By Chere B. Estrin This is the first of a two-part series. Next, we chat with Tara Eberhart, Paralegal Manager of an AmLaw firm who can straighten us out as to whether the paralegal position is about to be wiped out. I sat down with Dr. Don Billings, a long-time colleague, who knows just about anything one needs to know about legal technology and beyond. I figured he was one of the best to...
Here is an article that appeared recently in the Progressive Law Practice magazine. Written by Tami Kamin Meyer "Virtual assistants are hot whether you are a solo practitioner or work in a major law firm," says Chere Estrin, president and founder of The Organization of Legal Professionals. Moreover, she adds, the more tech-savvy the attorney, the easier it is to work with a virtual...
Apparently, not all lawyers in India are crazy about the outsourcing trend heating up in India and other lower-cost developing nations. According to Merinews, written from India, Legal Process Outsourcing is the latest and hottest trend. Big corporations are reaping the benefits. New job opportunities are being created. LPOs (Legal Process Outsourcing) seem to have a bright future in India...
...& investigate outsourcing of work for attorneys & paralegals: or 3Ls Shaun Mathew and Vikram Thomas, the fact that legal offshoring is in its infancy makes this the right time to study it. And, as children of professionals who emigrated from India to the U.S., they have their own experience with an earlier chapter of globalization. “'Our idea was to go to India and see firsthand...
Don't know, at this point, if it's possible to turn the rushing tide toward outsourcing of legal work. But I applaud the IPA's attempt: "Ruby Prasad’s legal research and briefs regularly find their way into courts across the United States despite the fact her workstation is located 8,000 miles away in India. "Prasad is among the 200 lawyers working for Chicago-based Mindcrest Inc.,...
Here's an interesting concept in outsourcing -- do it yourself! "LawSourcing.com today announced their beta launch. This free site is a resource for licensed attorneys to obtain assistance for projects. This is ideal for lawyers in small firms who may not have available assistance to prepare documents or do research that is needed to prepare a case. It is also available to handle the...
Practical advice about law firm outsourcing from White & Case's administrative partner: "Although law firms have traditionally outsourced services like security, travel or mail, the allure of Thomas Friedman's 'flat' world has some law firms looking hard at whether to outsource other functions. The options are no longer limited to an outside vendor running a service in-house. Instead,...
More outsourcing of legal work, this time in Sri Lanka: "WNS, a NYSE-listed business process outsourcing (BPO) major, is seeing a huge momentum in legal services. "Riding high on the legal process outsourcing wave, WNS has started legal services in Sri Lanka about eight months back and now has over 30 lawyers there. It has also scaled up the existing Pune operations, with more than 80...
Next big outsourcing move -- legal secretaries? "Starting in the early 1990s, I noticed that secretarial work was changing as a result of widespread lawyer use of PCs. Yet I have seen few articles about this much less smart management reaction. "Already in 1991, I thought secretarial roles needed re-thinking. By 2003, when the main reaction seemed to be tinkering with the ratio, I...
Sure lots of us would agree with this sentiment, but what might it mean for paralegals? "Mention offshore outsourcing, and Americans fume. But who would cry if we outsourced the work of lawyers, with their fat fees and endless strategies for adding years to litigation? Sounds like a great idea, but many might say it can't be done anyway. Legal work is too sensitive and technical to risk...
