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Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center Offers CLE Programs Online with West LegalEdcenter

Date: August 31, 2004
Press Contact: Samantha Hetzel West LegalEdcenter

BATON ROUGE, La.; EAGAN, Minn., August 31, 2004 - The Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University (LSU) today announced that it has signed an agreement to make its continuing legal education (CLE) programs available online exclusively at West LegalEdcenter® (westlegaledcenter.com), the nation's leading online CLE service from West. LSU joins a distinguished roster of CLE providers, including local, state and national bar associations, offering high-quality, innovative CLE courses to legal professionals via the Web through West LegalEdcenter.

The addition of the organization's CLE programs to West LegalEdcenter emphasizes LSU's dedication to excellence in legal education. Initial programs will include family law, estate planning, bankruptcy and maritime personal injury courses.

"We are pleased to open our courses to attorneys throughout the country who will be able to access them anytime, anywhere via the Internet," said John Costonis, chancellor of the LSU Law Center. "Our community of alumni stretches from coast to coast and beyond; they and attorneys from all backgrounds will benefit from this online availability."

West LegalEdcenter partners include respected producers of CLE programming such as Practising Law Institute, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education (ALI-ABA), the Association of Corporate Counsel and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

"Attorneys are often eager to continue attending CLE programs produced by their alma mater," said Steve Daitch, vice president and general manager of West LegalEdcenter. "This new partnership makes it possible for countless attorneys to stay connected to the Law Center - and countless more to gain exposure to the renowned CLE programs available through LSU Law."

Attorneys licensed in Louisiana are required to complete 12.5 credits of CLE per reporting period, which includes one hour of ethics and one hour of professionalism. Four self-study CLE credits can be earned online. Programs provided by LSU and West LegalEdcenter will be accredited in Louisiana.

West LegalEdcenter includes unmatched innovative features such as links from course materials to Westlaw®, the leading online research service from West; customer service and technical support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and the most comprehensive law firm and corporate law department CLE Administrators Tool Kit to easily and seamlessly manage CLE attendance and usage.

About the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Founded in 1906, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center is located in the capital city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, adjacent to the flagship LSU campus. Six hundred and twenty-five law students attend classes in an expanded, thoroughly modern complex, with full access to all the vibrancy and amenities of a 30,000 student university. The Law Center is unique among law schools because of the awarding of a joint J.D. /B.C.L. degree and because of its status as an autonomous campus. As the state's flagship legal institution, the Law Center provides an enriching educational experience through its global law curriculum, post-J.D. programs, and graduate and foreign programs in Lyon, France and Louvain, Belgium. The Law Center also houses the Center of Civil Law Studies, the Louisiana Law Institute and the Louisiana Judicial College. The Law Center offers its students a legal education recognized for its high standards of academic excellence in teaching, and research. For more information, please visit the Web site at http://www.law.lsu.edu/.

About West LegalEdcenter
West LegalEdcenter (westlegaledcenter.com) is the online continuing legal education (CLE) service from West and the winner of the 2003 TechnoLawyer @ Award in the Favorite Online Continuing Legal Education Provider category. Headquartered in Eagan, Minn., West is the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market. West is a business within The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and was formed when West Publishing and Thomson Legal Publishing merged in June 1996. For more information, please visit the West Web site at west.thomson.com.

About The Thomson Corporation The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2003 revenues from continuing operations of $7.44 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 38,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).