In a move to further strengthen its position in one of Europe's biggest legal markets, Wolters Kluwer nv has acquired the French company Ciceron SA, based near Paris. Ciceron has annual sales (2001) of approximately EUR 4.5 million and provides workflow software to legal professionals in France. The product range of the company covers small, medium and large law firms and in-house legal counsels. The acquisition of Ciceron will enhance Wolters Kluwer's power to develop innovative workflow products and strengthen its position as leading provider of 'must have' information and software tools to professional users in legal areas. Financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed.
With products such as Ciceron Avocat (a workflow tool supporting client management) the company is market leader in the area of mid-size legal firms. New products such as Ciceron Online (allows legal professionals to manage their business via the Web in full security), Ciceron Juris (a workflow tool focused on in-house legal staff) and Ciceron GTI (a service to efficiently manage making and receiving telephone calls) the company has widened the breadth of its product range to small firms and in-house legal services.
Ciceron offers pre-audit, maintenance and hotline services linked to its main software products. The products and services range is designed to be 'need to have' as it improves billing, productivity, and makes cost savings for the customers of the legal professionals.
'The acquisition of Ciceron is a perfect fit with the strategy of Legal, Tax & Business Europe aimed at firmly cementing our business in key areas such as legal', says Jean-Marc M. Detailleur, member of the Executive Board of Wolters Kluwer and CEO of Legal, Tax & Business Europe. 'We have stated before that we want to forge or enhance leading positions in our core areas. The acquisition of this French market leader in the middle segment of law firms shows that we put our money where our mouth is.'
'I am very pleased that we were able to add Ciceron to our European portfolio. This is a very well known company in France and is not only leading in its legal market but will also enhance our expertise in the workflow area. As part of our strategy to share state-of-the-art knowledge within the cluster, Ciceron allows us to develop similar products in key areas such as fiscal/tax; health, safety and environment; and human resources management.'
Ciceron is an excellent match with existing legal products of Wolters Kluwer. Bundling Lamy products with the Ciceron software, in particular legal forms and the Guide of Legal Professions, will strengthen Wolters Kluwer's market position. And by taking full advantage of the marketing expertise of Wolters Kluwer France (e.g. telemarketing, customer database and sales force) Ciceron will get the opportunity to increase the market penetration of its products.
Note for the editor:
Wolters Kluwer is a multinational information services company with annual sales of approximately EUR 3.8 billion, employing approximately 20,000 people in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. The company's core activities are Legal & Regulatory, International Health, and Education. The Wolters Kluwer shares are quoted on the Euronext Amsterdam. The financial results for the first half 2002 will be announced on August 13, 2002.