A number of U.K companies, including members of the Fortune 500 and some of the country's largest law firms, are now embracing the idea of outsourcing routine legal business to India, South Korea, Australia and other locales that offer far lower labour costs. Leading Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has outsourced some of its routine legal business work, such as document processing, to Integreon, an Indian law firm.

General Electric has set up a subsidiary in India that employs about 30 lawyers. Sensing an opportunity, a handful of companies have sprung up in recent years, both in the U.K. and abroad, that sell outsourced legal services. LawScribe, Allen & Overy, Linklaters, Lovells, Clifford Chance, Eversheds and Underwoods are just a few of the law firms that have embraced Legal Outsourcing. The pressure to improve business development and lead generation, whilst associate wages and property costs continue to soar, means that interest in outsourcing and off-shoring amongst British law firms will only grow.

Legal Outsourcing usually comprises of paralegal and research support, contract drafting and revising, contract management, library services, patent, trademark and prosecution and litigation support. In the current economic climate, corporate law departments are not alone in having their budgets progressively tightened. Whether through an innovative sourcing strategy or shared services, a variety of methodologies have emerged which enable the legal departments to control costs and improve efficiency.

Legal Process Outsourcing is the most substantial out of them all. In recent years the global spending on legal services has been estimated at over 170.75 billion British Pounds. With such demand for legal services, corporations and law firms need to handle large volumes of work, whilst keeping costs in check and maintaining profitability.

This is where Legal Processing Outsourcing comes into the picture, where core legal functions are delegated to external counsels who complete the assigned task on the basis of set parameters and fixed timelines. The entire legal profession has undergone a dramatic shift with the advent of law professionals focusing on legal outsourcing. LPO is not just a fad or a passing phase. The trend has shifted from domestic law firms, to an increasingly competitive global marketplace with massive scope and job opportunities.

The clock is ticking fast and in time LPO will be a much sought after industry to work with. For a comprehensive detail about legal outsourcing and the various corporations who are already off-shoring legal work, and also of the major law firms off-shoring a part of their business, visit www.legalimarketing.co.uk. So much for calling Legal Outsourcing a passing craze! We believe it's here to stay.