According to a Reuter’s article, LexisNexis parent company Reed Elsevier and Wolters Kluwer (CCH’s parent company) are rumored to be in merger talks. Although traders are claiming this is a rumor being spread by Reed Elsevier and most likely will not happen, it is a scary thought for many of us that are already squeezed by a shrinking legal publishing market. The rumors caused both Reed and WK’s stock to jump in European trading by 1.3 and 2.5 percent respectively.
If there is any truth to this rumor, then we’re looking at an even smaller legal publisher market, not just for the US legal market, but for the whole world. How small does the legal publishing market have to shrink before antitrust laws kick in?