I don’t want anyone to think that I’m downplaying the importance of the above topics but it’s easy to see how "Obstacles to outsourcing" could cover the same territory as "What every law firm needs to know." To date there have only been 4 Bar Association opinions dealing with the ethics of outsourcing legal work. There is no legislation, no case law, no precedent. We don’t need to have the conference chair person, each panel moderator and two or three separate panels covering this topic! Along the same lines, we certainly don’t need several LPO panel presentations at each and every conference called, "How to choose a provider." These should really be renamed, "This is why you should choose us!" Choose LawScribe/Integreon/Pangea3/Mindcrest/SQ Global/SDD Global because because …..

I guess I’m at the stage now where if I hear any of the following buzz words - 70,000 attorneys qualifying annually, common law jurisdiction, New York Bar Association, English speaking workforce - one more time, I’m going to yell out, "BINGO!" Would it be beyond the realm of possibilities for different providers to plan in advance of such conferences which subjects they intend to cover?

Please feel free to comment on this blog and let me know if you disagree, but the most productive sessions that I have attended and those I vehemently believe to be of the most value involve real life, practical case studies. In these sessions you have an LPO executive and either a General or Corporate counsel or senior attorney running through step by step how they took a particular project or function offshore, how much it cost and how much it saved. By delving into the reality of an ongoing operation you minimize the necessity of extolling the theory behind how to choose a provider or the obstacles involved in outsourcing because these issues are made apparent in a practical context.

There should be a specific document review case study dealing with why the client felt compelled to go offshore in the first place, the platform used, how long it took to go live, the review and accuracy rate etc. Don’t hypothesize about the theoretical necessity to undertake a site visit when a case study can provide insight into whether this actually happened. Oftentimes during litigation one isn’t afforded the luxury of sufficient time to send a fact-finding trip to India. Another panel can deal with the offshoring of patent related support work. This should allow a deep analysis of the difficulties associated with full compliance with the Export Control regulations. I don’t mean just a couple of bullet points with the panelists umming and aahing, "Oh yes, you need to ensure compliance with the export control regulations;" – that means nothing. I have clients who have had certain technologies restricted following unsuccessful applications for export licenses. Let’s take a detailed look at the reasons why some applications succeed and others fail.

I understand that in the grand scheme of things this industry is still in its nascent stages (another buzz word). However, it is the responsibility of those of us who speak at these events and are involved in the industry both from a thought leadership and operational perspective to take the content to the next level. Having said all that I suppose it’s about time that I signed off and started preparing my presentation for my next conference on Monday – I think I’ll call it, Offshore Legal Outsourcing, the Myths, the Ethics and all that Jazz

Page 2 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next