PBwiki, provider of the popular collaboration tool of the same name, announced that it was rebranding itself PBworks this morning. The name change is meant to reflect the company's expanding focus on collaboration technology beyond simple wikis.

Coinciding with the name change was an announcement of more interest to lawyers and legal professionals: the launch of PBworks Legal Edition, a variation of their collaboration tool tailored specifically for the legal profession. The Legal Edition includes features for organizing legal research and managing cases, and also allows firms to set up client extranets, firm intranets, and even electronic deal rooms.

While the Legal Edition is a premium service, PBworks continues to offer free basic accounts (albeit without any of the legal-specific features) for those interested in exploring the collaboration technology.