In this article, we shall discuss the fundamentals of legal process outsourcing, why additional law firms are using it, and industry trends from the last few years. We have also assembled a quick list of best procedures for getting the most out of legal process outsourcing. With the information you learn here, you shall be able to create a more lucrative practice sooner than you think.

A day comprises of just twenty-four hours; however, the workload is always very high so as to make the legal business profitable. One can take care of the workload quickly, smoothly, and more efficiently by outsourcing legal projects to offshore vendors like The Legal Base to save on cost and time.

The legal outsourcing sector has seen exponential worldwide growth in the recent past in delivering support services for the legal industry. This growth is driven by shifting the work of solo legal practitioners, paralegals, and other legal professionals to offshore vendors mostly located overseas. Legal outsourcing is fast growing as more and more corporate legal departments and law firms are looking for cost-savings, increased flexibility and expanding their in-house competencies.

What is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing refers to the practice of engaging an outside vendor to take care of specific jobs without hiring additional employees or allocating the job to current staff. It is a prevalent procedure for law firms and solo practitioners to decrease operational costs and streamline business operations whilst still taking care of critical tasks.

The businesses can be outsourced to legal support services providers based in countries like India, Philippines, South Africa and China where skilled resources come less expensive compared to countries like US, UK, and Canada.

Benefits of Outsourcing Legal Support Services

• Low costs compared to in-house productivity

One of the most substantial advantages of outsourcing legal projects is low cost compared to in-house productivity. Law firms and corporate houses can lower their cost structure owing to the wage discrepancy between in-house legal resources and offshore vendors that result in huge cost savings. Countries like India and the Philippines offer cheap skilled resources that can efficiently take care of a legal project for much less compared to in-house resources.

• Access to wider talent-pool

Outsourcing legal projects to offshore vendors permits solo practitioners and law firms to access outside talent and rich expertise that may not exist in the organisation. For example, a law firm that does not has a contract management team can outsource contract management-related projects to offshore-based vendors as such vendors support highly skilled and experienced resources who can efficiently handle the project. Accessing outside talent is useful for solo practitioners for filing up inner incompetence thus allowing law firms to use international expertise. Offshore vendors in countries like India and China support highly skilled and trained resources, ensuring a large team of trained and experienced workers.

• Decreased turn-around times

The usage of outside resources can increase the inner bandwidth to decrease the turnaround time for urgent legal projects. Offshore vendors take less time for completing a project owing to their twenty-four by seven working schedules and due to the 12-hour time variation between the U.S. and India. Offshore vendors work twenty-four by seven and can complete urgent projects within short notice.

• Flexibility

Utilizing a blend of outside talent and in-house expertise permits law firms and solo law practitioners to customize projects according to the workload and client requirements. At times, law firms find it difficult to complete urgent matters owing to limited support staff, and increasing client demands. Outsourcing legal projects allows solo practitioners and law firms to swiftly mount up a project, leveling with bigger firms. Flexible employment opportunities also reduce the overhead costs of an organization. By outsourcing legal projects to offshore vendors, solo practitioners and law firms can avert the salaries and other benefits provided to full-time and permanent staff members.

What is Legal Process Outsourcing for Law firms?

Outsourcing is not just for big law firms or corporates

the legal journal

Outsourcing is technologically described as using properties beyond the internal ventures of a business to keep things operating efficiently. Small firms, in specific, may find themselves crushed with a time-draining key case that will require all hands-on floor for some time. But what is going to happen to other customers while the whole in-house staff is concentrating on that one case? Outsourcing delivers elasticity and cost savings over appointing supplementary staff to maintain the company up and running inexpensively.

Legal Process Outsourcing can be a considerable economical measure. Rather than devoted domestic resources, distinct legal services are relocated to external companies, local lawyers, or assistants. Think about all the humdrum routine responsibilities that can be done by outside help. You can influence the intensity of other specialists to save time, cut costs, and lessen your capability. This allows you to focus on other important issues, like bringing in new business for your firm and presenting top service to existing clients.

