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TRANSCRIPT
Legal Process Outsourcing: How to Obtain Professional, Cost-
Effective Services While Maintaining
Quality and Confidentiality
ACI’s 8th National Forum on
Controlling Litigation Costs October 23, 2013
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PRESENTED BY:
Thomas Bender Co-President and Managing Director
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Janna Lewis EVP and General Counsel
Fay Investments
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Overview
• Recent History and LPO
• LPO today - 2013 Survey by law.com
• Case Study 1: Vendor Management
Program – policies and procedures
from companies that MUST use LPO
• Best Practices for LPO
• Case Study 2: Insourcing – One Law
Firm’s Model
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Historical Development of LPO
1990s The term, “LPO” was coined
2005 "Offshoring Legal Services to India" first LPO report by
ValueNotes Database
2007 India holds 99% of the LPO market
2008
ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional
Responsibility issued a blanket endorsement of LPO in Formal
Opinion 08-451
2010 Off-shore LPO industry revenues - $400,000 (130% growth per
annum)
2013
Off-shore LPO industry averages 125% growth per annum
since 2010, but variations on the LPO model are emerging
quickly (e.g. off-shore in house counsel; at home outside
counsel); India holds 64% of the off-shore LPO market 4
October 2013:
Creditworthiness vs. LPO
“Creditworthiness is like
virginity, you can maintain it
for a long time, but it’s
tough to restore once
you've lost it.”
Warren Buffet to CNBC on 10/17/13. “The LPO industry is like sex,
there’s plenty of talk about it,
but no one knows what goes
on behind closed doors.”
David Hechler, “The 2013 Legal Process
Outsourcing Survey” Corporate Counsel,
10/17/13.
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India – Now you can have all 3!
• FAST: – Increase bandwidth to complete large jobs and meet tight deadlines
– Time Zones – New Delhi, India is 9:30 hours ahead of New York, NY, so
your legal work can be completed before the business day begins
– Technology – Automation of systems with modern technology.
• CHEAP: – Seasoned attorneys for $28 - $48/hour
– Fixed rates available
• AND GOOD: – Improved Quality – Six Sigma strategies
– Skilled Attorneys – English speaking, Indian system based upon British
Common Law
– Security – Off-shore centers get ISO 27001:2005 ISMS Certifications,
use thin clients, restrict access to cameras, printers, etc.
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LPO in 2013 – law.com survey
• Why we use LPO, and when?
– Published in Corporate Counsel on October 17, 2013
– 77 Legal Department participants
– 67% were satisfied with LPO
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The LPO Industry in 2013
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LPO Industry Models
• Traditional LPO firms (Providers of legal services)
• Off-Shore law firms (e.g. firm in Bermuda with US and UK lawyers)
• On-Shore Regional law firms (provide oversight or unbundled services)
• BPO firms (providers of non-legal, Business services to law firms and companies)
• Captive affiliates operated by law firms and large companies (not
strictly “outsourcing”, but bound to the LPO industry)
Reasons for LPO’s Increased Complexity,
Diversity and Growth
• Globalization (well qualified lawyers outside the US)
• Better use of Technology
• Economic Environment
The LPO Industry in 2013
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Benefits of LPO Risks of LPO
Cost Savings (outsourced work
can cost as little as $28/hour)
Scalability (ability to focus of
strategy while increasing capacity)
Speed and Efficiency (24 hour
work cycle; ability to staff up
economically for big jobs)
Resources (LPO may have more)
Relationships (Long term
relationships for static services may
improve quality over time)
Distance (time zone, cultural and
language barriers)
Training (steep learning curve;
communication issues; may require
initial investment of time and money)
Information Security (breaches
could violate A/C Privilege)
Strain on client relationship (if the LPO services are not completed
satisfactorily)
Regulatory Issues
Case Study 1: Fay Servicing, LLC:
Using a Vendor Management
Program for LPO Oversight 10
Fay Servicing Fay Investments
What We Outsource in the Default
Department
• 2300+ Active Foreclosure files and 1500+
Active Bankruptcy Files in the 50 states,
Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. that must
be managed b y local counsel
• 1500 Active for which claims and motions
must be made by local counsel
Use of LPO in Acquisition Due
Diligence
• Title work
• Collateral review
• Collection comment review
• Review of Bankruptcy files
• Broker Price Opinions (BPOs)
Why we must manage LPO properly
• OCC Report in 2010
• CFPB oversight
• Client demands
• Reputational risk
• Litigation risk
Why we outsource when purchasing
loans on the secondary market
• Time constraints
• Scalability
• Competitive advantage
• Kick outs/Buybacks
• LPO Vendor Resources
• Cross Checks
LPO at Fay Financial
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Fay’s Vendor Management Cycle
1. Fay would like to use a (new) LPO provider.
2. Fay and LPO provider negotiate a (Master
Agreement and) related Statement of Work (SOW).
3. LPO Provider completes Fay’s Vendor Due Diligence program
(again).
4. LPO provider conducts the work in the SOW and
communicates with Fay via ECM or Google+
5. LPO provider receives guidance and feedback
(scorecard) from Fay until SOW is complete.
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What you need to know when you
consider using LPO:
Best Practices 13
Tips for Companies New to LPO
What to outsource? Consider cost, complexity, duration, potential for repeat business, and risk avoidance.
Which LPO vendor to use? Contact industry peers that use LPOs; check potential vendor’s references;
Consider vendor’s size, technologies, menu of services, expertise and technologies;
Interview vendor’s attorney personnel; issue an RFP if time allows.
Create and implement an LPO transition/management plan. Define the required internal processes and departments required to manage the LPO;
Delegate in-house personnel to manage the project;
Set aside time and money for training;
Hire delegate personnel to manage LPO vendor due diligence;
Consider electronic vendor management software;
Develop a scorecard or other form for rating the LPO vendor’s work.
