A law firm might find that in the course of an assignment there are certain processes that its team just isn’t well equipped to handle. Perhaps there’s a niche area of law that arises, or e-discovery and litigation support that’s required – what is a firm to do? Especially boutique firms with small teams would be wise to look externally for options, and this is where legal outsourcing can be a real godsend.
Legal outsourcing is most commonly known for its cost-effectiveness, and while it’s true that legal outsourcing can save a firm money, as well as free up talent at the top to focus on more pressing assignments, the benefits of legal outsourcing services extend well beyond sheer cost-saving measures. Having a good legal outsourcing company at the ready can also cover your firm in the case of unexpected leaves of absence or terminations, ensuring that the firm’s workflow doesn’t miss a beat. It can also give your firm a competitive edge by allowing you to take on larger projects. Lexlocom, a legal outsourcing firm here in Canada, allows you to take on legal experts for as long or as short as you need, meaning that you can selectively take on large assignments without fear of being understaffed.
But one of the often-overlooked advantages of legal outsourcing is that it pairs specific lawyers to specific cases. If the pipes sprung a leak at your office, you wouldn’t have one of your team roll up their sleeves and take a crack at it; you’d hire a plumber to come look at it, as you should. Likewise, when a niche area of law, like IP law, Real Estate law or Immigration law rears its head during an assignment, you need to make sure that the right level of expertise is applied, and the quickest (and, as established, most cost-effective) way to do that is through legal outsourcing. Good legal outsourcing companies, like the aforementioned Lexlocom, have a large database of legal experts across Canada, meaning that there is a vast pool of niche knowledge to draw from. You bring in an expert for as long as you need them.
This can be especially beneficial where document review is concerned. E-discovery, for example, is a specific process that’s becoming increasingly prevalent and requires legal experts who excel at preserving collecting, processing, and reviewing electronically stored information. Aside from being time-consuming, the process is obscure to many lawyers, so it’s in a firm’s best interest to outsource. The same goes for FOIA requests, competition bureau requests and due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.
The fact of the matter is that any law firm is going to have blind spots – especially boutique firms, but even larger ones as well. In these instances, the best course of action is to hire specialized legal experts through a legal outsourcing company. Not only will you ensure that an assignment is completed properly, but your firm will see a strong return on investment in the form of reputation building. It should be the adage hanging above every law firm’s door: if in doubt, outsource.