Today is the last day for those Segway-riding, beverage-wielding Westlaw brand ambassadors to hit the streets of downtown Chicago (see our previous post), where they’ve dispensed more than 1,000 cups of coffee and lemonade since Monday.

The days have been warm and sunny, and so have the hundreds of Chicagoans who’ve stopped by to chat with team members about Westlaw Deposition Services, a new offering that provides court reporting and legal videography services, and to enter a drawing to win an Apple iPad.

Overheard on the streets of Chicago:

• “I just attended a meeting where we were talking about how Westlaw does everything, then I come downstairs and you guys hand me coffee You really do do everything!”
• “So you guys are doing deps now? That’s definitely good to know.”
• “I had no idea you had court reporting services.”
• “I’m looking for a replacement for our current depo service, so you guys couldn’t have showed up at a better time. Thanks!”
• “I have used their services in the past, actually, and they are stellar.”
• “I’m gonna try that IM feature on LiveNote when I get back to the office – I had no idea that was such a useful feature.”
• “We use Westlaw for everything – there’s nothing better out there. Thanks again for the lemonade, too!”

Thank you, Chicago, for the kind words.

Using jetpacks filled with piping hot coffee early in the morning and branded Segways carrying refreshingly cool lemonade to beat the afternoon heat, a team of Westlaw brand ambassadors has inundated the sidewalks of downtown Chicago to spread the word about Westlaw Deposition Services, which provides court reporting and legal videography services to legal secretaries, paralegals and attorneys.

On Monday, the team was on Wacker Drive, near the entrances of several prominent Chicago law firms in the vicinity of Madison, Adams, and Monroe streets.  On Tuesday, the team could be spotted bright and early on Kinzie and Clark streets with their hot coffee.  Later they were spotted, again, near Wacker Drive.

The Westlaw Deposition Services team will be in Chicago for the rest of the week – and you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more photos and updates!

This Thursday, May 20, Boston-area legal professionals will gather for the annual Excellence in the Law event, a lively cocktail party and classy award ceremony rolled into one fun evening.

One of the night’s highlights will be “The Lawscars,” a competition that has nominees vying for such titles as “Law Professor of the Year,” “Rainmaker of the Year” and “Best Dressed Lawyer.” Other honors to be doled out include Diversity Heroes, Up & Coming Lawyers, and the Excellence in Legal Journalism Award.

Johnny and Jenny Westlaw – the stars of the WestlawNext road show videos from a couple of months ago – were invited to Boston to emcee the event and provide red-carpet coverage a la the similarly named ceremony for actors and actresses. (The event’s organizers became fans of the duo when Jenny Westlaw visited Boston in March.) While prior commitments prevented them from attending, Johnny and Jenny appreciate the invite and welcome any future invitations.

Westlaw is proud to be a sponsor of this event, and we look forward to finding out who gets the nod for each of the honors – especially the coveted “Law Firm of the Year” award.

Bostonians: For more information or to attend this event, please contact Melissa Mitchell at 617-218-8213 or melissa.mitchell@lawyersweekly.com.

Everyone else: Let us know about your event, and we may feature it in a future post! Send details to westelearning@thomsonreuters.com.



Our WestlawNext Preview Breakfast tour in February and March drew such large and enthusiastic crowds, we’re hosting one final preview event in Los Angeles on April 20.

This is a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the most advanced legal research system ever, try it out on your own searches, and pick up a complimentary breakfast in the bargain. Oh, and possibly an iPod Shuffle, iPad or Kindle, too!

Refer friends or colleagues to this event, and you could both win an iPad or Kindle – the choice is yours! All your friend needs to do is provide a valid business email address for you (the “referred by” person) when they register for the event at WestlawNext.com. Then, if he or she wins the iPad/Kindle drawing at the preview event, you’ll be a winner too! (You can attend as well, but you don’t need to be there to win – just your friend.)

This WestlawNext Preview Breakfast will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 20. The two-hour event starts at 8:30 a.m., and the first 100 people to check in that day will also receive an iPod Shuffle, completely free of charge – so be sure to get there early!

Don’t miss this chance to experience WestlawNext, and tell a friend (or two, or 20) about this event – they’ll thank you for it!

RSVP at WestlawNext.com

You’re invited to experience what everyone is talking about – WestlawNext™ – at a complimentary preview breakfast near you. See the dates and cities listed below, and then RSVP today!

WestlawNext takes online legal research a giant technological leap forward, making it easier, faster, and smarter. Put simply, more human. That includes dramatically improved search and trailblazing workflow tools to help you be more efficient and confident in your legal research.

• Sign up for a breakfast preview near you.
• The first 100 guests at each event will receive a FREE iPod® Shuffle™. You’re also entered to win a FREE Kindle™ reading device.*
• Come and learn how you can get a FREE trial to experience WestlawNext.

Schedule:

* NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Open only to residents of the U.S. 50 states or D.C. who are 18 years of age or older and employed by a law firm, corporation, nonprofit organization, or academic institution, and with a legal or regulatory title. Must be present at drawing to win. Void where prohibited. Subject to Official Rules at west.thomson.com/westlawevent. Kindle and iPod shuffle are not available to government customers due to local, state, and federal gift laws. Sponsor: Westlaw, a part of Thomson Reuters, Eagan, MN.