Readers may recall my article in the July/August 2006 issue about the dilemma my firm is experiencing in deciding whether to subscribe to one of many online legal resources (here). Is it worth the considerable cost involved? I ended my article with a plea to LexisNexis to come forward with a Pay As You Go alternative.

Shortly after its publication I was contacted by Paul McKenna of LexisNexis, who took the trouble to visit us. He explained that one of his briefs was to explore PAYG access, and that this is in fact commonly used in the USA, where the software used does permit the cost of accessing the database to be charged to the Client. The rate charged depends on the sort of data downloaded (ie how expensive constructing the database is) and the amount of it, rather than being calculated on a time basis.

I don’t know how far LexisNexis have progressed with their plan, but hopefully they will consult practitioners on their proposed charging structure – obviously the cost must be low enough to attract users, but not so low as to encourage full subscribers to switch. Perhaps a debate between the readers of this publication on the factors they might consider would assist them?

For the moment we have chosen to proceed on an ad hoc basis to acquire resources when needed, in the hope that LexisNexis will roll out their PAYG scheme in the reasonably near future. This is not really the best way to invest from a strategic planning point of view but it is we think the most practical at the moment.

Email dvb@cleggssolicitors.com.