Lawyers have yet to jump out of your desktop, but the Net still managed to get a lot more "legal" today with the announcement that West Group, an online content and services play centered on the legal industry, has acquired FindLaw, a popular Web portal devoted to law and government.

Officials at West Group say they intend to keep the Mountain View-based portal in operation as an independent subsidiary, sharing services in an effort to expand the Web presence of both companies. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Our plan is simple: we're going to build on the formula that made FindLaw what it is," says West Group president Mike Wilens. "Everything that exists on FindLaw today, from career services to Continuing Legal Education, will remain. And we'll invest in the content and services to make the site even more powerful in the future."

Already the most highly-trafficked legal Web site to date, FindLaw offers lawyers, consumers, and small businesses a host of legal resources and information, including legal search tools, case law (including U.S. Supreme Court decisions back to 1893), legal news, real-time SEC filings, community discussion areas and online continuing legal education.

"The acquisition plays an important role in West Group's Web strategy," adds Wilens. "We'll leverage FindLaw traffic to deliver more enhanced West Group information and services to our customers."

Wilens says other services that will be developed or expanded from the acquisition include an online, on-demand continuing legal education service. Additionally, FindLaw's legal news service and legal jobs center will incorporate West Group's editorial and technology resources.

West Group is a division of The Thomson Corporation.

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