We are monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation as it relates to law and litigation. Find more resources and articles on our COVID-19 portal. For the duration of the crisis, all coronavirus-related articles are outside our paywall and available to all readers.
December 10, 2020 Articles
Ethical Implications When Outsourcing Legal Work
Outsourcing can pose potential ethical minefields.
By William E. Gericke and Thomas G. Wilkinson
In streamlining their back-office functions to cut costs and comply with COVID-19 best practices, lawyers must be mindful that outsourcing can pose potential ethical minefields. By apprising themselves of applicable ethics rules, lawyers can confidently outsource legal and nonlegal services while creating a win-win scenario for themselves and their clients.
Background
“Outsourcing” generally refers to “the practice of taking a specific task or function previously performed within a firm or entity and, for reasons including cost and efficiency, having it performed by an outside service provider.” ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, Revised Proposal—Outsourcing (Sept. 19, 2001). In an era where lawyers and law firms seek to run “lean” as a way of keeping costs down, many practices find that outsourcing legal and nonlegal services once performed in-house by law firms can be a wise financial move. The advent of COVID-19—and accompanying social distancing and remote work requirements—has accelerated consideration of outsourcing various administrative services so as to streamline back-office functions.
Premium Content For:
- Litigation Section