LexisNexis UK History

LexisNexis® is committed to improving performance in the business and practice of law.
By combining the 200-year heritage of influential relationships and authoritative information from Butterworths and Tolley, with the proven content and technology expertise of LexisNexis, we enable you to dig deeper, search further, work smarter and innovate faster.

Butterworths, the source for legal research, was founded by Henry Butterworth in 1818 and has been at the forefront of innovative law publishing for over 180 years. Tolley was founded by Charles Tolley in 1916 and has built an enviable reputation as the major publisher of tax reference works in the UK. More recently, Tolley has expanded its publishing activities to cover areas of legal regulation.

LexisNexis was founded in 1966 as the Mead Data Corporation in the US. Butterworths was acquired by Reed Elsevier Plc in 1970, with Butterworths Tolley being created after the purchase of Tolley Publishing in 1996. 2000 saw the acquisition of IRS Eclipse - a publisher and conference organiser synonymous with excellence in employment law, personnel, health & safety and pensions.

LexisNexis joined the Reed Elsevier Group in 1994 and, soon after, LexisNexis Butterworths was formed.

In 2004 LexisNexis acquired Interface Software, rebranded as InterAction, as part of a vision to provide its markets with a uniquely designed CRM platform that delivers Relationship Intelligence throughout firms and organizations quickly, efficiently and cost effectively.
LexisNexis has also acquired Axxia and Visualfiles as part of its Practice and Productivity portfolio in recent years. These strategic moves are part of LexisNexis’ goal to be a comprehensive solutions business by combining local and global strategic acquisitions with existing content products. Both Visualfiles and Axxia hold leading positions with their respective offerings. Visualfiles has a first class reputation for its case management software in both mid and large law and Axxia’s key strength lies in its integrated front and back office solution.