a big push into data visualization and analytics.

Over the last few months, LexisNexis has made a number of announcements about integrating data visualization and analytics tools into its solutions as well as the development of standalone tools. While some of the developments may appear relatively small, they enhance the ability of individuals to develop a quick and comprehensive understanding of the connections underlying data. In fact, I would argue that it is some of these

LexisNexis observes that two trends continue to drive the need for data visualization and data analytics: 1) the continuing growth in information volume and 2) the base of users that are self-described visual learners. The focus to date has been on the introduction of visualization and analytics tools that offer immediate utility to the user. These incremental benefits are critical to the long-term benefits that will be available via deeper analytics offerings. Delivering ‘insight behind the data’ is a critical near-term focus of the initial offerings from the company as it works to help users evolve their approach to data review.

Jeff Pfeifer VP of Product Management

LexisNexis

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ANALYST INSIGHT

smaller developments that have the potential to have the biggest impact—these changes will require only limited additional training since they are built into tools that are already familiar to the practitioner. Essentially, LexisNexis is providing access to powerful analytics tools through familiar applications.

Following this trend, LexisNexis recently announced the release of Search Term Mapping for Case Law Review on Lexis Advance. This release does not add any new data to the database or change how a practitioner would begin their initial case law research, but once the search has begun, it allows the user to engage in a quick visual analysis of the search terms and identify case law that will likely be the most responsive to the matter at hand, and develop insights into the cohesive story behind the data. The practitioner is still going to have to complete the research, read the relevant case law, and otherwise verify the case law, but this tool provides users with the ability to quickly identify which research paths will potentially provide the most benefit. Time saved in research is time that can be applied to crafting arguments and adding additional value to the litigation process. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the highlighting LexisNexis’ Search Term Mapping performs to enable expedient visual analysis by end users.

Figure 1: Search Term Mapping: Results List Highlighting

Source:   LexisNexis,   May   2016  

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ANALYST INSIGHT

Figure 2: Search Term Mapping: In-Document Highlighting

Source:   LexisNexis,   May   2016  

This announcement follows other recent announcements by LexisNexis combining powerful analytics tools with a focus on data visualization. While it is important to have the ability to utilize analytics tools on the large datasets facing the legal market, data visualization allows users to comprehend the story behind the data quickly and to most effectively develop the insights necessary to drive a practice forward. A theme throughout Lexis’s analytics strategy is the opportunity to pair text-based data review with a focus on data visualization: whether that includes Lex Machina’s Legal Analytics Platform or Lexis’s Legislative Outlook or applying these same principles to its archive of news content. Beyond allowing users to conduct their own search of the data, LexisNexis has sought innovative ways to display the data.

Conclusion Legal work requires being able to identify and recognize patterns in data quickly and efficiently. As datasets continue to grow in size and type, it is going to become more important to have a variety of tools that allow for the user to manipulate and visual the data. The practitioner will still have to apply his or her judgment to the matter and confirm the accuracy of the information; these tools enhance the practitioner’s other legal skills.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Duffy Research Analyst

Jim Duffy is a research analyst at Blue Hill Research

focusing on enterprise risk management, compliance

and policy management, and legal technology. Duffy is

interested in using his background as a legal

practitioner to translate the potential of emerging, new

technologies as tools to improve the efficiency of the

provision of legal services.

Duffy is an attorney licensed to practice in the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Previously he has

held roles in the Solicitor’s Office of the United States

Department of the Interior; the chambers of the

Honorable Timothy S. Hillman, a federal trial judge

for the District of Massachusetts; the General

Counsel’s Office of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc.; and the

law office of Seth H. Salinger, a business litigation

firm.

Jim Duffy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English

and Textual Studies from Syracuse University, a

Master of Arts degree in Irish Literature from Boston

College, and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern

University School of Law.

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