My name is Edward Brooks and I’d like to start with a bit of history.
In The Beginning
About 2 and ½ years ago I got involved in my first legal outsourcing project. Having advised on about $5bn of similar projects, there was something very different about outsourcing in the Legal world.
Above all, “outsourcing” did not necessarily mean sending work overseas or even outside of the organization. This meant that, on the one hand, there are threats to the “normal” way of carrying out legal work; on the other hand, there are huge revenue-growth AND cost savings opportunities for both law firms and General Counsel.
In preparation for that project I immersed myself in the sector and have done so every day since then. I wanted to make myself as much of an expert as I possibly could in this fast-growing sector.
Making LPO Simple To Understand
The goal was to make LPO simple and easy to understand for anyone. Given that “LPO” is such a broad term, covering so many actual services and delivery models, I figured that cracking this code could help lawyers across the world, no matter what size of practice or legal department they worked in.
I’ll explain what that means in a minute, but there were other changes afoot, in terms of the economy, how people were finally using the internet, and my personal life.
Real World and Real Life Changes
On the personal front, I faced challenges that most professionals can relate to. Previously I’d been 100% mobile and able to fly anywhere, for any project that a client asked me to run. Marriage and children were forcing me to radically think about how I can use my experience and knowledge, but without the “consulting life” of planes, airport lounges, taxis, and hotels 4-5 days a week.
I was figuring out how I could use my niche knowledge, in Legal Outsourcing, and continue to earn the same income, and balance my personal life?
The more I understood about the Legal market, the more I was reminded of the obvious fact that most lawyers (general counsel and within private practice) across the globe faced the same challenges and interests that I did – balancing Earning, Learning, Living and Family. Continuing to support clients, while growing skills, having a personal life, and getting back in time to see the spouse/partner and, hopefully, the kids too.
My First Client
As the economy started to bite, I challenged my first Legal client to think about how they spent their consulting dollars/pounds/euros. I also wanted to ensure that, at the end of the project, they were their organisations’ experts in legal outsourcing. Too often it is the consultant who walks away with most of the knowledge and learnings, just to sell it to the next client. I wanted them to be their organization’s “go to” experts in this area.
As a sophisticated user of technology, my client was more than happy with completing the project remotely. I saved them 20% from travel costs and a further 20% from being able to complete the work in 4 days a week, not 5, now that I didn’t lose hours each week travelling.
What was exciting about this was that, for the first time, consulting was being done 100% remotely. They were happy to consider having part of their legal work carried out offsite, and equally happy for my services to be carried out remotely.
My Second Client
The next LPO client came along with a whole set of different issues. The one thing that was NOT an issue was distance - he is in Australia and I am based in New York. Have a look at the general case study below, but the opening conversation went along the lines of me saying “I work 100% remotely” and him saying “I want you to work 100% remotely”. From Day 1 it was a real meeting of minds.
Trust and Guarantees
There are a few challenges with working remotely, including building a relationship based on trust when you do not actually meet the client. 100% refund guarantees (something that cannot be offered in the traditional consulting world) and reputation get round this, and the quality of work tells the full story.
Not all lawyers are comfortable with remote advisory work, but they are also less likely to be interested in challenging the legal delivery model, so I have to be pragmatic about that. The upside is that I can reach clients across the globe, and currently have clients in Australia, the UK, and the US. And it seems to work for them.
What is more, I can now price my service to meet the budgets of any size of legal operation. One client only has 6 employees; others have thousands.
Getting You Prepared For Your Audience
What I’ve found over the last couple of years is that law firms are concerned about fee pressure but are still maintaining good margins. General Counsel have grown more cost conscious but are not sacrificing quality. Both sides are 100% interested in the future and evaluating how best to prepare for it.
Firms and GC of all sizes are looking at the evolving economy and wanting to make sure they have the right delivery model for whatever the future throws at them. A small element of that is cost driven, but flexibility, quality, skills, and capacity rank significantly higher in terms of priorities.
The more progressive lawyers are interested in understanding what different delivery models can give them and what can give their businesses potential commercial advantage. They want to understand what their options are. They want to know if this is something that is right for them, either now or at some stage in the near or distant future. And they want to be fully prepared for questions that internal or external clients or colleagues will ask.
Making You The Expert
My response was to create a service that gives you the same support that one of your colleagues would. It is a kind of “reach over the desk”, “pick up the phone”, “fire an email” service that gives you the key knowledge you need, exactly when you need it.
I did toy with the idea of calling it “Educating” instead of “Consulting”, as the key thing was to ensure that you had the core information to talk knowledgably in front of colleagues, clients, or suppliers – no matter whether you are in a law firm or in-house. Fundamentally, this knowledge stays with you; it doesn’t walk out the door with the consultant.
Accessing The World’s Largest LPO Knowledge Database
Since adopting the online consultancy model I’ve advised on over 20 LPO deals and built up the world’s largest LPO deal database. This gives you access to benchmark data about pricing, service levels, quality measurements, and the key value drivers of technology, people and process.
This means that it is easier and more reliable than ever before to understand the market, understand the “art of the possible”, know what your competitors are doing, and evaluate your options, either at a high level or in more detail.
Did I Mention That It Is Free?
Yes, free consulting. In the old days I’d travel thousands of miles to talk with potential clients. During those meetings they’d work out if they could work with me. I’d spend 1 day preparing and have 1 day travelling and presenting.
So, in this new online consulting model, I am more than happy to give free consulting advice. You get the opportunity to know me, understand the market, and what your key next steps can be. Seriously, this is free, with no strings attached.
Understanding Your Options
The starting point for most lawyers is to understand exactly what LPO is. They know the theory but don’t have the next level of detail. I get you quickly up to speed to prepare for any internal or external conversation.
Each of the services I offer are modular and you take what you need, when you need it. All the time, you are gaining knowledge and experience, and making informed decisions at every stage in the process.
There are a dozen reasons why you may be interested in what Legal Outsourcing can offer. Whatever they are, I can quickly and easily help you analyse them.
Regards,
Edward Brooks C.A.
PS – the Free Consulting offer is available now, at a time that suits you, no matter where you are in the world.
PPS – 20% of my clients decide that LPO is NOT the right option for them. All advice I give is 100% impartial.
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