Outsourcing Options and Opportunities - Part 3: Law Firms in the Outsourcing Business?

Outsourcing is defined as the contracting out of an internal business process to a third party organization and, as such, it has been a common and accepted business practice for a very long time. 

By that definition, could it also be suggested that law firms themselves are in the outsourcing business? If you think about it, many companies have plenty of in-house attorneys and/or legal departments that can adequately service most of their corporate legal needs. But in many cases, it makes more sense for them to hire outside firms or attorneys  because they have deep knowledge or specialized experience in niche areas or because they can do some types of work more efficiently. 

While this may be a radical concept for some, it shouldn't be such a radical concept for law firms to consider partnering with other providers who are also specialists with niche expertise and/or who can help them to develop business, gain a competitive advantage or provide more efficient and effective services to their corporate Clients...