To make practicing law more profitable, it is important to understand and use the strengths. Unfortunately, operating a law firm is exactly like running any other business as it too involves plenty of workload asking for complete attention, thus making outsourcing the obvious solution for sharing the workload. There is a mushroom growth of legal outsourcing services available, along freelance lawyers, and low-cost practitioners and one needs to make the selection wisely for outsourcing legal projects.

Disparity between Legal Process Outsourcing and Offshoring
A familiar point of puzzlement occurs from the word “outsourcing”. So, it is essential to acknowledge the difference between legal process outsourcing and offshoring.

Below are brief definitions.

• Legal process outsourcing is utilizing local lawyers and experts to take on specific tasks like document review, scanning, and non-substantive court appearances.

• Offshoring is the procedure of hiring economical overseas labor to complete tasks remotely.

Legal industry trends from last few years show that clients anticipate law firms to go beyond and beyond the customary presenting of services and support. More law firms are converting to legal outsourcing to stay viable and commercial.

a National lawyers guild (us) report

List of Top Legal Process Outsourcing Firms

The Legal Base

With offices in New York (US) and Noida (India), The Legal Base (TLB) is a Legal Solutions Provider specializing in areas of Legal Services, Legal Process Consultations and Customized IT Legal Solutions. Founded by senior professionals with global experience from Legal fraternity, Information Technology and Financial Services operations, TLB operates with an AIM to establish itself as a “trusted and long-standing partner” for law firms, corporates, and attorneys. With a goal to provide value-add seamless extension to our clients, TLB has set up a team of experts from the legal industry with extensive experience of working with well-known and reputed global organizations and clients.

TLB is in a unique position to offer bespoke solutions to its clients and help deliver tangible operational cost savings. TLB’s delivery team is led by Attorneys and Medical Doctors with 20+ years of experience in carrying out legal and paralegal activities in various areas of law. They are supported by Medico-Legal and IT Solution Delivery Experts, Contract Management Specialists, Quality Assurance Managers and Law Graduates (trained by US law firms) from reputed universities. This setup is augmented with a dedicated Client Relationship Team, assigned as a Single Point of Contact for our clients to address their requirements.

TLB strives to establish itself as a trusted Legal Solutions Provider to law firms, corporates, and attorneys, irrespective of their size and takes pride in being recognized as a partner capable of delivering tailor-made solutions.

Some of our services:

Case Lifecycle Management

Intake Management

Medico Legal Services

Estate Planning

Forensic Consultation Services

Deposition Summaries

Medical Summaries

Case Summaries

Demand Letters

Legal Research

Legal process outsourcing is the best means to increase productivity, emphasize other fruitful aspects of the organization to enhance profitability as it is no hidden fact that outsourcing results substantial development in the performance of the firm.

• Increased Practice Area Knowledge

With the legal support services diversified in several services, it is practically impossible for a law firm or a solo practitioner to employ resources proficient in all fields. Hence outsourcing certain legal support services to The Legal Base can assist in meeting client requirements without the need of hiring full-time resources.

•  Empowering Flexible Employment

The Legal Base can be contacted when one needs skilled legal assistance for all kinds of legal projects since it provides a working affiliation without any commitment to a full-time hiring.

• Fixed Billing

Outsourcing via The Legal Base allows you to employ skilled resources who can assist you with all kinds of projects for a fixed pricing thus enabling you to bill the clients a flat fee or offer combined cost thresholds for legal projects.

• Decreased Cost of Legal Services

The Legal Base offers its services on a project wise basis without any commitment to any monthly fees so as to provide its clients with an affordable billing cycle. One needs to pay the fixed price agreed upon before the commencement of the project.

• Work-Life Balance

Solo Practioner and law firms are pressurized to work continuously for making a profit. The Legal Base offers additional assistance when required, without the need of hiring a full-time resource. Outsourcing also allows to maintain a perfect work-life balance since outsourcing firms take care of the projects while you can sit back and spend quality time with friends and family.

• The Legal Base offers not only conventional attorney recruitment and placement, but also helps gain access to contract attorneys who can work distantly or in your office at an hourly rate for any duration.

