Financial donations poured in for disaster relief efforts after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti in January.
Law students across the United States were able to take part in a unique program that saw their WestlawRewards points transformed into cash for the American Red Cross.
WestlawRewards is a program that allows law school students to accumulate points by using Westlaw and participating in legal research training courses and contests. Much like miles in a frequent flyer program, the points can be redeemed for a wide range of items, including small kitchen appliances to discounts on bar review courses.
For every 250 points a student donated, Thomson Reuters, Westlaw’s parent company, contributed $5 to the American Red Cross.
Law students generously donated more than seven million points, translating into more than $140,000 for disaster relief. The average donation was about $22; the largest donation was $645.
Learn more about WestlawRewards online.
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How do law enforcement officers know what to do when it’s been reported that a child is the victim of a predatory crime? A new partnership between The National Law Center for Children and Families (NLC) and Thomson Reuters’ CLEAR (Consolidated Lead Evaluation and Reporting) services hopes to answer that question.
Created for law enforcement officers and government prosecutors, NLC PROTECTS is a seminar series that features experts on topics such as child pornography and online enticement investigations, human trafficking, the Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act of 2006, and other child sexual exploitation issues.
Training will incorporate Thomson Reuters’ CLEAR service, which provides public record information and analytics geared to the unique needs of law enforcement and government investigators.
“It’s rewarding to know our partnership with the NLC will help keep children safe from Internet predators,” said Steve Rubley, vice president and general manager of Risk, Fraud & Investigations for Thomson Reuters, Legal.
Since June 2006, the National Law Center has trained nearly 1,800 law enforcement professionals and prosecutors on child sexual exploitation case law and investigation procedures in seminars from coast to coast.
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The West eLearning Center has set up four live, free, 30-minute webinar training sessions to present information about WestlawNext, the new legal research system from Thomson Reuters, Legal.
I listened in on a session of the webinar titled “Transitioning from Westlaw to WestlawNext.” It highlights the features of WestlawNext and compares them to what you’re familiar with in Westlaw.
The next opportunity to participate in it live is Thursday, March 4 at 10 a.m. Central.
Mike Schneckloth, an inside account manager for West, led the session I listened to and said, “The biggest shift when searching on WestlawNext is being confident that you don’t have to ask yourself if you chose the right database.”
Schneckloth walked participants through the features including search queries, result filters and key document searches. (more…)
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(Photo courtesy: Fox 9)
On Oct. 24, more than 7,000 girls attended KMSP-TV Fox 9’s Girls & Science event at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Thomson Reuters was a proud sponsor of the event.
Leading science and technology companies from the Twin Cities metro area came together to demonstrate how science and technology affect everyday life.
At the Thomson Reuters booth, several hundred girls had the chance to create their own Web sites. At other booths, girls experimented with weather-prediction technologies with Fox 9 meteorologists, explored human biology with St. Jude Medical, and learned about the latest in energy technologies and science from Flint Hills Resources.
Twelve women from Thomson Reuters’ technology organizations volunteered at the event.
“Having a presence in the local community is really important,” said Elizabeth Psihos, president and chief technology officer, Westlaw Business. “As a woman technologist, I have a personal interest in seeing young girls become excited about and educated in the science and technology fields.”
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What do you call a partnership with a global technology company, talented computer science students and a software consulting company? We call it the Maverick Program, and it’s a win-win-win.
Launched in 2006, the Maverick Program was a collaboration between Thomson Reuters, Maverick Software Consulting, and Minnesota State University–Mankato. Talented computer science students were put to work on software engineering projects for Thomson Reuters – on campus.
Facilitated by Maverick Software Consulting, students work testing features, writing code and developing Web enhancements.
“The students win because they’re getting real-world experience,” said Anna Grecco, senior director, Technology, at West, and the executive sponsor of the Maverick Program. “The schools win because their programs are able to be differentiated and their students can practically apply their academic learnings. Thomson Reuters wins because we have access to some of the brightest students. We are establishing a pipeline of experienced candidates to fill new graduate positions.”
Since 2007, three more universities have joined the Maverick Program. The University of Wisconsin–Madison, Iowa State University–Ames and the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities all have students participating in the program.
Martin Hebig, president of Maverick Software Consulting, has dedicated the firm to working with Thomson Reuters. He established offices at the specific universities and hired staff to supervise the students at each of the offices. Without Hebig’s dedication, Grecco is certain the program wouldn’t have been successful.
One hundred percent of the students that have graduated from the program are employed in industry positions. Twenty are employed at Thomson Reuters.
The partnership was recently highlighted in an article in the Mankato Free Press, Project Maverick benefitting students.
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Employees at Thomson Reuters in Eagan took part in the second-annual Got Talent? Competition in support of the “Because We Care” Employee Giving Campaign.
Employees showcased their talents for the chance to have $5,000, $3,000 or $1,000 donated to the charity of their choice. The field of 12 acts was narrowed down to five finalists whose performances were judged by nearly 600 employees to determine a winner.
Finishing in third place was Pete Mohs, principal publishing specialist, who wowed the crowd with an acoustic guitar performance. A $1,000 check will be donated in his name, from the company, to VH1’s Save the Music Foundation.
