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TECH SUPPORT Bangalore llp M BY GERRY BLACKWELL ost Canadian law firms prob- ably see offshore legal outsourc- ing as a threat. But where clients are desperate to cut costs — that is, almost everywhere — it's likely going to become a fact of life. Quite aside from issues of suitability or advisability or impact on Canadian firms, we wondered about the logistics of offshore outsourcing. How does it work? More importantly, how well does it work? Clearly, technology must play a vital role. We hoped to tell the story from the perspective of a law department or firm actually doing offshore outsourc- ing, but those who do it prefer not to talk about it. The general counsel for one large Canadian financial services firm, for example, declined to be inter- viewed, despite having agreed to speak on the subject at an upcoming legal conference. The Toronto-based outsourcer, Legalwise Outsourcing Inc., had no such hesitation. Legalwise is run by founder and president Gavin Birer, a lawyer trained in South Africa who Quite aside from issues of suitability, advisability, or impact on Canadian firms, we wondered about the logistics of offshore outsourcing. Technology must play a vital role. came to Canada over 20 years ago and is also qualified to practise in Ontario. The company hires lawyers in Bangalore, India — 13 to date, although it was in the process of hiring more at the time of writing. Birer characterizes the work they do as "low- to mid-level complexity." It's a "broad range," he says, that includes litigation support and document review. With many of its clients, including the financial services firm, Legalwise has an ongoing relationship. It main- ly targets corporate law departments, www. C ANAD i AN law ye rmag.com APRIL 2010 25 MATTHEW DALEY