Cost Complications in LPO

Exit this survey 

1. “The only lawyers who work for staffing agencies are the ones who couldn't make it as real lawyers." Do the temporary lawyers typically hired to perform document review on major litigation have minimal skills and zero motivation? In contrast, can an Indian LPO firm with offices in the U.S. attract the best and the brightest young lawyers in India, fluent in English and trained in English common law?

2. Are there are some tasks for which Indian outsourcing may be appropriate but other tasks for which U.S. contract lawyers may be better suited? Yes No Maybe If yes, does this mean that “there should be parallel teams working in the U.S. and India”?

3. Do U.S. clients still favor domestic contract lawyers for work involving highly restricted data, for which proximity may be important, as well as upper-level tasks like drafting documents? But think Indian lawyers may appeal to clients seeking stable, long-term teams to work on their matters?

4. Are real estate costs becoming prohibitive in India’s major cities? Yes No Maybe If yes, would opening an office in a smaller market the only way to meet U.S. and European clients’ expectations on costs and service?

5. Is it true that with U.S. lawyers, you always have the rules of ethics, so that in going to a service provider offshore, you have to replace that gap-filler with contract? Yes No Maybe If yes, should outsourcing contracts specify that Indian lawyers’ computers have only limited access to the Internet to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of documents?

6. Do such safeguards as holding professional liability insurance policies similar to those of law firms need to be considered as part of the "hidden costs" of outsourcing legal work to India?

7. Will the cost advantages of outsourcing firms may soon be complicated by software advances that make sifting through discovery documents more like using an e-mail spam filter? Yes No Maybe Other If so, is improved technology needed before LPO to India can really take off?

8. In a 2006 Economist Intelligence Unit survey, international senior bank executives were asked about the costs of compliance with government regulation. When asked what changes they expected in the regulatory environment over the coming three to five year, over 91% stated that they expected regulations affecting their institution to grow in complexity and breadth, 88% stated that compliance with industry regulations will become more onerous, and 81% reported that they expect penalties for non-compliance to increase in severity. Do you agree with those senior bank executives?

9. In contrast to outsourcing efforts by other firms, Clifford Chance's Indian staff are all direct employees of the firm. Two senior members of staff have relocated to India to manage the office. By keeping the facility part of Clifford Chance, the firm maintains direct control while taking advantage of economies of scale. Will all firms have to emulate Clifford Chance and treat the offshore center as an integral part of the firm?

10. Will there have to be complete transparency between it and the rest of the firm?