Ethics of Legal Outsourcing

With the emergence of the legal process outsourcing (LPO) industry both core legal and support services are being outsourced to LPO companies located onshore as well as offshore in countries such as India and the Philippines. The outsourcing of legal work raises issues pertaining to the outsourcing lawyer’s ethical obligations to his or her client. The ABA and various state bars have issued opinions covering the key issues relating to outsourcing of legal work. More recently the ABA Ethics 20-20 Commission has proposed amendments to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct reflecting the burgeoning interest in LPO.