Legal Document Management and Structureuring Using Progilex

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1 Software package for legal document management and for web and paper publishing.

2 Proven by our experience Validated by our growth Progilex is more than just a software solution. It is at the heart of Legitech s growth. Thanks to Progilex, in the space of just a few years we have become the leading legal publisher in Luxembourg, both for books and on the Internet. Nicolas Henckes, Managing Director, Legitech

3 LEgitech, The leading user of Progilex Progilex is an application dedicated to document management and publication in the form of books or websites. In its home market, Legitech uses this application to produce the Luxembourg labour code and to publish three online databases: Legitax, Legiwork and Legicorp. High added-value services Thanks to the Progilex software solution, Legitech has become the leader in its market with a simple promise, easy lex, sed lex : facilitating access to legal texts without ever compromising on accuracy or the exhaustiveness of content. By marketing Progilex, Legitech is extending this promise to official bodies, legal publishers and, more generally, all legal players wishing to structure and publish legal content in book form or on the Internet. Full support Legitech uses its technical, legal, operational and commercial experience to support its clients from the conception to the final realisation of their projects, should they require it, in the form of: - advice, whether for deciding on staff numbers, determining the number of websites or books to publish, setting product prices, etc.; - staff training, essential to ensure a high level of quality; - the transfer of know-how and experience, to allow clients to develop the product themselves as part of a long-term partnership. n Progilex by Legitech 2

4 A unique solution Progilex is constructed using a consolidation and structuring module suitable for legal texts. This core is supplemented by two optional modules for Web and paper publication. Consolidation and structuring module The consolidation module can be used to input and structure any type of legal document. The purpose of consolidation is to obtain a comprehensive database in order to present the substantive law of any given legislation (national, special, etc.), while still allowing access to earlier versions of the texts. The purpose of structuring is both to differentiate between the various types of document and to create hyperlinks between them, for example where one text refers to another text or has been interpreted in case law. Two publication modules: Internet and paper Progilex offers two tools for publishing the structured data: a Web tool and a Code tool. They are used respectively to automatically generate reference websites or paper publications from data input into the database. Compared to traditional website creation and publishing methods, the automatic nature of the two tools reduces production times and costs considerably. n 3 Progilex by Legitech

5 Technologies Simple but precise Progilex is the product of ongoing technological advances and is now based on the capabilities of XML structuring and Java development. Created using open source technologies such as MySQL, Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition, JBOSS, Apache, etc., it requires no additional licences. For the Code tool, which requires publishing software, the user can therefore choose between an open source product and a paid solution. It does not require any additional complex hardware and a standard configuration (web server, application server, firewall, etc.) is perfectly adequate. Use Quality and flexibility In creating Progilex, Legitech focussed on quality. The software is highly reliable and was designed to meet the needs of players in the legal world with fast, accurate search tools. As Progilex was designed and produced entirely by the staff at Legitech, they are able to adapt it to each user s specific constraints, whether linked to their strategy or to the characteristics of their markets. Contracts From a simple licence to a tailor-made solution The flexibility of the software means that Legitech can offer its clients a broad range of commercial configurations in line with the unique requirements of their business plan: - the Progilex licence, the price of which depends on the number of workspaces and publications. It includes a number of programming hours to customise the software, on-site installation, preliminary staff training and an annual service; - the SaaS (Software as a Service) contract: this is a way of leasing the licence installed on servers provided by Legitech, the cost of which is linked to the number of workspaces and publications. The SaaS contract reduces the initial investment to customisation, training and the first lease payment. - long-term partnerships such as operational joint ventures or the partial transfer of technology acquisition of participating interests, publicprivate partnerships, procurement contracts. n Progilex by Legitech 4

6 The consolidation tool The Progilex consolidation tool is used to structure a body of legal texts. At the end of the consolidation process, you have the substantive law of any given legislation (national, special, etc.) and earlier versions of the texts as well as hyperlinks between the documents. The 4 steps of structuring Legitech has defined a standardised consolidation process consisting of four steps: 1. Documentalists identify and assemble the documents to be input and create an identity sheet for each document in the consolidation tool. 2. The operators input these documents, either by entering or cutting and pasting the text, and structure them using the Progilex WYSIWYG editor, according to type: law, case law, doctrine, parliamentary cases, etc. 3. The documentalists insert markers that will produce hyperlinks. At Legitech this task is also performed by experienced data entry operators. 4. The legal specialists carry out quality checks before approving the document. They add any relevant key words, a summary or comments. Some of these tasks are also performed by experienced documentalists. Key productivity factors Progilex s technology and simplicity make it possible to subcontract data entry and structuring, onshore or offshore, or to use remote workers. Subcontracting is particularly attractive when setting up the databases as it involves substantial resources that may not be required afterwards. Legitech can help its clients to arrange subcontracting, in particular through advice on organisation and training. n 5 Progilex by Legitech

