Delaware Supreme Court to Implement E-filing; State's Top Court to Require Appeals from Trial Courts to Be Filed Electronically Through LexisNexis® File & Serve

Business Wire, Oct 10, 2005

DAYTON, Ohio -- The Delaware Supreme Court has become the first appellate court in the United States to require electronic filing, effective this month, using LexisNexis(R) File & Serve.

With the addition of the state's highest court, Delaware continues its long history of being a technology leader. Delaware was the first state to implement e-filing in 1991, according to LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of legal, news and business information services and the service provider for the Delaware superior court and Court of Chancery.

"Electronic filing is unquestionably beneficial to the Court and to the attorneys filing their appeals. It is more efficient and effective, and ultimately streamlines the litigation process," said Justice Henry duPont Ridgely, the chair of the Supreme Court's eFiling Committee. Justice Ridgely was appointed chair of the eFiling Committee by Chief Justice Myron T. Steele because of his experience as President Judge of the Superior Court where electronic filing began. He now provides project leadership on behalf of the Supreme Court.

"The addition of the Supreme Court validates the degree to which e-filing has become a standard of operation for the courts and legal community in Delaware," said Michele Vivona, vice president and general manager of litigation services for LexisNexis. "The Delaware courts are an important example for other jurisdictions because of the volume and nature of cases they rule on," she noted.

In the last two years the equivalent of more than half a million documents have been electronically filed or served in cases before the Superior Court and the Court of Chancery. In the first phase of implementation, all appeals from these two courts shall be electronically filed. Other appeals will be added over the course of the next few months with all cases online within a year.

About LexisNexis File & Serve

LexisNexis(R) File & Serve gives courts and law firms greater control over case file management. With a robust and secure infrastructure, LexisNexis File & Serve provides improved access to case documents and streamlines the intake process. Online clerk review and judicial action improve court operations, while the online document repository enhances care, custody and control. Law firms benefit from improved document access, automated case monitoring, and the elimination of the physical delivery of paper.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis(R) (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leader in comprehensive and authoritative legal, news and business information and tailored applications. A member of Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK) (www.reedelsevier.com), the company does business in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide. In addition to its flagship Web-based Lexis(R) and Nexis(R) research services, the company includes some of the world's most respected legal publishers such as Martindale-Hubbell, Matthew Bender, Butterworths, JurisClasseur, Abeledo-Perrot and Orac.

In the United States, LexisNexis(R) (www.lexisnexis.com) offers its customers total practice solutions comprised of an extensive range of online and print legal, regulatory, news and business information products, tools, customized Web applications and critical filing services that help legal professionals grow their business, win cases and manage their practice.