How to Outsource Legal Work at Your Law Firm?

Before seeking an answer to how to or rather the modalities of outsourcing legal work at your law firm, it will be first relevant to know why should you outsource at all. This is because only after you have clearly defined the areas that need to be outsourced can a specific process be worked out.

Legal outsourcing is a comparatively new phenomenon that arose due to tragic circumstances. The global recession of a couple of decades back saw economies of even developed countries reeling under financial depression. The problem was so big that even big, well-established companies went bankrupt. Companies and hundreds and thousands of individuals went bankrupt and had to take legal recourse.

In a strange twist in the scenario, law firms were inundated with work but did not have the manpower to tackle this rush. With the slump at its peak, neither could they afford to hire lawyers at lucrative salaries. The only way out was to take the external assistance of a legal process outsourcing company, and this is when the route to outsourcing legal processes came into existence.

It is another matter though that this legal outsourcing sector today is one of the strongest in the outsourcing industry. If law firms have to delve into the secrets that can help them grow at a quick rate, the answer will be outsourcing, outsourcing, and yet more outsourcing of their legal services. There is nothing that can matter more. As the owner of a law firm, you have to spin off large sections of your work to companies that have equally qualified lawyers with enough experience to optimize the work allotted to them.

When outsourcing legal work, you need to decide what tasks to outsource and find a provider that can meet your needs.

What Legal Tasks Can Be Outsourced?

When outsourcing, focus on tasks that are important but don’t require your direct involvement. This can be almost anything apart from direct client interaction and court appearances. You can decide to outsource all or a part of the following functions.

Document Review – This is a highly manpower-intensive activity and includes preparing deposition summaries, coding of documents, and other related work. Most importantly, the process is very tedious and requires hours of work. By keeping it to yourself, you deprive valued customers of the undivided attention they deserve from you. Further, by opting for an outsourcing document review service that offers competitive rates without compromising on the quality of output, you stand to save substantially too. Businesses can use this time more profitably for expansion and development.

Contract Management – This is a very intricate issue and one that requires a lot of undivided attention. After going through all contracts that come up before you with a fine tooth comb, you’ll hardly have time for anything else. Free yourself up by getting reputed and experienced legal support services to take up this activity on your behalf. By outsourcing contracts management, you will ensure that not only will the initial work of drawing up and scrutiny of contracts be taken care of, their monitoring too will continue throughout the lifecycle of the contracts.

Research and Legal Drafting –This aspect is purely based on the tenets of law without any need for specific interpretations. However, it is very tedious and painstaking work and will keep your lawyers engaged fruitlessly when they can be better utilized in client servicing. Further, the quantum of research and legal drafting depends a lot on the number of cases that you are handling. Hiring lawyers or interns to do legal research and drafting can be costly, especially during off-season periods when business is low. Outsourcing this work to legal outsourcing agencies can save you money.

How to Choose a legal service provider? 

Choose a legal service provider with care, as the very success of your outsourcing depends on it. Here are some points to look out for.

The provider that can match your needs –

Once you know which processes you want to outsource, find a provider that can meet your needs. In your first discussions, focus on their expertise, professionalism, and experience. Ask for testimonials and a list of other clients to verify their standing in this sector.

Visit their site –

Even in this era of remote connectivity, it is necessary to visit their site. You should get personal satisfaction by seeing firsthand what you are getting into. Further, face-to-face meetings with Managers to thrash out any issue is necessary. Also, be clear about your requirements, such as periodical reports and anything similar related to the tracking of their activities.

If you follow these points, you will have a successful outsourcing experience for your law firm.

One of the leaders in the legal outsourcing industry is Cogneesol. Our team of lawyers are highly trained and experienced in the laws of many countries around the world. For the best legal support services, write to us at [email protected] or call +1-646-688-282.

Also Read: Legal Process Outsourcing Market Analysis By USA and Segment Forecast 2016 – 2024 – Infographic