June 25, 2025

 Alison Laird

best practices flexible resourcing legal operations law firm cost savings

Part I of this series examined the rationale and benefits – for law departments, law firms, and the entities for which they perform work – of disaggregating legal practice and legal service and shifting routine, process-driven tasks from practitioners to specialised providers adept at leveraging economies of scale and lower-cost geographies, best practices and optimal processes, and legal tech and technical know-how. In this post provides practical guidance about doing so.

Five Steps to Start

For law firms and in-house teams, making the switch to right-sourcing can be a manageable process that pays dividends. Here’s how to begin:

1. Map Your Workflows
   Begin by assessing your team’s workload. Which tasks are best suited to your core team’s skills? Routine work like document management, data reporting, or contract processing may be better suited for outsourcing or automation (and yes, you can use your fun new GenAI tools to assist).
2. Choose the Right Partners and Tools
   Not all tasks need to be handled in-house, and right-sourcing is only as good as the partners and tech you choose. Vet providers carefully and ensure they align with your quality standards and team values.
3. Invest in Change Management
   Any shift in roles requires careful change management. Make sure your team understands the benefits of right-sourcing and feels empowered by the new model. Get them involved in designing the solutions and managing the implementation.
4. Regularly Evaluate and Adjust
   Right-sourcing isn’t static; it should evolve to meet your team’s needs. Regularly assess the efficiency of outsourced work, making adjustments as needed to keep things running smoothly.
5. Communicate the Benefits to Clients
   Equally important for in-house law departments with business unit clients as it is for law firms and their external clients – communication is key. Clients may be wary of changes in how services are delivered. It is important to share the benefits and the ‘what’s in it for me’ factors – like cost savings and quicker responses – so they understand how right-sourcing enhances their experience.

Move Ahead Without Delay

Two impediments hamstring the action items listed above. First, initiating change always requires overcoming the inertia of sticking with incumbent solutions. That’s why it’s crucial to invest in change management (see #3 above). Second, it’s easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm for breakthrough technology, which these days means GenAI trends and all the tech solutions available in the market. However, right sourcing and AI adoption are not mutually exclusive.  And, time and again, powerful improvements come from exploring new ways with existing tools, processes and people. By effectively leveraging legal practice and legal services, and embracing a right-sourcing approach, you can elevate service delivery, boost efficiency, and achieve greater client satisfaction. It’s a practical, adaptable strategy that keeps your team sharp and your clients happy.