Our second-place finisher was Aishwarya Sundar, software engineer, who braved the stage to perform dances of India. A check for $3,000 will be donated in her name to GiveIndia.
And our first-place finisher was Sue Denkinger, senior director, Customer Operations, who secured a $5,000 donation in her name to The Arc. Sue sang a medley of Hank Williams songs while playing the guitar. Check out a video replay of Sue’s performance here.
Along with the company match, this year’s Eagan-campus Employee Giving Campaign raised almost $2.2M for nonprofit organizations around the world.
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Thomson Reuters, Legal, is committed to helping the legal system perform better – everyday, worldwide. One of the ways we deliver on that commitment is through Pro Bono Connection.
Similar to how our Do Justice initiative supports our customers’ efforts to provide pro bono services, Pro Bono Connection encourages employees who want to use their law degree to provide legal counsel for individuals and organizations unable to afford an attorney. We are making it easy and convenient for them to do so.
We’ve formed key partnerships with five nonprofit agencies in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, each focused on a different field of legal practice. Employees can choose the organization that best matches their skills and passions.
With the guidance of a pro bono committee and a pro bono policy, employees are allowed to use both work time and resources, including Westlaw, to complete their pro bono cases or activities.
Ed Friedland, general counsel, Thomson Reuters, Legal, recently kicked off the program and encouraged action. “When we step outside of our routines, we have the opportunity to do something memorable,” Friedland said.
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It’s not hard to spot the golfer that many Thomson Reuters, Legal, employees are pulling for in the 91st PGA Championship this weekend. He’s wearing a hat with the company logo on it.
Thomson Reuters is a proud sponsor of Mike Weir who is playing in the PGA’s last major tournament of the year, not far from our Legal headquarters in Minnesota, out at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.
Weir, who won the 2003 Masters, attended an event earlier this week with Thomson Reuters customers and talked about his career and his preparations for the PGA Championship.
“Hazeltine has a wonderful history, with Payne Stewart winning here in ‘91 and with the changes to the course, particularly in the length,” Weir told us. “The strongest player will take this one.”
In this video interview, Weir talks about how his game has changed over the years and why he’s been able to achieve the success he’s had on the tour:
Weir shot a 74 in the opening round at Hazeltine on Thursday, to put him at 2-over par to start the PGA Championship.
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Increased attention has been recently placed on the struggles around gay marriage rights, gender and sexual identity, and the overall acceptance.
Against this backdrop, Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Tony Kushner recently joined forces with the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minn., to develop a new continuing legal education course, Love, Law and Litigation: A Dialogue of Bias in American Sexual and Gender Identity.
This online course focuses on firsthand accounts of individuals’ experiences with competing legal, social, and political forces and on the divisive effect of these forces on state and federal jurisprudence. In the on-demand CLE, actors from the Guthrie perform key scenes from Kushner’s plays to lay the groundwork for a panel discussion.
Moderated by Sonya Hamlin, president, Sonya Hamlin Communications and author of Now What Makes Juries Listen, published by West, the course was designed to lead panelists Kathleen Hull, PhD, professor, University of Minnesota; Kushner; and Joni M. Thome, attorney, Halunen & Associates, in an in-depth discussion regarding gender and sexual identity in America.
Hamlin said the goal of the CLE, “is not to propose a particular answer, rather, to gain more information, to heighten awareness of the issues, and be more appreciative of the issues that maybe you have never touched in your own lives and really don’t know much about.”
The CLE is available on-demand at West LegalEdcenter.
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(Peter Warwick (left), president and CEO of Thomson Reuters, Legal, presents Rob Zeaske of Second Harvest Heartland with a donation)
The Eagan, Minn. based-employees of Thomson Reuters recognize the growing needs in their communities. On July 15, Peter Warwick, president and CEO of Thomson Reuters, Legal, presented Rob Zeaske, executive director of Second Harvest Heartland, with a check for $125,000 to help distribute more than 400,000 meals to those in need.
Warwick said the contribution to Second Harvest Heartland is the first to a Twin Cities-based organization as part of Thomson Reuters, Legal’s new Basic Needs Campaign. This community outreach campaign provides resources and financial support to address hunger, homelessness and other staple needs in the community.
“This contribution is one way we can give back to the community that has given so much to our business, and provide immediate support to the families who truly need it now,” said Warwick. “These issues take on even greater urgency when they occur in our immediate community.”
“With this gift, Thomson Reuters has taken a very ambitious step toward addressing the shortfalls of food in families in need right here in the heartland,” said Zeaske. “We are humbled by their generosity.”
Thomson Reuters, Legal, and its employees – through West and Westlaw – have had a longstanding relationship with Second Harvest Heartland, by supporting by volunteering at their facility, awarding charitable grants, and hosting food drives.
You can see the check presentation and and a video interview with Rob Zeaske here:
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Thomson Reuters, Legal, President & CEO Peter Warwick offered his perspective on the company’s approach to the current economic reality in a panel discussion, “Adapting and Thriving in a Challenging Economy”, at the Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference.
The launch of WestlawNext brings a significant advancement in the way professional legal research is done.
Andrew F. Popper, a professor at American University, Washington College of Law, talks about his award-winning novel “Rediscovering Lone Pine.”