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Tips for Companies New to LPO
Create and implement an LPO due diligence process. Regulatory Compliance – is there an industry standard the LPO vendor must follow?
Contracts – usually a Master Agreement and separate SOWs for each project. Include clear
provisions for breach, termination. Make sure these are in place before starting the work.
Financial Stability – Documents demonstrating the LPO vendor’s financial stability
(Insurance, financial statements, UCC search
Qualifications – Confirm licensure of LPO vendor and its personnel, check references.
Interview the principal lawyers that may be involved in your matters, conduct background
checks, confirm educational backgrounds.
Mitigation of security risks - Understand the foreseeable security risks of data subject to
LPO. Require production of current industry certifications, insurance policies, technologies
and assurances in the Master Agreement. Conduct a-site visit.
Corporate culture - Consider legal training and judicial systems of attorneys who will
conduct the work you outsource. Review the LPO vendor’s hiring practices (do they conduct
educational and background checks?); and evaluate the quality and character of the
employees likely to have access to client information. Obtain staffing policies (how many
attorneys will be assigned to your project?) and communication systems.
Uniform application and maintenance – Require all LPO vendors to complete this due
diligence at least annually.
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Case Study 2:
The Littler Mendelson Model –
Insourcing 16
Littler made the decision to “insource”
two functions frequently outsourced
• eDiscovery
• “Contract”
Attorneys
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eDiscovery
• A $200-billion-a-year-industry
• One of the top reasons companies and
firms use LPOs
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eDiscovery is about
• $
• Risk-Management
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Coleman (Parent) Holdings, Inc. v.
Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.
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Quality and Winning Count!
• Handle eDiscovery activities more efficiently and
with better quality!
• Litigation → need to focus on winning the client’s
case! (This is oftentimes overlooked when looking
at eDiscovery services in a vacuum.)
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eDiscovery/Litigation Support
National
eDiscovery
Counsel Paul Weiner, Esq.
Littler National Data
Center
Litigation Support
Regional Services Training Services
eDiscovery Counsel
Managing
Directors/
Management
Committee
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eDiscovery/Litigation Support
eDiscovery Shareholder
National
eDiscovery
Counsel Paul
Weiner, Esq.
Lit Support Data Analyst Level 1
Lit Support Data Analyst Level 1
Lit Support Data Analyst Level 1
Lit Support QC/Data Analyst
Level 1
Senior Lit Support Data
Analyst
Senior Training Specialist
Training Specialist
Lit Support Specialist (Southeast)
Lit Support Specialist (Cent-Mountain)
Managing
Directors/
Management
Committee
eDiscovery Shareholder Cecil Lynn
eDiscovery Associate
Junior Lit Support Specialist (Dallas)
eDiscovery Associate
Lit Support Specialist
(Midwest)
Junior Lit Support Specialist (Dallas)
Director Lit Supp
Regional Services
Director Lit Supp
Centralized
Services
Lit Support Specialist (Northwest)
Lit Support Specialist (Class Action)
Chief Information
Security Officer
Lit Support Services
Coordinator
Lit Support Specialist (Southwest)
eDiscovery Shareholder
Denise Backhouse
eDiscovery Shareholder
eDiscovery Associate
Lit Support Specialist (Northeast)
Lit Support Specialist (Allegheny South-
Central)
Lit Support Data Analyst Level 1
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Best-of-Breed Technologies
Coupled with On-Demand Training
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Example Wage and Hour Class Action
• Several Thousand Litigation Holds (Facility;
Corporate; IT; Vendors)
• Defendant identified 55 Key Custodians (41
accessible email)/Plaintiff wanted hundreds
• For 41 custodians: 587 GB email data
collected → reduced to 469 GB after de-
duping
Equivalent of over
23 million pages of
documents/
7,800 bankers’ boxes
of documents!
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Example Nationwide
Wage and Hour Class Action
• 5 full-time lawyers l 521 weeks (10
years) l $25 million
• 10 full-time lawyers l 260 weeks (5
years) l $25 million
• 25 full-time lawyers l 104 weeks (2
years) l $25 million
Review accomplished in 4 months for
about $600,000 via aggressive meet-and-
confer and search-term methodology
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Summary: Benefits of “insourcing”
• Integrated, turnkey solution for our clients
designed to improve efficiencies and save
money
• Goal of winning their cases is always paramount
• Strategic/legal advice overlays everything
• If clients choose a preferred vendor for discrete
services (processing; hosting; document review)
or has built out those capabilities themselves →
we encourage that
– Flexible
– Case and client specific
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“Contract” Attorneys 29
2010 – Walmart approached all outside counsel
• Challenged to come up with
an innovative way to handle
their work
• Littler designed Littler
CaseSmart – Administrative
• Resulted in Littler being
assigned all administrative
charges
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What is CaseSmart?
• A dashboard that
– Acts as a Case Management system
– Delivers business intelligence
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Who handles the Administrative
Charges?
• Flex Time Attorneys (FTAs)
- Littler Attorneys
-Work from home
- Paid a flat fee for each
administrative charge
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Why FTAs as opposed to
Contract Attorneys
• Better control of quality
• Integrated into the team
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The next steps
• CaseSmart – Litigation
• CaseSmart – Class Action
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CaseSmart Litigation
• Use of FTAs for
- Early Case Evaluation
-Written Discovery
-Research
- Brief Writing
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QUESTIONS? 36
THANK YOU Thomas Bender, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Janna Lewis, Fay Investments [email protected]
ACI’s 8th National Forum on
Controlling Litigation Costs October 23, 2013