LexisNexis NZ reflects on key achievements, reveals upcoming priorities
New Zealand’s legal industry is at an exciting juncture, with new technology reshaping how lawyers conduct their day-to-day work. LexisNexis New Zealand is at the forefront of this transformation, spearheading advancements in AI and content delivery – and with exciting new offerings on the way, 2025 promises to be a standout year.
For Aya Riola, general manager at LexisNexis New Zealand, 2024 was both a milestone year and a test of resilience.
The global launch of flagship AI platform Lexis+ set the bar high, with Riola calling it a ‘market differentiator’ for its unique capabilities. However, Riola notes that 2024 was also marked by a difficult macroeconomic environment and significant cost pressures, which meant law firms had to scrutinise their costs very closely.
“The second half of the year was particularly challenging, and so we really had to rely on the trust and confidence we’ve built with our partners throughout the years,” Riola tells NZ Lawyer.
“We worked closely with our partners on what our products would mean in terms of value creation and cost optimisation. We know that it is an investment, but it’s also a long-term benefit in terms of driving efficiency and reducing costs.”
Despite the hurdles, LexisNexis took 2024 as an opportunity to double down on its commitment to practical and timely content. Backed by its team of over 400 authors, LexisNexis released a range of hugely popular titles throughout the year. Chris Murray, head of content management and primary law strategy, highlights the Practical Guidance Insurance module as a standout, as well as its publications on probate law and statutory interpretation.
“Practical Guidance Insurance was one of our most significant launches in 2024,” Murray explains. “There was a lot happening in the market, and there was great demand from the industry for content in that area.”
“Dobbie’s Probate and Administration Practice was a bestseller, as much as you can have one in New Zealand legal publishing!” Murray adds.
“Ross Carter’s Statutory Interpretation in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Good Practice Guide was also major title for us. It’s a very practical guide on interpreting legislation, and that’s going to be a particularly important book for lawyers with the amount of legislative change happening currently.”
Looking to 2025, Murray notes that a lot of LexisNexis content will focus on supporting its AI products. With generative AI relying heavily on having up-to-date information, the focus will be on ensuring that all content is as current as possible.
That will mean having all of the latest case law, author-generated commentary and legislative changes available – and when significant decisions come through the courts, we publish the outcome very rapidly.
Murray notes that the government is ‘hitting its stride’ in legislative reform this year, and so this will mean a ‘huge amount of work’ to stay on top of.
“Currency and breath of content will be the key focus, whether it’s resource management law, insurance law, or any other area of significant change,” he explains.
“Additionally, cost pressures mean our customers only want content that is relevant and provides real value. Our Practical Guidance products are really focused on providing answers to issues that lawyers have in front of them, and not forcing them to wade through a lot of irrelevant content.”
On the AI side, Riola notes that 2024 was the year LexisNexis introduced extractive AI. 2025 will take this a step further, and the evolution of Lexis+ will include new generative capabilities.
Lexis+ AI is set to be the flagship product in this space, and is set to launch mid-2025.
“Efficiency is the ultimate goal here,” Riola says. “The legal market is highly competitive, and so it’s important that we provide our partners with the tools they need to become more effective and succesful in what they do. We know our customers are so excited to see the value and result of our investments.”
Beyond its commercial ambitions, LexisNexis New Zealand has maintained a steadfast dedication to the rule of law and a people-first approach. Riola says this focus is the company’s ‘north star’, and projects that focus on social impact are deeply meaningful to the team.
A recent example of this in action was the Cook Islands legislative consolidation project. This saw LexisNexis working with local partners to help digitise decades of legal information, and make it more accessible to the public – a major step forward for transparency of law in the region. Riola calls this project a “very humbling experience,” and notes how well the initiative was received by partners.
“It was a milestone achievement in terms of access to justice, and it was really inspiring to be part of an organisation that values giving back to the community,” Riola says.
“We’re continuously exploring such initiatives, and we really want to invest more into this type of work.”
This focus also extends beyond high-profile projects. As Murray explains, listening to customer feedback has fundamentally shifted the company’s approach in how it provides content. Whether it’s providing simple checklists to new graduates, or a deeper level of expertise to a senior litigator, the focus is always on practicality and usability.
“We aren’t just doing something because it seems like a good idea to us – we’re always underpinning those decisions by talking to actual customers,” Murray says.
“Ultimately, our commitment to the industry is that we will continue to listen and engage with our partners,” Riola adds.
“We want to acknowledge all the strong and trust-based partnerships we’ve established within the legal community and feel confident to bring forward bigger and better partnerships in 2025 and beyond.
“The future looks very optimistic and promising, and we see some very exciting times ahead!”
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