7 Workspaces The workspace in which you wish to work can be selected from a drop-down menu. Progilex can manage an unlimited number of dedicated workspaces and, if necessary, a single text can be shared by several workspaces. Document status When a document has been extracted by one user it cannot be edited by another user. This function guarantees the integrity of each document and makes it possible to trace any changes made back to the user. Management of dates Progilex manages all the dates associated with a text: publication date, effective date, date of applicability, date of end of applicability. User profiles With Progilex you can create several types of user profile. These profiles are accessible using passwords and have different user rights. For example, a data entry operator cannot approve a text. Document type Progilex can differentiate between different types of document: legislation, case law, doctrine, official circulars, parliamentary cases, etc. Each type can be associated with specific meta-data. Progilex by Legitech 6

8 The Web tool The Web tool is used to put content structured with the consolidation tool online. Depending on commercial strategy, it is possible to put one or more websites online and to choose between open access and subscription formulas. Lawyer-friendly Designed with the needs of legal players in mind, the Web tool publishes websites that offer users a vast range of search criteria source, domain, key words, dates, etc. and allows access to earlier versions of legal texts. The user can save files, update them automatically, create and organise files, print or send searches by . A single identifier can be used for simultaneous sessions. Lastly, the interface supports multilingualism with no restriction on the number of languages. Technologies Through XML structuring of the databases and development of the application using Java, websites published by Progilex combine reliability with speed. For users, the websites operate with the latest technologies: - PC, Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox or Google Chrome; - Mac, MacOS X, Safari, Opera, or Mozilla Firefox. The websites can also be accessed using software for the blind. Lastly, a version of the websites optimised for smartphone use is currently in development. Follow up Progilex provides statistics on the behaviour of your websites users. For all visitors or for a particular user, you can find out: - the number of connections in a given day, month or year; - the total time used; - the average length of sessions. General viewing of the websites can also be monitored using Google Analytics. Progilex also allows you to automatically publish newsletters to announce significant content updates. n 7 Progilex by Legitech

9 95 % This is the renewal rate for subscriptions to Legitech websites. Proof in itself that the Web tool meets users needs. The Legitech point of view A tool that can be tailored to any strategy The Luxembourg legal sector is made up of a limited number of highly specialised players. In a limited, segmented market of this type, our Web strategy has consisted in building up the number of websites accessible by subscription. In response to the specific features of the national market, we focused our development on commercial law with three websites, Legitax, Legiwork and Legicorp, specialising in tax, labour law and company law respectively. Progilex is a comprehensive tool that can be implemented as part of radically different strategies: single or multiple websites, free or subscription-only access. It also offers the option of starting with a general site and subsequently dividing it easily into specialised sites. To determine the use most suitable to your situation, your objectives and your market, do not hesitate to seek our advice. You can benefit from the experience we have acquired in our home market and by analysing strategies developed in other countries. Progilex by Legitech 8

10 The Code tool With the Code tool you can publish books automatically based on content structured using the consolidation tool. Once the database has been created, all you need to do is update it regularly so that you can publish a new, up-to-date version at any time. Simplicity To publish a book from a database, you just need to create a template in a publishing software application such as Adobe InDesign, which Legitech uses for its books. One of the consolidation tool s functions allows you to choose the data to be exported into the Code tool, which then inserts the data into the template and automatically creates an index and a table of contents. If there are any corrections to be made to the content, it is better to do so using the consolidation tool and to start the process over. It is nevertheless possible to make corrections directly in the publishing software, but this should ideally only be done for page layout or for adding an introduction, a dedication or page breaks, etc. Any generally available graphics application may be used to create a cover page. Speed and cost control In the legal world, things move quickly and reference works must be constantly updated. By considerably reducing a book s production time and the associated costs, Progilex s Code tool makes it possible to regularly publish works that would not see the light of day with the traditional publishing process and to provide new editions on a regular basis. Legitech developed the Progilex Code tool precisely because the limited size of its home market was a hindrance to legal publishing. n 9 Progilex by Legitech

11 Ahead of the game With the Code tool, Legitech is introducing its clients to the era of digital publishing. Now used to reduce book publication times and the associated costs, this tool foreshadows the arrival of electronic books and the generation of updated works on request. Progilex by Legitech 10

12 For document management, book publishing and digital publishing, Progilex is a comprehensive software package that will help you to conclude your projects on time. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your requirements. Together, we will identify the most appropriate solution for achieving your objectives. Nicolas Henckes, Managing Director, Legitech Address : 10A, ZAI Bourmicht, L-8070 Bertrange Mailing address : B.P. 27 L-8005 Bertrange Tel. : Fax. : Mail: : progilex@legitech.lu Conceived & designed by La Forge: