Ethics and New ABA Rules on Legal Outsourcing

The worry that competition is working "around the clock" is becoming more and more prevalent with the continuous use of legal outsourcing.  More and more often, attorneys are submitting 35-page briefs and boxes of supporting information at a faster rate by delegating to offshore legal services, legal service data mining companies and contract attorneys to implement a case strategy. Perhaps one of the hottest and most controversial trends in practice management this decade, outsourcing has become a way for attorneys to enhance their practice and help manage caseloads. 

This free-wheeling discussion highlights the recent ethical obligations for outsourcing adopted by the American Bar Association (ABA).  It also illuminates both the opportunities and pitfalls that can result and help attorneys decide if it's worth implementing within their own practice.

Learning Objectives:

I.    Know what outsourcing is, and the difference between outsourcing and offshoring

II.   Understand your ethical obligations when undertaking outsourcing

III.  Grasp how attorneys create practical opportunities for using outsourced legal services

IV.  Identify practical opportunities for becoming an outsourcing provider

V.   Build an ethics checklist for your outsourcing efforts