Legal Outsourcing

Outsourcing has hit the legal field. 

While not a recent trend, legal outsourcing has picked up steam over the last few years.  Many corporate clients are behind the push to get law firms to control costs by outsourcing some of their legal work to lower-cost providers. 

Outsourcing of legal work can be done overseas or to companies and individuals in the U.S.  When done in the U.S., much of the outsourcing is done through temporary legal staffing agencies and when done overseas, many LPO companies handle the work.  Staffing agencies have been around for years, but the explosion in electronic data, coupled with changing law firm dynamics has led to the increasing use of contract attorneys and other legal professionals by businesses and law firms to handle certain types of legal work.

As long as businesses want to get the best service for their money, legal outsourcing is a trend that is sure to continue and likely accelerate.  Law firms must learn to adapt to the new market realities.   Law firms that embrace the outsourcing reality while focusing on the high-level expertise and value-added services they can provide their clients will thrive over the coming decades.