Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Selects Verity to Power Legal System
Verity Information Server, Knowledge Organizer and HTML Export Allow Attorneys To Search, Browse and View Mission-Critical Information
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - 2000-04-03 - Verity, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRTY), a leading provider of enterprise and Internet knowledge retrieval solutions, today announced that Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the world's largest law firms, has selected Verity's Information Server, Knowledge Organizer and HTML Export as the knowledge retrieval solution underlying its Web-based legal precedents system. Skadden, Arps chose Verity's award-winning technology to create an easier and faster way for attorneys to locate the most important documents they need to do their jobs. Verity's product suite offered a scalable, flexible, accurate and comprehensive retrieval solution that could grow along with the firm's continuing expansion.
Because legal analysis is based on precedents, the 1,400 attorneys at Skadden, Arps need access to filings, briefings and other documents related to previous case work. Since precedent documents can be from several to hundreds of pages in length, the ability to quickly find specific information and retain document formatting for accurate viewing is mission-critical. The goal for Skadden, Arps was to replace their existing system with a Web-based application that could provide the required capabilities.
"Our key requirement was to find a solution that could handle large documents with ease, could scale with our continued growth, and was flexible enough to adapt to future needs - all from a vendor with a successful track record," said Charmaine Polvara, knowledge manager for Skadden, Arps. "We evaluated a number of different products but our choice was Verity. Our initial intention is to use Verity for a Web-based precedents system but long-term, the potential for using this technology via our intranet is limitless."
In addition to robust search capabilities, Verity Information Server provides "hit highlighting", which allows users to immediately find the first instance of a word in the document, no matter if that word is on page two or page 70. Hit highlighting when viewing PDF files was another requirement for the system and is a unique feature of Verity Information Server. Using Knowledge Organizer, attorneys who may not know exactly what they are looking for may also browse subject categories, similar to popular Internet portal services. And once a document of interest is found, users can view various document formats, including Word Perfect, Microsoft Word, and Adobe Acrobat PDF files, without losing the original formatting - a key feature of HTML Export.
"Once Verity's solution is fully implemented, we expect to realize a number of important benefits. The new precedents system will enable our attorneys to quickly, easily, and precisely reuse the important intellectual assets required to do their jobs. Verity technology will enable our employees to be more productive and efficient by eliminating the need to recreate documents or sift through large blocks of unmanaged text," said Polvara. "And, with Verity's software, new attorneys will be able to find the information they need just as easily as more sophisticated users."
"Skadden, Arps' deployment of Verity's software highlights the critical importance of the Web as the underlying engine for utilizing intellectual assets," said Anthony Bettencourt, president of Verity, Inc. "We're delighted our technology will assist Skadden, Arps' attorneys by providing intelligent and efficient knowledge access to their most fundamental research. This will enable Skadden, Arps to continue to advance the state of the art in the legal services provided to their clients."
About Verity Information Server
Verity Information Server is a valuable tool for precise information retrieval. Using an automatic, server-based query expansion, it turns user requests into detailed, sophisticated queries. Search term highlighting and navigation are supported as standard features to direct users precisely and quickly through query results. Additionally, by maintaining its own index stored apart from the documents, Verity Information Server is non-invasive and unobtrusive - requiring no change to the processes and procedures under which documents are currently stored or maintained.
About Verity Knowledge Organizer
Verity Knowledge Organizer organizes and classifies corporate information into categories based on the standard terms used by companies to describe their business operations. Knowledge Organizer, an add-on application to Information Server, enables organizations to build master directories that provide users with an intuitive, visual means to navigate and retrieve information. Unlike solutions that rely solely on manual categorization or complicated technology, Knowledge Organizer categorizes information automatically according to defined business rules.
About Verity HTML Export
Verity HTML Export is designed to provide high-fidelity conversion of business documents into HTML for easy Web publishing, without requiring an HTML editor or the original application that created them. Verity HTML Export preserves document characteristics such as tables, graphics, headers, footers, font attributes, and segments documents, spreadsheets,and presentations into multiple, linked Web pages with navigational links. Today, Verity HTML Export supports all of the major word processing, spreadsheet and presentation files from each of the popular office applications, including Microsoft® Office and Corel® WordPerfect®.
About Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
With approximately 1,400 attorneys, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and its affiliates (collectively known as "Skadden, Arps") is one of the largest law firms in the world. The firm provides a broad range of legal services to the corporate, industrial, financial and governmental communities. It represents a broad spectrum of clients, from small high-technology start-up companies to nearly one-half of the Fortune 250 industrial and service corporations. The firm's commitment to public interest work resulted in the creation of the Skadden Fellowship Foundation which was established to assist lawyers in their desire to pursue the practice of public interest law on a full-time basis. In addition, the firm is devoted to providing pro bono services to individuals and groups who are unable to afford legal representation. Skadden, Arps has offices in 22 locations worldwide. More information about the firm can be found on its Web site at http://www.skadden.com.
About Verity
Verity is a leading provider of knowledge retrieval solutions. Verity's product suite powers corporate portals, e-commerce sites, online publishing and media sites, customer care applications, and products from market-leading OEMs and ISVs. Verity solutions simplify the management and use of information by indexing, classifying, organizing, searching and retrieving data, as well as providing personalized information delivery and hybrid online and CD publishing.
Verity's products are used by more than 1,000 corporations, e-commerce sites, government agencies, online service providers, Internet publishers and software developers worldwide. Verity alliances include Adobe Systems, AT&T, CDNOW, CNET, Cisco, Compaq, Dow Jones, Easy Software, EarthWeb, Ernst & Young, Financial Times, Globe and Mail, IBM, MD Consult, NewsEdge Corporation, Informix, Lotus, NEC, SAP, Siemens, Snap.com, Sybase and Time New Media.
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Verity and the expected performance of its Verity Information Server, Verity Knowledge Organizer and Verity HTML Export products. Actual results are subject to risks and uncertainties. Risks relating to Verity and its products are set forth in its Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
For more information, contact Verity at info@verity.com or at World Wide Web site http://www.verity.com or call 408-541-1500.
Verity and the Verity logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Verity, Inc.
Kathy Kale
Verity, Inc.
408-542-2379
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