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Sale of LAWTEL

Centaur Communications has today agreed to accept an offer from Sweet & Maxwell (a Thomson business) to purchase Lawtel - Centaur's online current awareness legal information business. The value of the transaction is not being disclosed.

Lawtel will be absorbed into the Thomson subsidiary's portfolio of legal publications, which include Westlaw UK, New Law Online and Consult GEE. All of the staff directly employed on Lawtel will transfer with the business.

Commenting on the deal, Wendy Beecham, managing director of Sweet & Maxwell, said: "The addition of Lawtel will greatly strengthen our ability to reach a broader range of legal customers. It is an ideal partner for Westlaw UK which provides in-depth research services and serves the needs of legal research professionals."

Centaur acquired Lawtel in 1994 and moved it from being a dial-up product to one that was web-based in 1996. It has since become a leading online primary law current awareness service. Looking to the future, Centaur believes that Sweet & Maxwell is an ideal partner to enhance Lawtel further by increasing the breadth and depth of its content.

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