LPO Use Gains Traction at UK Firms, Survey Says
Primarily driven by cost-saving needs, nearly 15 percent of U.K. law firms are outsourcing work—a significant boost from prior survey reports of only 5 percent in 2009.
While 6 percent of in-house legal teams employ legal process outsourcing providers, both groups expect the use of LPO services to grow over the next year, according to a recent survey of 575 lawyers by Incisive Media Research Legal Week and legal process outsourcing provider Integreon, Legal Week reports.
In fact, the lower percentage of use at in-house legal departments reflects a client preference for outside counsel to manage the LPO workflow in matters—which ranges from litigation document review, e-discovery and contract management, says Integreon senior vice president of consulting Ron Friedmann at Integreon Blog.
Although cost pressure is the primary driver of LPO use—lack of consistent quality and data security concerns remain significant barriers for many of the respondents, who reported that alternative fees are offered by 75 percent of firms as a way to cut costs.
