Improve Your Law Firm’s Profitability, Productivity, and Flexibility Through Paralegal Outsourcing Solutions

Many law firms experienced financial downturns and a shift in client demand during the pandemic. Across legal sectors and practice areas, transactional firms, in particular, were hit the hardest.

Since the legal industry was in uncharted waters, many struggled to adapt to the changing landscape. A lot of firms had to frantically search for ways to reduce overhead and cut costs. However, the good news is that there is a way to future-proof your law firm, reducing expenses without sacrificing productivity and profitability: paralegal outsourcing.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the benefits of outsourcing paralegal work, the scenarios where paralegal outsourcing is advantageous, and where your law firm can find reliable BPO providers. Let’s dive in!

Paralegals assist and work under the supervision of an attorney, taking on support roles within a law firm setting, such as drafting legal documents, summarizing depositions, and interviewing witnesses. When you outsource paralegal services, your law firm can focus on completing more specialized legal work while delegating the non-core tasks to capable outsourced hands.

Now that we understand paralegal outsourcing, let’s discuss how it empowers law firms and helps future-proof operations. Here are just some of the benefits of outsourcing paralegal work:

Trimming Overhead Costs

One of the most significant benefits of paralegal outsourcing is that it helps law firms reduce costs and expenses, including payroll taxes, health insurance, and physical office space. Since paralegals are typically paid less than licensed attorneys, delegating less specialized work to them can help save clients money and improve their firm’s bottom line. 

In addition, when you outsource paralegal services, your law firm can experience greater financial freedom. This is because outsourcing allows for on-demand paralegal services. When there is not much legal work to be done, outsourced paralegals won’t be on your payroll and will not be entitled to employee benefits. You will pay them based on output and tasks completed.

Addressing Fluctuations in Legal Department Staffing

The need for paralegal services often depends on the needs of the law firm at any given time. The legal sector often experiences fluctuations in client demand, so outsourcing paralegal work is more cost-effective than having a large in-house team of paralegals.

If a law firm hires too many paralegals, there may not be enough work for them. However, if a law firm has too few paralegals, lawyers will have to take time away from their more specialized work to focus on other non-core tasks. This is where paralegal outsourcing can come in handy.

Through paralegal outsourcing, law firms can meet their needs depending on client demands without incurring the costs associated with overstaffing. For instance, when seasonal legal work is needed, law firms can hire more outsourced paralegals. There won’t be a great need for too many paralegals during the off-season, so the firm can focus on its in-house staff and attorneys.

Increasing Flexibility of Operations

Another advantage of paralegal outsourcing is that it can essentially future-proof your business, allowing for greater flexibility. For example, having outsourced paralegals around can allow firms to gain much-needed support with complex cases or heavy workload volumes. They can also come in handy to cover for staff on holidays, vacations, parental or emergency leaves, and the like.

Outsourcing paralegal work helps protect your law firm in case of unexpected developments in the future. Whether you need to downsize or scale, outsourcing can help keep your operations running smoothly without significantly adding to your firm’s overhead and infrastructure costs.

To learn more about the advantages of paralegal outsourcing for law firms, let’s take a look at a few scenarios:

• Suppose a few of your in-house paralegals take a vacation as a respite after months of overwhelming workloads. However, your firm still has work that needs to be completed over the holidays. 

Instead of insisting that your in-house team stays on board during their vacation time, outsource paralegal services to a capable provider. This way, you can keep up employee morale without having to sacrifice productivity.

• Imagine that your firm deals with a new client who is involved in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit. Substantial research and document review will be needed for this case, and you will need a paralegal who will put all of their focus on this important client. 

Since this is a one-time case with a significant financial return for the firm, it is wise to opt for paralegal outsourcing. This option allows your firm to meet your client’s immediate needs and put plenty of focus on this important case without needing to create a new paralegal position that may not be needed after the case concludes. In addition, you can outsource to a paralegal who already has proven expertise and experience with the type of case your new client has.

• When your firm is in the middle of a major case, you’ll often need all hands on deck. However, what if your in-house paralegal has an important family emergency to take care of? In this scenario, paralegal outsourcing can be the lifesaver your firm needs to stay afloat, allowing for flexibility in the face of a staffing crisis.

• It’s tax season again, and your firm has an influx of clients who need assistance with tax filing and compliance. Instead of hiring new paralegals for seasonal work, get in touch with paralegal outsourcing providers. This will help you meet the temporarily high demand without having to create a new position that may not be needed during off-seasons.

• Your in-house lawyers are swamped with new cases and need assistance with drafting documents and interviewing clients. Instead of diverting attention from their essential and specialized work, outsource paralegal services to ease their load.

What all of these scenarios have in common is this: Work in the law sector can fluctuate greatly depending on client demand. Paralegal outsourcing provides your law firm with the adaptability and flexibility you need to rise to the occasion and meet clients’ immediate needs and important deadlines.

Now that you understand the importance of paralegal outsourcing, it’s time to take the next step: finding the right outsourcing partner. If you’re looking for cost-effective solutions that don’t compromise on quality, consider outsourcing paralegal works to the Philippines.

The Philippines is home to premier universities that produce high-caliber paralegals. In fact, 53% of Filipino paralegals have a bachelor’s degree, and 15% have a graduate degree. The salary for Filipino paralegals ranges between $6,762​ to ​$7,672 annually. By opting for paralegal outsourcing in the Philippines, your law firm can enjoy significant cost savings while also confident that capable professionals are handling your legal administrative matters.

The legal industry faces many disruptions, and law practitioners must consider flexible staffing arrangements to meet ever-changing client demands. To improve your firm’s productivity and profitability, turn to SuperStaff for paralegal outsourcing services.

SuperStaff offers a variety of legal process outsourcing solutions, designed to allow law firms to focus on what matters most: representing their clients’ best interests. Let our capable team take on your non-core and administrative tasks as your lawyers focus on their specialized works. Connect with us, and learn more about what our LPO solutions can do for your firm!