Probono Legal Outsourcing?

In the wake of the catastrophic events of Hurricane Katrina, we are witnessing the generosity and goodwill of fellow Americans, from random acts of kindness to organized relief efforts. I n the midst of food donations, delivery of clothes, fundraisers, and the like,a new type of service is being offered to a particular segment of Katrina's victims--Lawyers.

The New York Times on September 9, 2005 ran an article on the destruction of the legal system in Lousisana entitled "A System in Shambles" which can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/ This article vividly described the unbelievable destruction of Lousisana's legal system. The article estimated that 1 in 3 attorneys in Lousisana have lost their offices. Just imagine, one-third of the legal community in Louisiana is without access to its files, computers, research materials, etc.

The service being offered to Lousisana attorneys is free legal research and writing--by legal outsourcing companies. In a way, its a type of probono service provided by legal support services to attorneys adveresely affected by the hurricane. By taking advantage of this free service, Lousiana attorneys can help others by offering probono services of their own and also cope with and complete paying work, to keep bread on their tables.

The initative to offer free legal research and writing services was started by Jurix Prudent, a new kid on the block in legal outsourcing. LegalEase Solutions is already working on a probono project with a displaced Lousisana attorney, and has offered free services to Lousisana attorneys on various websites including the state bar association website for Lousiana.

So next time you think about outsourcing as affecting America, please remember that legal outsourcing in more than one way is positively affecting both the legal community and the community at large.