When a law firm needs access to specialized talent to meet a pressing deadline or when they want a strategy for reducing costs, they often turn to legal process outsourcing (LPO). In this article, National Legal Staffing Support (NLSS) explains why law firms, both large and small, use LPO to meet their client’s needs and grow their practice.
Legal process outsourcing?
LPO is a practice used by law firms to engage an outside company to provide support services. By outsourcing various processes such as handling client calls, legal research, pleadings, and filings, a legal department or law firm attains a level of flexibility that would be otherwise difficult to obtain.
As legal costs skyrocket across many industries, innovative corporate legal departments and law firms have turned to outsource. While the practice of outsourcing legal services has been around since the 1950s, the legal industry has seen a remarkable increase in the use of this business model in just the last few years. The outlook for the legal process outsourcing market is projected to reach $35.9 billion by 2025.
Who uses LPO?
Any size legal firm or corporate legal department can benefit from outsourcing some of its services. A small firm can avoid the necessity of hiring additional people to handle a single large case. Outsourcing provides an evening-out effect that allows them to keep their internal resources at a constant level while they take on work they would otherwise not be equipped to handle.
Large firms often rely on outsourcing as an innovative way to manage costs. By outsourcing those tasks and processes that do not require their in-house staff’s specialized expertise, they can realize significant overall savings.
The average entry-level lawyer earns nearly $123,000 per year. Entry-level paralegals and legal assistants command an annual salary of over $50,000. The cost of paying for in-house or outsourced marketing services can also be high, especially in competitive markets. For example, an accident lawyer in West Palm Beach can expect to pay several thousand per month in marketing expenses as their firm competes with others in the area. These costs add up fast, especially for small legal firms. Even on a permanent basis, outsourcing all but the top internal legal talent can save money. At that point, the benefits of access to specialized expertise and the ability to even out excess workload become additional benefits.
What are the benefits of LPO?
One important reason legal firms turn to outsource is the versatility afforded them by having access to specialized legal expertise. For example, NLSS offers world-class paralegal, legal support, and pre-litigation services specializing in consumer protection law and the defense industry. Because our clients can access these services on an as-needed basis, they gain the ability to provide specialized services to their clients without the need to hire additional experts.
The flexibility to off-load excess workload attracts many firms to LPO. If workload demands rise for an undetermined amount of time, law firms can increase their team’s size without additional overhead. A large case can consume enormous resources and tie up dozens of staff. Several clients or cases that require attention at the same time can overwhelm even large firms. LPO provides a means whereby law firms can avoid crippling their day-to-day operations because of an anomalous need for trained staff.
About National Legal Staffing Support
National Legal Staffing Support is pioneer and leading provider of legal process outsourcing. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, the company offers front- and back-office support to experienced consumer protection attorneys specializing in debt resolution. National Legal Staffing Support offers paralegal services, document management solutions, pre-litigation support, pre-filing analysis, research, and client communication management.