• The Legal Base is concentrated on solo specialists and small firms offering bundle of legal support services through trained and skilled resources to assist law firms with research related projects on a flat-fee basis.

• The Legal Base supports a team of trained attorneys and paralegals who can work as per the client’s requirements to offer contractual and project related services for an hourly rate.

Unitedlex

UnitedLex is a leader and expert in outsourcing legal services devoted in offering complete Digital Makeover. The world’s most bold-thinking law departments rely on the company’s knowledge and experience in over 25 global jurisdictions. UnitedLex came into existence in 2006, and has a team of 3,000 plus resources comprising of legal, engineering, and technology professionals and operates in 18 countries

Cobra Legal is ISO 27001 licensed and has demonstrated concentration in document management and review for arbitration, antitrust, litigation and others, eDiscovery support, contract management, legal research, etc. It has partnership with domestic and international firms such as Planet Data, Case Central, and Rainmaker.

Acquired by E&Y, Pangea3 since its initiation in 2004, is offering legal process outsourcing services. It turned out to be a part of Thomson Reuters in 2010, which has its headquarters in New York, with ventures in Mumbai, Delhi, and Dallas. The company provides solutions for litigation support, corporate transactional work, IP and governance, and risk management and compliance.

EXL has found two areas for its LPO foray- legal organizational work, including documentation, the indexation and retrieving information for lawyers, and para-legal administrative work like making case studies and providing legal substance for clients and law firms.

Cogneesol was established in 2008, and is a business technology, process management, and digital transformation company. Situated in New York, there is a team of about 350 employees that provides non-voice BPO services, fund bookkeeping, and outsourcing, and IT managed services. They predominantly serve mid-market businesses in the business and financial services, and health care and medical services.

Integreon has been an innovator and leader in the most active industries for about 20+ years, Integreon’s legal support services portfolio has increased and developed with the growing demand for legal outsourcing services.

With a staff of 3,000+ legal professionals and paralegals, data analysts, and Six Sigma specialists, Integreon provides the right solutions for business needs.

Three Legal Process Outsourcing Trends

• AI and Automation

Restructuring processes and establishing more effective and efficient work processes for high-volume stages, such as client intake, make a big difference to a law firm’s success. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) or automation software is particularly useful for lawyers looking to move away from the handbook tasks.

• Hybrid Outsourcing

As law firms look at the most economical ways to confront regular tasks, some are trying with using a hybrid blend of legal process outsourcing and offshoring. Companies may create round-the-clock productivity by using both onshore and offshore outsourcing. In any case time zone, you’re in, you can get any mission accomplished at any time of the day.

• Rise in eDiscovery

Recent modifications to the Federal Regulations of Civil Procedure making an electronic format stored data such as emails, e-calendars, and voicemails ascertainable on portable devices in litigation means the marketplace for e-discovery services is expanding. With more want for e-discovery services, more companies can turn to the accessibility and cost-effectiveness of legal process outsourcing.

The Bottom Line

Outsourcing the time-consuming and everyday tasks enables you to get more significant work done. It is a win-win situation. You have more time to devote to delivering top-notch service to your clients and producing stronger profits.

The Legal Base has been effectively offering a broad range of services to the legal industry for years. Our dedicated team of legal professionals, researchers, and support staff are trained, skilled, and experienced in delivering high-value services to our client base.

So, if you are looking for a reliable vendor to outsource your legal projects, get in touch with The Legal Base today to discuss your requirements. The team shall provide you with a customized solution matching your requirements. Also, quality driven projects shall be delivered for a reasonable cost. Come – reap the benefits of outsourcing and experience the change with quality output and timely delivery. We are just a phone call away. Contact us today for all your legal projects related outsourcing.

Benefits of Engaging with The Legal Base

• Everyone in the law firm is quickly able to understand a case in trial. 
• The ability to free up in-house paralegals and attorneys to focus on core professional commitments  
• Improve efficiency and turn-around time for law firms and ensure long term cost reductions 

The Legal Base team is here to help!