Ford Brings Law and Ethics Info to Worker Desktops Worldwide

    LOS ANGELES--Aug. 6, 2001--Ford Motor Company has selected LRN(R), The Legal Knowledge Company(TM) for a three-year initiative designed to transform the way Ford Motor Company employees are able to address legal and ethical issues.
    Under a new strategic alliance LRN will work with the Ford law department to raise the legal and ethical awareness of the company's salaried workforce, giving 120,000 Ford employees the tools they need to make the right decisions and take effective actions.
    The two-track LRN solution being adopted by Ford includes the LRN KnowledgeEnvironment and the LRN Legal Compliance and Education Center (LCEC)(TM). Both of these enterprisewide products are designed to give workers the legal and ethics knowledge they need to meet the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis. At the same time the KnowledgeEnvironment and LCEC extend the reach of the legal department to every employee's desktop by making critical legal and ethical knowledge available online.
    "Henry Ford democratized the automobile, putting what was once an object for the few into the hands of everyone," said Dov Seidman, founder and chief executive officer of LRN. "At LRN our mission is to democratize the law by putting it at everyone's fingertips. Working with Ford to achieve that mission seems so natural."
    LCEC is a Web-based education solution providing more than 100 course modules on legal, ethics and compliance issues. Through an interactive tutorial, online handbook and other educational tools, LCEC helps employees learn how to identify and avoid ethical and legal risks. And, when issues arise, the built-in tools for connecting employees with the appropriate legal counsel help head off issues before they become problems.
    "What this does," said Seidman, "is put right on the desktop the knowledge people need to do their jobs in an ethical and legal way."
    Within the automotive industry LCEC has already become part of an effective legal, ethics and compliance education program for General Motors (an LCEC Charter Subscriber), Toyota Motor Sales, Johnson Controls International, AutoNation, Textron and TRW. Mitsubishi Motor Sales has also just become an LCEC customer. LCEC is also used by many other leading companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Boeing, Motorola, Morgan Stanley, Raytheon and many dozen other companies.
    The LRN KnowledgeEnvironment includes a suite of tools that both streamlines the activities of the legal department and puts knowledge in easy reach of employees. Items such as standard forms and contracts and "What to do if ... " scenarios are all placed in an online environment accessible from any Ford employee's desktop.
    Also included is a feature that makes it easy for employees to quickly get to the right attorney for the issue that they face, shortening the time between issue identification and resolution.
    Under the terms of the agreement the entire LCEC library will be licensed by Ford to meet the company's diverse and global needs. Employees will be able to use the modules to educate themselves on issues such as avoiding workplace harassment, using e-mail properly, ethical decision-making and European Union law.
    "We're creating a new model for the way law is practiced in a corporate setting," said Seidman. "We're infusing the decisions and actions of Ford employees with law and ethics. By giving the Ford workforce a legal and ethical knowledge base that is broad and unparalleled, we're raising the ability of workers to spot opportunities and identify risks."
    Seidman also said, "Doing the right thing for people is a central belief of Ford. And that's what this program is about. It's right for people to understand the laws that affect their jobs, and it's right for Ford to give their people the resources that they need to put what they have learned into practice."

    About Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company is the world's second-largest automaker, selling vehicles in 200 markets and with approximately 345,000 employees on six continents. Its automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Hertz and Quality Care.

    About LRN, The Legal Knowledge Company

    LRN(R), The Legal Knowledge Company(TM) is the world's first KSP(TM), Knowledge Service Provider, and creates and distributes vital, straightforward legal knowledge tools and services.
    LRN has been the country's leading purveyor of expert legal knowledge since 1994, with products that include sophisticated legal research and analysis for lawyers, databases of legal memoranda and other materials for corporate law departments and law firms, Web-based compliance and legal education for corporate employees, and proactive law services. LRN has headquarters in Los Angeles. For more information about LRN, visit the company's Web site at www.lrn.com.