Outsourcing: a junior lawyer's perspective

In an industry that has seen plenty of redundancies recently, and as a result has one of the largest pools of good-value junior manpower on the market, it is surprising how many top law firms are looking to outsource junior-level work to lawyers overseas. And it is not just the decision to ignore all the idle talent that I find odd. What has happened to firms' desires to train up their junior members to ensure they have knowledge of fundamental tasks such as document review and due diligence?

Yes, we've all moaned when faced with the task of a 100-folder data room, but in order to develop as an associate solicitor we have to know how to do the basics well. We also have to know how these tasks work in order to effectively monitor and supervise.

Which brings me to another issue. Just how closely supervised will lawyers at legal process outsourcing centres be? And how will firms know that these lawyers have full understanding of the case at hand? Ensuring that there is ‘seamless service' when partners are so many miles away is not easy. It is difficult enough to get people working together smoothly across one department, let alone cross-border.

Then there is the legal content of the work being outsourced. Surely knowledge of the particular jurisdiction and legal nuances are prerequisites to any legal advice? Would you knowingly, for example, go to an English lawyer for advice on French law? So why do firms feel that they can get away with passing work to people trained in the laws of another country?

With pricing for legal services becoming increasingly competitive, I suppose it's natural that firms are turning to alternative strategies to deliver better value to clients. However, it may come at a cost to quality, consistency, training and investment in learning and development.

Natalie Salunke is a legal counsel in Travelex's retail team, having trained with Taylor Wessing.

To read more on legal outsourcing, click here

Join the Legal Week Student Facebook group