Legal Process Outsourcing – A New trend for Lawyers

The term LPO or ‘Legal Process Outsourcing’ stands for the process adopted by many law firms and the chambers run by barristers in handing over a part of their work to external law agencies. 

 

Do they have to do this?

The main reason for the law firms in the US and the UK for outsourcing their job to others is the adverse economic condition they find themselves in. 

When the question of reducing extra staff comes up, it is usually the junior employees consisting of the paralegals, newly qualified lawyers, admin people, and support lawyers who are eventually shown the door. Though they do not seem to add much to the absolute value of the firms, their absence puts the responsibility of doing daily mundane and straightforward jobs on the highly experienced and qualified lawyers. To avoid wasting valuable time on these jobs, the LPO is the best option. This has resulted in making ‘Legal Process Outsourcing’ more popular. 

The competitive prices offered by LPO firms may make you think that only the simple jobs get outsourced. Tasks like research and transcription of legal matters, creation, and maintenance of databases, indexing, and scanning of evidence are outsourced. Outsourcing also includes reviewing, coding, annotation, processing, management, drafting, and patenting of documents as well as the creation of precedents and forms.

The simple daily mundane jobs are not the only subjects for outsourcing. Acquisitions and mergers, complicated litigation, insolvency issues, compliance and patenting are also important aspects of outsourcing. The biggest concern regarding outsourcing to an external agency is confidentiality.  Even if the legal firms engaged in outsourcing activities have confidentiality agreements with LPO companies in place, they still have to use off-site researchers over whom they have lower control than the in-house investigators. 

The barristers and lawyers can provide some protection to their clients by removing their names from the documents they send to their clients and can insist that the LPO firms they use to do the same. Many other advantages however far outweigh the issue of confidentiality. The law firms can avoid the cost or take responsibility for keeping a permanent support staff. They can get an unlimited amount of ad-hoc help whenever they need it. 

The costs are more or less competitive allowing the law firms to cover a larger volume of niche areas with the network support provided by LPO companies. The services offered by these LPO companies are worth keeping in mind if a modern-day law firm wants to streamline its operations without losing its competitiveness. 

How to Hire a Lawyer?

We live in a world where legality and order need to be followed, and the law is at hand. This is where the lawyers come in handy. If ever you have the need to get out of a sticky situation and bail yourself out, whether you are right or wrong, a friendly lawyer will be there to help you.

Lawyers are experts on a lot of things. Studying hard for years until they finally pass the bar exams, you can expect great things from them and will defend your side for as long as it takes using legal arguments.

You don’t need to be an expert in law to hire a good lawyer. There are only a few pointers that you need to know to ensure that you are paying for the right job and hiring the best lawyers out there.

• Experience and Skill Level

Hiring a lawyer most often depends upon the person’s experience, but also depends on how simple or tough your case is. If you have a rather complicated situation that might need a bigger court to settle, then don’t settle for a newcomer – go for someone who has been a big player in the industry for a long time.  

Interview them and explain your case properly and whoever has the most radical and best solution for the court and other legal action suggestions takes the crown.

• Solo or Law Firm

Legal services depend on a case to case basis. If you think that your case is not that much of a hassle when it comes to legal matters, then it is okay to hire an independent or small time lawyer. This is if you think that person can easily handle it. But if you need more power on your back, go for a law firm where they can work as a team. Law firms can also offer you more advice which makes it suitable for bigger and more complicated legal battles.

• Budgeting

Do not expect a lawyer to charge you with some cheap fees if you expect him or her to assist you on a big legal case. Hiring a lawyer will always be expensive, because you are talking about legal matters and sometimes, life or death decisions. You can try to negotiate first if you think that the fees might be too rough for your wallet or canvas on other firms or individual lawyers for prices.

Clay Serenbetz - Marketing Strategies

Clay Serenbetz - Marketing Strategies
Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation.

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A presentation by Clay Serenbetz

I Have No Money, How Can I Hire an Attorney?

Frequently, the people who need an attorney the most are also the ones who can least afford to pay for one. Whether accused of a crime, injured in an accident, or facing the possibility of losing your children, there are many situations where the stakes are so high that you might desperately need an attorney even though you have no way to pay. So, how do you hire an attorney when you have no money?

