Outsourcing litigation services isn’t a recent idea. It started in the 1950s with patent work but gained traction when law firms worldwide discovered that delegating specific tasks significantly boosted efficiency and profitability. The global financial crisis further accelerated this trend, affecting law firms more than most industries.
The flood of new cases in the recessionary period of the early 2000s caught law firms on the wrong foot. On one hand, there was the immediate need to cater to this growing segment; on the other, there was a call for keeping costs to manageable levels.
A solution had to be found that could service this growing need yet keep expenses within limited proportions. That meant not hiring lawyers at high salaries to meet this incremental demand yet stabilizing the quantum of services. The only possibility then was at rates that would not break the bank, leading to the rise of Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) as an industry to reckon with.
Benefits of Outsourcing Litigation Services for Law Firms
1. Cost-effectiveness –
This has been discussed in some detail, but being one of the most important factors, further analysis is necessary. Any rise in business has to be matched with increased investment in infrastructure. For law firms, it is primarily taking on board highly qualified and trained lawyers to deal with growth in business.
However, outsourced agencies deliver the same level of efficiency at much lower rates without compromising on the quality of output. Thus, as the owner of a law firm, you can save substantial sums by outsourcing. These savings can be better utilized for offering services at competitive rates to high-value clients and drawing in new business.
2. Focusing on core activities –
Like all industries, the legal sector can also be bifurcated between activities that represent core competencies and back-office activities. By focusing on core tasks, you can ensure better client service while leaving tedious research-based work to outsourcing agencies.
In every form of a legal process, this holds true, with drafting contracts, writing briefs, research, and documentation being common to all. For example, transactional lawyers can depend on outsourcing for drafting contracts and research while keeping court appearances under their control.
3. Dedicated Services Offered by Outsourcing Agencies –
Law firms have benefited greatly from specialized outsourcing litigation services offered by outsourcing agencies. Hence, by spinning off different processes to specific agencies that are specialists in that line, you stand to gain from the best of professional expertise.
By multi-sourcing or spreading tasks across various providers, you can tap into cutting-edge efficiencies. Plus, you can do this at significantly lower costs compared to hiring highly skilled lawyers in different specialties.
4. The speed of Services –
Quick preparation of briefs and documents and meeting deadlines set by courts are crucial components of the legal scenario. When you outsource litigation support services to offshore agencies, this is what you can achieve to increase business efficiencies. The time differential between countries is the reason for this. Upload the required work at the end of your day.
Outsourced services will work on it while you are away. When they send it back, it is ready for you first thing in the morning, thereby avoiding any time lags. A speedy turnaround of back-office activities results in the quick disposal of cases and an increased level of client servicing.
5. Creating an optimized database –
One of the aspects of any law firm that takes up time and man-hours is sifting through mountains of data in the form of legal documents, contracts, presentations, and agreements. Further, you have to necessarily depend on past paperwork, research, and judgments to plan out future work.
Thus, all data must be at your call if you have to formulate briefs and prepare cases quickly. Top outsourced agencies will go through all papers processed in your office, distill the relevant portions from them, and create an easily accessible and searchable database.
Next time you want to base a case on certain previous points of law, all that you have to do is cull portions from the well-structured database and get it ready. This will certainly enhance the efficiency of your law firm.
This write-up has taken into account situations where you outsource to offshore agencies. But if you contract agencies within the country, you can even outsource court appearances on your behalf. Many blue-chip companies have opted for this route instead of spending huge sums on engaging top-of-the-line lawyers at exorbitant salaries.
Read Also: Why Outsource Litigation Support Services to India?
If you are looking for an offshore legal process outsourcing company with impeccable credentials to outsource litigation services, Legal Support World would be the ideal choice. Our experienced lawyers are well conversant with aspects of law prevailing in different countries and offer guaranteed and speedy results.
