Integreon

The International Bar Association Magazine reports in Industry Focus LPOs (June 2009) that general counsel attitudes about legal process outsourcing (LPO) are gradually changing. The article reports on three separate studies that, while still showing some continued resistance to LPO, indicate a trend towards increased acceptance by corporations. It cites Pam Woldow (aka @PWoldow on Twitter), principal at Altman Weil and former general counsel at the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance, saying, “When your budget is cut and you still have to cover the same ground, you have to consider your options.” According to Connie Brenton, associate general counsel at Sun Microsystems, “While most general counsel might be attracted to LPO because of the 30–70 per cent cost savings achievable by using Indian lawyers at much lower rates, there are other advantages too. For example, providers will handle efficiently ‘and with superior quality’ work that in-house lawyers in the United States or United Kingdom are unenthusiastic about.” A range of criteria for selecting competent LPO providers are discussed. Matthew Banks, senior vice-president for legal services at Integreon, suggests that the trend is towards providers with a “global footprint,” which allows combining onsite, onshore, and offshore into a single integrated service.