Legal Outsourcing Update

The London Times ran a feature Saturday profiling the outsourcing of certain legal tasks.

Obviously, it's no huge disclosure to point out that LegalEase Solutions is a firm specializing in legal process outsourcing. But in terms of the blog, we try to explore all relevant trends in the business of law, of which outsourcing is just one movement.

As frequent readers know, the goal of the blog is to explore the commoditization of certain associate-level deliverables, the breadth that the internet has eliminated traditional office walls, the calls for change to 'business as usual' from clients and corporate counsel, organizational evolutions, alternative billing practices, and other paradigm shifts in the business of law.

But since the London Times article just fell in our laps, let's give it a look.

While the article focused on one legal outsourcing company, the underlying fundamentals apply to all reputable outsourcing firms.

"... an army of young Indian graduates, most of them from the country’s top law and engineering schools, sits before a barrage of computer terminals. Many are working on legal documents digitally accessed from the servers of blue-chip Western clients via transcontinental fibreoptic cables. Others are engaged in research for upcoming litigation to be fought out in American courtrooms, or are analyzing patent filings registered by British companies."

Bottom line: Highly trained international attorneys are performing associate-level work (deposition summaries, litigation support, legal research, preparation of pleadings, contract/document review, and more) at a fraction of the cost of BigLaw associates.

"Together with the fingerprint scanners that operate the locks on the doors, they lend the premises a sci-fi feel."

Bottom line: Data security and client confidentiality are imperative, and outsourcing firms are completely aware that their success depends on implementing a multiple-level approach to security.

"Much of the work... was once the preserve of trainees and associates at big City law firms. Some of those firms racked up annual revenues of more than £1 billion during the boom years, in part by billing out teams of junior lawyers for up to £300 an hour for even the most routine tasks."

Bottom line: Significant financial savings are possible -- without sacrificing quality -- when international attorneys provide the same deliverable at a cost 50 - 70% less.

LegalEase white papers on data security, ensuring confidentiality, and protecting against conflict can be read here.