LegalTech 08 - Offshore Legal Outsourcing Track

I’m delighted to inform readers of my blog that on February 7, LawScribe will be hosting an entire day devoted to offshore legal outsourcing at ALM’s flagship legal conference, LegalTech NYC 2008. The conference, billed as the “most important legal technology event of the year”, held over 3 days, on February 5-7, at New York’s Hilton Hotel is expected to be attended by well over 10,000 delegates.

The LawScribe offshore legal outsourcing track is aimed at in-house counsel, law firm executives, general counsel, chief operating officers of corporate legal departments, support staff and office administrators. The sessions will provide insight into the reality of outsourcing legal work and support services offshore, as well as considering the future of both the legal outsourcing industry and its impact on the U.S. legal profession. If any readers would like further information on LegalTech, or the LawScribe track sessions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

The first session will explore how legal departments set up and manage outsourcing relationships. The panel will address common questions and misconceptions related to offshore outsourcing, including the origins of outsourcing, the different legal services that are being outsourced, the actual benefits and drawbacks associated with outsourcing legal work, how to enter into an outsourcing relationship, and the ethical issues associated with offshoring legal work. Panel discussions will include case studies on offshore legal outsourcing relationships, and a description of the steps necessary in locating a suitable outsourcing partner, negotiating the contract with the partner, and subsequently managing the outsourced relationship. Panelists include Kunoor Chopra, LawScribe’s President and CEO together with S. Elizabeth Foster, a Partner from the nationally renowned law firm, Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP.

In the day’s second session panelists including leading figures from the legal outsourcing industry, the legal profession, and the business process outsourcing and venture capital world will provide delegates with a comprehensive overview of the current legal outsourcing sector. This will include a discussion on attempts from within the industry to self-regulate and develop internal accreditation and quality standards. The panel will consider the impact on the legal outsourcing industry of the potential liberalization and opening up of the Indian legal market to foreign law firms. The panel will also provide their predictions and analysis of where the offshore legal marketplace is heading, the impact on the market from the inevitable entry of venture capital funding, and the wider business process outsourcing community. Finally, consideration will be given to the effect that the anticipated explosion in offshore legal outsourcing will have on the U.S. legal profession. Panelists accompanying me on this second session include David Huebner, President and Chief Executive Officer, of RMS and Bob Khanna Managing Director, Citigroup Venture Capital International.