Law Business founder Alexander Gendlin speaks with the JUVE editor in chief Jörn Poppelbaumabout the future developments of JUVE after the takeover by NWB.

Alexander Gendlin: What does “Advance digital strategy by JUVE” mean?

Jörn Poppelbaum: As a legal industry publishing house we are also an information service provider and over the years we have accumulated much data about the legal sector. The future aim will be to make this data digitally available in a structured form for the individual needs. This requires a new structuring of our information on the one hand and a mutually attractive financial model on the other hand. We don’t want to introduce a payment barrier for our digital products, but create a genuine added value product.

Alexander Gendlin: Will anything change in the JUVE research process?

Jörn Poppelbaum: No. It will maintain the same intensity and depth. Because we are expanding into adjacent markets, additional sources of information will be added.

Alexander Gendlin: Will the rankings in the current form in Germany and Austria stay the same? Will more legal practice areas be examined or less?

Jörn Poppelbaum: Here, too, nothing will change in the near future. As in the past, we will undertake changes only when legal fields become more or less important.

Alexander Gendlin: Will the JUVE website remain the same?

Jörn Poppelbaum: Our website will change considerably in the medium term. The preparations for the changes are already on their way.

Alexander Gendlin: Will there be an expansion of the JUVE rankings into other markets?

Jörn Poppelbaum: It’s no secret that the legal market in Switzerland would be a logical step – however, there is currently still no specific timetable for such a move. But things look very different in the tax consultancy market. Here JUVE will start its own publication in cooperation with our new owner NWB in the coming year. This market is after all the area from which the NWB publishing house has originated.

Alexander Gendlin: Will the JUVE rankings be published in English?

Jörn Poppelbaum: The JUVE rankings have already existed in English for many years in the handbook “JUVE German Commercial Law Firms” rankings. But so far, this applies only for the rankings for the German market. See also http://www.juve.de/handbuch/en.

Alexander Gendlin: When will we see the first changes?

Jörn Poppelbaum: The changes will be ready early next year.

Alexander Gendlin: Thank you very much for the interview!

Alexander Gendlin is author of the worldwide first book about Law Firm Rankings (C.H. BECK, MANZ, STÄMPLFI publishing houses).