Legal Process Outsourcing Trends - 2010

Everyone speaks of LPO trends, forecasts and projections for 2010. Based on the value of outsourcing research organization notes, 20% of LPO were withdrawn from the sector over the last two years [1]. According to the 2010 forecasts of LPO Integreon, the largest LPOs will reach 500 + lawyers working on document review, contract management and due diligence projects and some smaller vendors will exit the market altogether [2].

Chicago based independent legal process outsourcing consulting firm says Fronterion leading position LPO, India will face competition from emerging countries like South Africa and the Philippines [3]. It is also argued that India is currently the leading geography for legal outsourcing with over 85 percent of offshore legal outsourcing [4].

Frankly, India has achieved growth as expected, but there is still hope for the growth of the LPO in the country. As I said in my previous blog the success of LPO depends on the quality of service we provide to customers and clients we work for. Dimensions of the LPO does not matter. Even small LPO make huge revenue to do legal research and maintenance company that can be equal to the revenue generated by services is the largest LPO paralegal doing.

Although the liberalization of the legal sector in the country is on hold due to the recent judgment passed by the Bombay High Court, there is pressure from the United States and United Kingdom to open the Indian legal market. There are many questions are asked that the Indian legal fraternity, whether lawyers can practice foreign law in India in India is because the foreign law firms can not practice their law offices in India. However, the opening of the legal market for foreign countries depends on a reciprocal basis. We need to look at the respect given to Indian law firms and lawyers in that country and has participated in this process and on the same basis as India can open its legal market.

As for competition from other countries are concerned, there are about 22,000 lawyers in South Africa, about7, 000 Lawyers in Sri Lanka and about 40,000 lawyers in the Philippines. Out of these numbers of lawyers, only a few are in the legal outsourcing. They are mainly offering legal transcription services as part of BPO services or as part of their firm's legal services in that country. Since India has a large number of talented lawyers, India would have kept more than 85% of firms around the world of work outsourced and work on electronic discovery will increase by two times, as foreign companies require an early assessment of cases for their chances of winning higher and defense cases .......