Entrepreneurial Law Practice

Outsourcing Legal Work as a new Business Model?

Does legal outsourcing create opportunities for entrepreneurial lawyers in North America, or is it simply a way for large firms to ship tedious legal work overseas?

The ABA recently approved the outsourcing of legal work, and provided guidelines for firms and lawyers wishing to do so.  It will be interesting to see how the official recognition of this business practice effects the legal profession.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of legal outsourcing, it is exactly what it sounds like:  Law firms farm out some or all of the legal work they have to third party contractors.  The work that is outsourced usually consists of “leg work” such as legal research, due diligence and standard document preparation, however it can extend to more complex work.  In addition, this work is usually shipped overseas to low cost markets such as India, but this is not always the case.

While some lawyers understandably see this as a threat, we view it as an opportunity to set up legal outsourcing companies within North America.

For example, business minded lawyers might take this opportunity to develop networks of lawyers who wish to work remotely from home or on a part time basis.  The organizing lawyers would be responsible for attracting clients, recruiting network members, outsourcing work and reviewing finished work product. 

If done properly, this model could be a win -win situation for legal outsourcing network organizers and participants.

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