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Furlong points out that LPO will likely prompt law firms to change the way they do business by adopting many of the tech- niques outsourcers are using. Clarke says McMillan is already doing this. She uses the term "multisourcing" to describe how her firm responds to corporate clients' need for more efficient legal services. She says McMillan has used an Indian firm to handle routine repetitive tasks in a cost- effective way "to great advantage." McMillan, like a number of large Canadian firms, also offers solutions based on what has become known as in-sourcing, a term used in the United States to describe the growing practice whereby large law firms shift commod- ity-type work to regional offices staffed by lower-paid associates. Clarke notes her firm has five offices across Canada and "can take advantage of the resour- ces in those five to deliver the most cost-effective services, whether that is because there are lower billing rates in other places in Canada or that there is expertise in certain locations." At Norton Rose, Fleming says he is sometimes in a position to tell a client who is interested in offshore out- sourcing that "we can give you the same efficiencies and the same result by put- ting the work in our Quebec City office or by using a local service provider of paralegal talent." Michael Shannon, a partner at Toronto-based Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, who specializes in per- sonal injury litigation, says he often uses the services of Taran Virtual Associates Inc., a London, Ont.,-based provider of outsourced legal services that relies on a network of Ontario lawyers. Shannon says he uses the service, not for routine commodity-type work, but as a cost- effective source of specialized expertise in his area of law. Stephen Taran, founder and president of the network, says one advantage of using a home-based outsourcing ser- vice is that the work is being done by an Ontario lawyer and is therefore billable to clients as a legal fee, rather than as a disbursement — and law firms can, with clients' permission, charge clients more for this service than the hourly ntitled-1 1 rate charged by the outsourcer, thus making outsourcing a profit centre for the law firm. An outsourcing service such as this can also make a huge difference for small law firms or individual practi- tioners who do not have access to a pool of associates or paralegals. For example, Judith Wilcox, whose solo practice has offices in Alexandria and Hawkesbury in eastern Ontario, uses Taran Associates, not only for legal research, but also to handle court appearances that would otherwise require her to drive up to 500 kilo- metres, thus saving her time and saving her clients the cost of her mileage. She says this form of outsourcing allows her to spend more time with her family, as she would otherwise find herself using entire weekends to do legal research for which she would not even charge her clients her full hourly rate. Gavin Birer, a lawyer and the found- er of Legalwise Outsourcing Inc., a Markham, Ont.-based firm with oper- ations in Bangalore, India, says law firms would manage legal process out- sourcing better if they took a more strategic approach. Currently, he says, corporate law departments tend to take a strategic approach whereby they develop an ongoing relationship with outsourcers who can then adapt to their present and future needs, while law firms tend to use outsourcing tactically, often calling at the last minute when they have a big job that they need to offload. Fleming maintains that law firms need to be more proactive in deal- ing with outsourcing. They should become familiar with the marketplace and do due diligence in investigating outsourcing firms so that they know which ones are reliable and can prepare to work in tandem with them. "If you don't get on the boat now, it's going to be really rough to try and get on it later," he says. ACCESS THE LATEST RULES OF COURT FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE ONTARIO ANNUAL PRACTICE 2011-2012 THE LATE HONOURABLE JUSTICE JAMES J. CARTHY, W.A. DERRY MILLAR, AND JEFF G. COWAN Gain a solid understanding of Ontario's civil and administrative procedural law with the Ontario Annual Practice 2011-2012. This one-stop resource gives you everything you need for your civil litigation practice, including the most relevant case law personally selected and summarized by leading experts. On Subscription ORDER # 804537-63467 $92 Hardcover + Softcover + CD-ROM + Mobile Version June 2011 Approx. 1898 pages (Hardcover) approx. 848 pages (Softcover) 978-0-88804-537-9 Multiple copy discounts available One time purchase ORDER # 804537-63467 $97 Hardcover + Softcover + CD-ROM + Mobile Version June 2011 Approx. 1898 pages (Hardcover) approx. 848 pages (Softcover) 978-0-88804-537-9 Multiple copy discounts available AVAILABLE RISK-FREE FOR 30 DAYS Order online at www.canadalawbook.ca Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Shipping and handling are extra. Price subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. 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