Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) is now commonplace for law firms. The practice of law, and how law practices operate, continues to grow and change at breakneck speed! Like all other industries, the legal industry is changing rapidly in response to market demands and improvements in technology. Many law firms focus on boosting income rather than limiting costs. This leaves many law practices with great potential to improve profits through better streamlining of legal processes, case management practices, and better hiring practices.
Offshoring of routine legal services and secretarial work, often referred to as Legal Process Outsourcing or LPO, is a great tool to cut payroll costs while at the same time improving productivity. Outsourcing activities such as data entry and e-discovery to the Philippines reduces payroll costs, and can improve productivity for in-house legal staff. Outsource the busy work like to an e-discovery company in the Philippines, and give your highly skilled lawyers more time to focus on complex tasks within the firm.
Reduced costs to the law firms result from legal process offshoring, as does increased productivity and improved work quality. Offshoring vendors achieve this by becoming experts at completing these tasks, and maintaining high-quality skilled workers to manage the projects. Large offshoring companies in the Philippines create many well-paying, desirable jobs in their overseas communities and attract the best-quality employees available.
Legal process outsourcing in the Philippines results in cost savings thanks to lower wages and lower overhead. Law practices continue to operate in the higher-cost U.S. cities. Legal outsourcing firms in the Philippines deliver their work virtually, via the Internet, phone or overnight shipping. Offshoring vendors also perform a high volume of work for multiple companies. They can provide around the clock support to their clients, and have specialty employees available as needed. This saves client companies the costs of having on-call workers, temporary workers or 24/7 support centers on-site.
The legal services offshoring model allows law firms to better match internal secretarial and support staff to the needs of the in-house attorneys. Secretarial assets no longer go unused during low-need times as business fluctuates. Attorneys no longer compete for secretarial and support staff time, because support is available any time through the outsourcing vendor company. Large projects benefit from support outsourcing when a few support staff cannot handle large projects. The offshoring firm provides the needed additional staff when and how they are needed. Law firms no longer must keep extra staff on-hand for these busy times, paying them even when there is no work available.
Litigation support and e-discovery firms located in the Philippines have access to many willing and experienced staff. They operate day and night, weekends and holidays, to offer support to client companies as needed. Client companies only pay for the staff and services they need with legal process outsourcing to Philippines companies.
The cost of a trained and experienced legal secretary, including benefits and payroll taxes, can be $85,000 annually or more. Litigation support companies in the Philippines cost far less, allowing on-site legal support personnel to be deployed on projects that require a higher level of skill. Firms can better manage their budgets and their human resource assets through strategic outsourcing of selected litigation support and secretarial duties.
Client companies report using less overtime for secretaries and support staff after legal services outsourcing starts. Fewer support personnel on site are needed for the attorneys, saving the firm on office related overhead.
In summary, many legal duties can be performed outside the law office thanks to low cost technology and reliable high-speed communication. Outsourcing secretarial work, e-discovery and document management operations can improve a law firm's operations so that they can process more cases and improve their profitability.
