Law.com Barometer: Outsourcing in Big Law is Accelerating
This Law.com Barometer highlights how law firm leaders are taking advantage of outsourcing to reduce overhead and keep profit margins steady.
October 08, 2020 at 06:24 PM
5 minute read
The Shift
Law firm partners are learning as they go this year, especially on how to dramatically cut costs. One method: layoffs tied to outsourcing and streamlining jobs. The move — shifting jobs to a central location or to a third party — has sharply accelerated in 2020, as law firm leaders are taking advantage of pandemic circumstances to dramatically reduce overhead and keep profit margins steady.
For instance, Thompson & Knight, partnering with outsourcing company Williams Lea, has opened an administrative center in Columbus, Ohio. Winston & Strawn has created a new center for professional support services.
In both cases, the firms confirmed they laid off employees. Winston said the arrival of a center that will provide 24/7 professional support services for attorneys and clients will involve the "elimination of certain roles." Thompson's managing partner, Mark Sloan, said because some functions moved off-site, the firm eliminated some positions in its document processing and graphic design departments.
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