If you’ve had a run in with the blue screen of death recently, chances are you’ve had to disclose your humiliating technological incompetence to an Indian. India is world’s number one location for technology support outsourcing. Heck, they’ve got so much outsourced work that they’re outsourcing outsourcing.
Soon, however, we might be turning to India for something more important than reinstalling device drivers: legal jobs.
A year long survey conducted by Legal Process Outsourcing found that about 52% of around 100 firms surveyed were either outsourcing or considering outsourcing legal research work. About 46% of firms said the same for contract work, and about 35% were outsourcing or thinking about outsourcing IP and document review work respectively.
Legal outsourcing has been feared for years, but with all of the other pressures on the job market these days, these statistics seem especially alarming.
I don’t enjoy being the bearer of bad news, but this is a law school blog, and recently it seems that there’s a lot of it out there. So, just to switch things up, here’s The Positive Law Student’s take:
Legal research? Doc review? Boring... But, you know what law firms can’t outsource? Legal strategy, depositions, negotiations, and all kinds of tasks requiring a working understanding of the legal system and its relationship to real world.
In other words, take advantage of all of the skills courses, clinics, and externships your school has to offer. They’re often easier than normal classes; they’re usually pretty interesting; and they’ll provide you with specialized knowledge and skills that law firms can’t find abroad.
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