In some situations, attorneys may be provided to you. These are generally in cases where the stakes are quite high -- so high that the Supreme Court found that you have a constitutional right to an attorney. The most common situation for court-appointed legal counsel has always been criminal cases. Anyone who has watched a TV show or movie featuring law enforcement of any kind probably recognizes the famous Miranda Warning:

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you.

This right to an attorney, even if you cannot afford one, grew out of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and was cemented in the law by the case of Gideon v. Wainright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963). In that case, a poor defendant was unable to obtain legal counsel and thus, grossly outmatched in court by the State Attorney. On appeal from his conviction, the Supreme Court held that the right of an indigent (i.e., poor) defendant in a criminal case to have the assistance of counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial. Thus, the conviction was overturned and the right to legal counsel in a criminal case was finally and firmly established.

If arrested, a criminal defendant must be advised of their right to legal counsel. An attorney is typically appointed at the first hearing the defendant attends (usually a first appearance that occurs within 24 hours of arrest). Most commonly, the defendant receives the services of a Public Defender, an attorney paid by the state to represent clients with no means of representing themselves. These are overworked and underpaid civil servants that often receive an unfair reputation as being less skilled or less concerned than a private attorney. In reality, most Public Defenders do everything they can with the budget and time they have to put on the best possible case for their clients.

Bankruptcy Exemption - Clay Serenbetz

Bankruptcy exemptions can make a dramatic difference in your bankruptcy proceeding whether you are filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. While the result for having an exemption is different for each type of bankruptcy filing, both help the consumer keep more – either property or money.

Definition

Bankruptcy exemptions keep certain assets away from the bankruptcy trustee. Some exemptions exist to protect specific property, such as an automobile. However, other exemptions exist to protect an asset’s entire value or a portion of the asset’s value. The more exemptions a person can receive, the better off they usually are. Additionally, consumers do not have to worry about this asset or its value affecting their bankruptcy case.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Exemptions

Chapter 7 bankruptcies take the property that consumers currently own, sell it off and pay down as much debt as possible. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a bankruptcy trustee has the power to sell assets in a consumer’s bankruptcy estate.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Exemptions

Chapter 13 bankruptcies permit consumers to retain their property while they reorganize their debts. However, the amount that they are required to pay each month to creditors is dependent on, in part, the property that they can exempt. Then, the consumers must pay the value of their nonexempt assets to unsecured creditors. Having more exemptions allows consumers to reduce the amount that they have to pay to these creditors.

Clay Serenbetz

Car Repossession Laws

Whether leased or finance, your creditor has important rights to possession of the vehicle in the event of a default. These rights are established in both the lending documents signed at the time of purchase and in the laws of the state in which you live. Most commonly, when a buyer fails to make timely payments on a vehicle, the lender will have a contractual and statutory right to take possession of the vehicle without going to court or giving you advance warning. This is what is known by most as a “repossession.” Your creditor may also be able to sell the right to take possession of the vehicle to a third party, called an assignee, who would then have the same right of repossession. It is also worth noting that in some jurisdictions, failing to carry adequate insurance may also be a trigger for repossession.

When Can a Creditor Repossess My Vehicle?

In many states, your creditor can take possession of your vehicle as soon as you default on your loan or lease. That could mean missing your first payment, failing to carry adequate insurance on the vehicle, or violating another condition of the lending documents. Your contract should state the specific circumstances that constitutes a default.

However, simply because the creditor is entitled does not mean that it will exercise its right in every situation. It is often possible to work with your creditor to change your payment date, roll payments to the end of your repayment term, reduce payment amounts during times of financial hardship, etc. If your creditor agrees to such a change, make sure they do it in writing. Most lenders are big organizations and it is possible for things to get lost in the shuffle. If your car gets repossessed despite an agreement, you will need the written proof to protect your interests in court.

What Happens to My Personal Property in the Vehicle?

The personal belongings inside of a vehicle belong to the owner and may be retrieved at a reasonable time and place from the creditor or its agents. Some states require the creditor to provide an inventory, but not all. If your creditor cannot account for possessions left in the vehicle, you may want to speak to an attorney and/or local law enforcement. You can find an attorney in your area able to help you with both your repossession and the missing property by visiting HG.org and using the attorney search functions.