More Outsourcing: A&O and Simmons & Simmons
Cutting costs is the order of the moment – Allen & Overy has become the latest firm to look at contracting out more back-office work. The move sees the magic circle firm planning to send due diligence and litigation discovery to an external provider. A&O already outsources work along with a number of other firms including Clifford Chance, Lovells and Eversheds. Meanwhile Simmons & Simmons is going even further by looking to outsource legal work to agency lawyers in low-cost …
Cutting costs is the order of the moment – Allen & Overy has become the latest firm to look at contracting out more back-office work. The move sees the magic circle firm planning to send due diligence and litigation discovery to an external provider. A&O already outsources work along with a number of other firms including Clifford Chance, Lovells and Eversheds.
Meanwhile Simmons & Simmons is going even further by looking to outsource legal work to agency lawyers in low-cost jurisdictions. It is understood that Partners will vote this week on a proposal to use external lawyers in India, South Africa or Australia for large pieces of litigation or corporate due diligence. Simmons is the first major firm to consider using qualified agency lawyers abroad. Potentially the firm could achieve a 50 per cent cost-saving on each role that is moved offshore. Junior lawyers brace yourselves.
April 28, 2009
Good bye bloated law firms. Clients don’t want to pay for enormous overstaffed ranks of salaried lawyers.
April 28, 2009
Maybe but quality control will be more difficult.
April 28, 2009
Firms like Simmons & Simmons will inevitably be feeling the pinch – nothing like a downturn to focus on achieving cost efficiencies.
April 28, 2009
There will be plenty more of this to come.