Conducting legal research can be a time-consuming exercise for many attorneys and law firms, especially for firms and corporations with a backlog of work, or organizations dealing with an influx of projects or cases. Legal research outsourcing can free up tasks for attorneys to focus on high-value work.
For organizations considering using an LPO, here are some common misconceptions about legal research outsourcing:
Misconception #1: Outsourcing research violates attorney/client confidentiality.
Some attorneys are hesitant to outsource research tasks because they are concerned that doing so could jeopardize their clients’ information. While the degree to which outsourced research service providers implement security and privacy measures can vary, some countries (such as the Philippines) have standards for attorney-client privilege and client confidentiality that mirror those in the U.S. By vetting an LPO, you can confirm how diligent they are about securing information and adhering to U.S. standards for privilege and client confidentiality.
Misconception #2: The firm won’t be able to rely on research results provided by an outsourced provider.
Because LPO attorneys are specifically trained to conduct legal research and other tasks using U.S. and international law, they are able to conduct thorough, relevant research for clients. With access to a variety of databases and research tools, outsourced providers can provide in-depth and up-to-date legal research and analysis that clients can rely on.
Misconception #3: Time is of the essence; outsourcing will take too long.
Attorneys facing tight deadlines sometimes assume that there’s no time to outsource their legal research tasks, so they – or their paralegals or legal assistants – spend hours they don’t have to research legal matters. Outsourcing research tasks to an LPO can be much more efficient, from both a time and cost perspective. LPOs providing legal research services understand that the attorneys they serve have tight turnaround times. Because LPOs have a team of detail-oriented attorneys ready to research a variety of legal matters, legal research outsourcing can be faster than completing legal research in-house.
Baer Reed provides timely, cost-effective, and comprehensive legal research review and analysis to law firms and legal teams around the world. To learn more about legal research outsourcing, contact us today.
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.