(Newswire.net — March 15, 2021) —
Teaming with a legal process outsourcing (LPO) company is quickly becoming an important step for legal firms and corporate legal departments. By providing office support, handling client calls, simplifying case management, and extending legal research capabilities, LPO firms help keep overhead costs down. But, how do you choose the right LPO partner? Making a mistake could be costly and frustrating.
Below, National Legal Staffing Support (NLSS) offers sound advice about how to find the right LPO partner.
In-person or video interview: When trying to decide if a potential LPO partner is a good fit for your law firm or department, set up an interview, either in-person or virtually; the interview is a critical piece of the selection process. There is no acceptable substitute for looking someone in the eye to assess their character. Meet the senior management team and ask them some of the following questions.
Expertise: Early in the selection process, ask questions about the LPO candidate’s expertise. Many LPO firms specialize in one or more aspects of the law. Ask about their current and previous clients to get an idea of the level of experience they can bring to your firm.
Security and Compliance: It is critical that you find someone that will treat sensitive information appropriately. Your LPO partner will have access to information about your firm and your clients, so ensure they use a first-class document management system and encrypted email. Ask about their understanding of the regulatory compliance issues faced by your clients.
Processes: Each LPO has established processes for case management, document control, correspondence, and a host of other tasks. Ask them to describe these — preferably before you tell them about your expectations about these processes. You want to avoid a situation where your firm is a “one-off” for the LPO. That leaves too much room for error. Find an LPO that has established processes that will work for how you manage your practice.
Software tools: Gain an understanding of what tools the LPO uses to manage their workload. Ensure they use a modern electronic document management (EDM) system and that they can protect both electronic and physical documents they will handle for you. Ask about their software patch strategy. Secure email, cloud storage, and office software should all be the latest version and kept updated.
Work samples: Ask to see a sample of their work product. An insider trick about this request is if they provide or offer to provide a work sample that has not been completely sanitized of all sensitive and identifying information, walk away. This misstep should be a disqualification. If they share information about their current or past clients to secure your business, they will share your information to get their next client.
Contact references: Ask for references and always follow up with them. Call the referenced firm and ask questions about their experience. Law firms are often hesitant to give details about a previous vendor, but they will often provide a description of their overall experience with the LPO.
About National Legal Staffing Support
National Legal Staffing Support is a Florida-based legal process outsourcing (LPO) provider serving consumer protection law firms. The team at National Legal Staffing Support (NLSS) provides world-class paralegal support and pre-litigation services. NLSS also offers a groundbreaking document management solution that saves time, money, and office space. Work processes are streamlined thanks to improved record security, efficient filing, and document retrieval.