By current estimates, the United States has about 1 million lawyers.
They have been plenty busy.
The research group of the National Association of Software and Service Companies found that in 2003, the bill for legal services in the United States totaled more than $166 billion.
But a posting on the Fast Company Weblog recently pondered whether American lawyers might be losing their footing.
The reason is a continuing outsourcing of legal services, especially to India.
Legal-transcription services have been outsourced to India for years. Because of the time differential, documents can be received in India, typed and resent to the United States before the courts reopen and the first cup of coffee is poured.
Now, the outsourcing of legal services has risen far above typing services, because, as many have recognized -- it doesn't take an American lawyer to practice American law.
With India graduating nearly 300,000 lawyers annually, the number of attorneys is rising quickly.
Yet it is not the number of lawyers in India that's so appealing to an increasing number of companies and even law firms looking to cut legal costs.
It's the savings.
A $200-an-hour attorney in the United States is about a $40-an-hour attorney in India.
(The disadvantage: Not too easy to hop a plane to New Delhi when you want to talk to your lawyer face-to-face over lunch.)
GARY ROBERTSON
POINT OF VIEW
Richmond Times Dispatch
P.s. - With LegalEase Solutions LLC you CAN have lunch with your lawyer while outsourcing your work!
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