LEGAL PROCESS OUTSOURCING – SCOPE AND GROWTH IN INDIA
What is Legal Process Outsourcing?
Legal Outsourcing is a highly booming BPO service which mainly involves legal work that companies outsource to more economical offshore destinations. Legal outsourcing has achieved a great arena in the U.S in the past few years. LPO firms mostly from India have had fruition by catering services such as document review, legal research and writing, drafting of pleadings and briefs and providing patent services.
When the LPO provider is based in another country, it is called offshoring where it associates the practice of outsourcing any activity except where personal presence or contact is required and when the provider is within the country they provide agency services if it needs physical appearances in courts. This phenomenon was existence since the 1950s though it involved more of patent works.
LPO providers are more established in Canada, Philippines, Israel, India, the United States, and Latin America. India is currently the largest LPO destination. Like US and UK, India’s legal system is based in British common law.
Functions of LPO
Major LPO services include various functions such as legal documentation, review of legal documents, and writing of legal reports, legal memo development, document management, litigation support, and data entry.
Patent search, application drafting, trademark and copyright registration, legal research and document review, and analysis of intelligence services are other tasks of an LPO that require high skills.
LPOs in India-Advantages
LPOs in India are obtaining greater heights comparing to other nations in the LPO industry. Now-a-days many tasks like IP processes, legal research, pre-litigation documentation, document analysis, preparing software licensing agreements are outsourced to India. The legal system in India is uniform to the legal systems Of UK, US, Canada and few European regions. The methodologies of litigation and dispute resolution in India are well based on the classic constitution of the biggest democratic in the world and are recognized worldwide. Young and educated Indian lawyers are charging much lesser comparing to US or UK based lawyers working on the same assignment.
Global Coverage
In the past few years Legal Process outsourcing industry has branched out to about 60% annually.
India is taking a lead among all the other nations that is being expanded in LPO industry.
Growth of legal outsourcing in India
The growth of legal process outsourcing is very rapid in India. It has recorded a 5o percent growth last year. The number of LPOs in India has gone up to more than 100. The growth of legal outsourcing has been accelerated by the recent global recession. Many law firms and corporate legal departments are taking different measures to cut down costs which make India a right choice in outsourcing legal services.
The availability of freshly qualified law graduates who are willing to work at low rates also adds to the reason why India is now a LPO hub. Progresses within India’s outsourcing industry have also contributed in making India a promising harbor for legal works.
The forthcoming growth will be in hefty services like document review, eDiscovery, legal publishing etc along with Intellectual property and contract services.
Scope of legal outsourcing in India
Indian LPOs are always in demand as they provide a pool of qualified young lawyers who have a good working knowledge of English. This is giving the lawyers and firms in India a fortunate opportunity to connect with UK/US solicitor firms and get to know about the assorted legal processes in the international market.
Fresh law graduates prefer working in LPOs instead of toiling for clients in city courts among senior lawyers where their opportunities are limited. Likewise, LPOs offer handsome salaries of around Rs. 30, 000 for freshers which is one of the main reasons why young graduates are attracted towards LPOs. As the growth rate of Indian LPOs is rapid it paves way for more job opportunities for young talented law graduates.
Biz and Legis, SDD Global solutions, Integreon, Fox Mandal Little are few of the major LPOs in India where hundreds of young law graduates are being employed.
