Outsourced legal privilege services, including privilege review and privilege log drafting, continue to grow in popularity with law firms looking for a convenient, secure, and cost-effective alternative to handling privilege-related matters in-house. However, despite the growing use of these services, we encounter several common misconceptions.
Misconception #1: Privilege Logs Won’t Meet Requirements
Some firms are understandably concerned that outsourcing legal privilege services will put them at risk of noncompliance, particularly if the company performing the work uses attorneys outside the U.S., because privilege log requirements are jurisdiction-specific.
Our clients can be confident in the knowledge that our attorneys are experts on the laws and structures of the U.S. legal system. When we conduct privilege review or draft privilege logs for our clients, we ensure jurisdictional requirements are fully met.
Misconception #2: Outsourcing Legal Privilege Services Isn’t Cost-Effective
Privilege logs must be meticulously crafted to contain certain document-specific information without disclosing the contents of the privileged material itself. Some law firms mistakenly assume that outsourcing this type of content creation, or the review of such information, to someone who isn’t already familiar with the documents is not cost-effective.
In reality, outsourcing privilege services to Baer Reed can help law firms and in-house counsel produce results that are both complete and consistent. Our legal professionals are adept at identifying key information quickly and accurately.
Outsourcing privilege review and log creation becomes even more cost-effective when the same firm handles both document review and privilege services.
Misconception #3: There Are Barriers Due to Language and Cultural Differences
Some law firms are hesitant to outsource legal privilege services to a Philippines-based company because of a concern that language and cultural differences will be too great for an effective business relationship.
Attorney qualification requirements in the Philippines are very similar to those in the U.S. In addition, law school courses, lectures, materials, and examinations are in English. This means that the attorneys providing outsourced legal privilege review and privilege log drafting services are not only fluent in English, but they are also fluent in legal terminology and procedure. Similarly, the culture in the Philippines is heavily influenced by U.S. culture, making cultural differences in the business and legal world virtually non-existent.
Get More Information
To learn more about how outsourcing legal privilege services can benefit your firm, contact us online today, or call us at 888-433-1990.
Mr. Reyes graduated with honors from the Ateneo de Manila University, where he received the Procter and Gamble Student Excellence Award. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law. During law school, Mr. Reyes was part of the Philippine delegation to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Vienna, Austria. He was also a member of the Ateneo Society of International Law and the St. Thomas More Debate Society. He completed his internship at the Public Attorney’s Office. He wrote a thesis entitled: “To Kill A White Elephant: An Analysis of the Fiduciary Exception to the Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege”. Mr. Reyes is admitted to practice law in the Philippines and the State of New York.
Ms. Lardizabal-Manzano is a graduate of San Sebastian College-Recoletos, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science. In 2003, she received her law degree from Lyceum of the Philippines and was admitted to practice law in 2004.
Matthew Hersh earned a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University in 1990 and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. He also holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Cap. Avi Levak (Res. IDF) graduated from from Israel’s prestigious Ben-Gurion University of the Negev with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics. He is also a Leadership and Communication coach trained in TuT coaching by Alon gal in Israel. Avi specializes in high-level, in-depth analysis of business and client needs, within systems and software strategy and architecture.
Ms. Tyler graduated cum laude from Georgetown University and received her law degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, she interned at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. She also worked on The Tax Lawyer journal and was a member of the award-winning Barristers’ Council Mock Trial Team. Ms. Tyler is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the District of Columbia.
Ms. Cruz-Anonuevo graduated cum laude and top nine in her batch from Miriam College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in InternationalStudies. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in Rockwell. During law school, she interned in Rivera, Santos, Maranan & Associates. She was also part of Ateneo’s Labor Law Bar Operations. She wrote her thesis on, “Stealing Privacy: Limitations on Media’s Photographic Invasion.,” Ms. Cruz-Anonuevo is admitted to practice law in the Philippines.
Ms. Aquino-Batallones obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies (with Minors in Global Politics and Hispanic Studies) from the Ateneo de Manila University. In 2011, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law. During law school, she interned at Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles then became an intern of Ateneo Legal Services Center’s Clinical Legal Education Program.
Mr. De Guzman graduated from San Beda College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics and received his law degree from San Beda College of Law. He is multilingual and is fluent in three languages: Chinese, Filipino, and English. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2003.