Washington Post Publishes Article On Indian LPO Business

Written by Sean Hocking

Yes... we know. How many articles can one possibly read about the rise of US legal work being outsourced to Indian LPO's. We feel duty bound to include a reference to this article because of that fact that it has been published by the Washington Post. But also because it seems to suggest where the future might lie with the other current legal question in India at the moment....When will foreign law firms eventually be allowed to practice on the sub-continent and on what basis ? The Post article does illustrate how many Indian law graduates are now choosing to work for LPO's rather than practicing as local solicitors or barristers. We wonder whether the LPO companies will allow India to have their cake and eat it. In essence they are training many of the graduates in the basics of the US legal system and other regimes such as the UK, Australia & Canada. By the time the Indian government actually makes a decision on allowing overseas law firms to practice in India (don't hold your breath) these foreign firms will find a wealth of expertise on the ground in terms of employable individuals who understand a lot of the issues that they'll need in the junior and middle level lawyers. And local Indian firms will also be able to draw from this pool as well as from their legal and business connections to prosper in a more open legal market. We know that many in the Indian government and Indian legal profession still don't believe that loosening the reins will benefit the country's legal market but we'd suggest that events on the ground are already bely that fact. The Post writes: GURGAON, India -- When Aashish Sharma graduated from law school two years ago, his father had visions of seeing him argue in an Indian court and eventually become an honorable judge. Instead, Sharma, 25, now sits all day in front of a computer in a plush, air-conditioned suburban office doing litigation research and drafting legal contracts for U.S. companies and law firms. He is part of a booming new outsourcing industry in India that employs thousands of English-speaking lawyers such as him to do legal work at a small fraction of the cost of hiring American lawyers. "It is much better than going to court in India and dealing with all kinds of rough people. Working in legal outsourcing is a happy career move for me, although my father does not fully understand what I am doing here after my education in Indian law," said Sharma, who began working in February for an outsourcing company called Quatrro. "I am getting valuable exposure to the American judicial system, corporate law and their way of working." Read the full article here

 

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