Outsourcing legal services to small firm attorneys is quickly becoming a trend among large and small corporations. As they face the pressure to cut their budgets, reduce their spending, and in some instances, completely dissolve their law departments, corporations are looking for ways to remain efficient.
Law departments are under-staffed, and there is no capital in the budget to cover hiring and retaining in-house counsel. Corporations are finding that they can effectively manage their workloads and reduce their operating costs when they outsource legal services to small firm attorneys.
There are several reasons corporations choose to go the outsourcing route, below are just a few:
Work Closely with the Senior Partner
More often than not, when you outsource legal services to a small firm you get to deal directly with the senior partner. You’re not forced to communicate solely with associates, paralegals or other support staff when your matter requires the attention of a seasoned attorney.
Smaller, More Manageable Workloads
Lawyers in large law firms often are responsible for more cases than they can comfortably handle. Their large workloads can be attributed in large part to under-staffing caused by massive layoffs over the past couple of years. In some large firms, associate attorneys are forced to work on legal matters that generally require a senior partner’s attention.
In contrast, small firm attorneys are typically responsible for much smaller workloads when compared to the large firms. Because they aren’t stretched as thin, small firm attorneys tend to have more manageable workloads, and can devote the time and senior-level attention your legal matters require.
Access to Associates, Paralegals and other support staff
Unbeknownst to some, most small firm attorneys do not work alone. Many have in-house associates, paralegals and other support staff that assist them with their clients’ legal matters. Thus, when you outsource to a small firm attorney, you get access to associates and paralegals without having to hire additional staff. This also means you can relax knowing your small firm attorney has the support needed to provide effective legal services to your corporation.
Reduce Legal Spending and Control Costs
Nowadays, most corporations are dealing with budget and spending concerns in one way or another. They are outsourcing to small firm attorneys at more competitive hourly and flat rates in order to reduce legal spending and control costs. Because small firms generally have lower overhead and aren’t over-burdened by the costs associated with retaining large staff, they can operate for far less than large firms. This savings can then be passed on to their clients in the form of affordable hourly rates.
The next time your corporation considers outsourcing to outside counsel, you may want to consider small firm attorneys as they tend to have manageable workloads, can devote adequate attention to your legal matter, and reduce your legal spending in the process.
Is your corporate law department under pressure to reduce legal spending and control costs? How are you managing?
