Information Week notes reports that "Legal Research And Back-Office Work To Go Offshore Next" (December 9, 2003). Reporting on a recent study that salaries for legal support workers in India are about one-third those in the U.S., Info Week points to leading law firms considering outsourcing paralegal and legal research work to Indian contractors setting up to do such work. Access to digital law sources over broad-band global connections makes such outsourcing possible.
It provides a classic example of component suppliers gaining share by using disruptive technologies to deliver a "low cost" alternative to existing sources. It also raises serious concerns about security measures necessary to preserve confidentiality, client secrets and attorney-client privilege. The report on the U.C. Berkeley study, "The New Wave of Outsourcing" is online in PDF format. Thanks to beSpacific for the tip on this resource.
Posted by dougsimpson at December 11, 2003 11:38 AM | TrackBack