Part - I

Legal Outsourcing

"There is a major revolution in the legal industry and the demand for paralegal is exploding."

The legal industry across the globe is gradually turning towards outsourcing for gaining efficiencies and staying profitable in a hotly competitive marketplace. Recognition of the fact that legal companies need to focus on their core competencies and leave back office processes to the hands of competent outsourcers is creating a compelling case for giving out non-core processes. The availability of outsourcing ventures with world-class resources and expertise is also boosting the growth of outsourcing by legal entities.

Law forms, legal departments of major corporations and state and federal government are increasingly following the BPO route to reduce cost and increase efficiency. Outsourcing allows them to remain competitive and serve more clients. It has become an indispensable asset to legal community.

Today, lawyers can achieve the same advantage as other Corporates; improve the profitability of their practices and quality of the services they provide by outsourcing their legal research to paralegal. Lawyers for decades have been delegating legal research within their own firm to junior attorneys and clerks with little experience and no background in the case, effectively "Outsourcing" the job from the more costly senior lawyers to a less experience lawyer within the firm. As long as client's confidence is not divulged, there is no reason 'legal research cannot be delegated to less expensive, more efficient researchers outside law firm as well'.

Paralegal

A paralegal is a person qualified through education, training or work experience to perform substantive legal work requiring knowledge of legal concepts. A paralegal may be retained or employed by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory or court authority to perform this work. Paralegals are also known as legal assistants.

Paralegal generally work side-by side with attorneys, judges, prosecutors or public defenders. They assist in research, preparations and analysis of documents, clients and witness interviews and investigation.

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*Contributed by -
Shuchi Singla,
Global Business Operations, Semester-11,
Shri Ram College Of Commerce,
University Of Delhi.