Westlaw

Robert Bork helped launch Westlaw in 1975 to replace physical reporters with a digital system. The platform grew into the primary research tool for legal professionals across more than sixty nations. Attorneys and students rely on its forty thousand distinct databases to find case law, statutes, administrative codes, and public records.

Thomson Corporation acquired the original publisher, West Publishing Company, in 2004. This move brought the service under the umbrella of what is now Thomson Reuters. The company maintains its headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, while supporting global operations from offices in London, Toronto, and Sydney.

The brand distinguishes itself through the proprietary West Key Number System. This classification method sorts United States law into a master taxonomy that ensures precise document retrieval. Litigators often prefer this system over competitors because it aligns closely with traditional legal research methods. [edit]