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outsourcing The Outsourced Office Law firms are relocating their back-office functions out of town or overseas. Law firms in North America and Europe have been testing the merits of outsourcing key support services such as billing, payroll, library, help desk, information technology, typing, market research and human resource administration.

More Articles & Tips Outsourcing is “In” … But Be Sure to Demonstrate Value Outsourcing is a fundamental business strategy that allows individuals and organizations to focus on what they are best at, without diluting those capabilities by pursuing other, less productive areas. Outsourcing can benefit all sides in the legal service equation, but the key is to understand the value and convey it to the client. Strong Winds Offshore Legal service providers in foreign countries are a force to be reckoned with. Outsource Administrative Tasks by Hiring a Virtual Assistant Law firms of every size and lawyers in every practice area face increasing client pressure to build greater value and increased efficiency into the legal services cost structure.  One result is the growing popularity of administrative service outsourcing. From Across the Web Outsourcing for the Small Law Firm By John Tredennick Outsourced Legal Services page  Maintained by Ron Friedmann and Joy London Offshore forecast 20% of overall law firm workforce (27% practice support; 15% legal work) will be offshored by 2015. Legal outsourcing will shift from onshore to offshore, driven by cost savings and talent availability. The move offshore, however, can be complex, with law firms concerned about data protection, vendor reliability, and loss of control Over 50% of respondents believe that commoditized legal work will be offshored within 5 years. Moreover, about 25% believe even “specialist legal work” will “move outside the firm” in this time period. Already, 10% and 5% of respondents respectively have offshored commoditized and specialist work. Over 20% of respondents have already outsourced lawyer support such as word processing or research. From “Legal Industry Outsourcing Trends 2008,” a publication of the Prince OMC advisory group (http://www.princeomc.com/legal08.html).

National Magazine  This page is featured in the April/May 2008 issue of National.