outsourcing legal work has begun - On A Blog:

[Jon8503]

No author:
An increasing number of us and british companies and law firms are outsourcing legal work to india.the practice started a few years ago with simple word processing and filing service performed by non lawyers ,but increasing ,squads of experienced but inexpensive lawyers based in india are doing almost everything from patent applications to divorce paper for western clients. According to Alok Aggarwal chairman of Evalueserve ,a new delhi corporate-research outsourcing company ,the cost saving on salaries isn't the only attraction ,lawyers in india are less likely to demand perks like big offices and personal assistants still is another tempt.hahahah! there is no doubt that organized bar will mount a challenge in the liensing rules--worrying about the unauthorized practice of law or lawyer client privilege. the lndia lawyers perform the more routine jobs --litigation research and support ,patent searches and such like.The next spat of job is ? and the india will be a outsourcing factory?

[mdmc]

1. outsourcing has occurred in law for a long time

this is off shore outsourcing.

In criminal law, the DA and the judges are public officials with great benefits. The "public defenders" are often not public officials, and often work in worse conditions then public officials.

[Deja Q]

2. And we should be surprised, because...?

I've never seen a profession that could amass so many people, yet the glut of workers never once caused a dip in their costs.

I'm surprised it never started en masse before.

But it's disgusting. American law being worked on by people in another country who haven't a clue as to how America works - apart from the paper on which the words were apparently scribbled on with Crayola brand crayons...

I recall postulating offshoring of the legal system some time ago. And was greeted with "can't be done". How the mighty have fallen.

Let's see American lawyers (and politicians as they're all a gaggle of lawyers too) stop offshoring now. They are hoisted by their own petard and this time I'm applauding. The vermin are so out of touch with the middle and lower classes that they deserve the same fuckin' treatment. Once they figure it out and stop the flow of lifeblood outside our country will I shed a tear. Not before.

[Missy M]

3. I wish we could send all of our lawyers to India!!!!!!

[no_hypocrisy]

4. One drawback: the attorney outsourcing is still subject to malpractice

for any errors on the legal documents submitted. Maybe the Indian paralegal missed a date and now it's too late to file an action for the client. Maybe the number for the amount of damages is missing a few zeroes. Maybe the name of a defendant is incorrect and the court throws it back instead of filing the papers. Not to mention the Indian outsourcing agents cannot necessary know which specific government agency to call to get very necessary missing information that attorney didn't know was missing or just didn't know. Sometimes I'll be on the phone for half a morning, going from one department to another in order to get the elusive name or number.

[leveymg]

5. Here's an ad for outsourcing Immigration Law Services

You know it's a vicious outward spiral when you see this:

(c) Offshore Services For Law Firms

We offer a wide range of back-office & clerical support services
to immigration attorneys in NIV and IVs, including managing
checklists, form completion, drafting cover/employer letters,
consular processing assistance, follow-up/correspondence with
clients and other related services. Our services cover document
generation, data entry, accounts, scheduling/calendering,
clerical & archival. Quantum Technologies, Inc.
http://www.quantum-usa.com/legal
is a sister company to Adnet Advertising Agency, the worldwide
leader in immigration advertising services for over a decade.
Headquartered in New York City, Quantum provides the highest
quality services to law firms enabling them to cost effectively
and securely outsource law firm back office processes, and focus
on increasing earning, growth and servicing their clients. We
work as your partner offering tailored services that accelerate
product delivery. With state-of-the-art communication facilities
and infrastructure, our offsite center functions as a virtual
extension of your office providing 24 x 7 support and significant
cost savings. Convenient billing options are available. For more
info. contact Johaina Mumtaz at mailto:[e-mail] or
call 212 406-3503 ext 224.