- The ABA steps up review of the ethical implications of LPO
- Key issues discussed include supervising the outsourced legal work and the tri-party relationship between lawyers, their clients and outside vendors.
- Industry leaders Michael Ford and Mark Ross address Commission
The American Bar Association (ABA) has stepped up its review of the ethical implications of legal outsourcing by holding a series of meetings with law firms, clients and LPO vendors in San Francisco.
The ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, which was set up to assess rules governing the profession, held two days of meetings and public hearings at the Palace Hotel during the American Bar Association’s annual convention in early August.
Speakers included Michael Ford, executive vice president of outsourcing firm UnitedLex, and Mark Ross, vice president for legal services at Integreon. Both addressed the complex regulatory challenges posed by the globalization of legal services.
Key issues at the convention included guidelines for managing and supervising the work of attorneys overseas and the tri-party relationship between lawyers, their clients and outside vendors.
Washington DC based Peter Ehrenhaft, of Harkins Cunningham LLP, spoke about the need for new rules not to restrict the movement of legal expertise between countries.
Ethics commission members discussed different approaches to amending the current ABA rules governing outsourcing of legal services. The results of the commission’s work are expected to be revealed in recommendations made to the ABA House of Delegates in February 2011.
Established in August 2009, the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 is charged with assessing the ethical implications of changes in the legal profession resulting from the advancement of technology and globalization. Support and reinforcement of the importance of the work of the commission was highlighted in short addresses given by outgoing ABA president Carolyn Lamm and incoming president Stephen Zack.
Previous ethical guidance on legal outsourcing issued by the ABA can be found here at the Fronterion LPO Ethics website (www.lpoethics.com). Fronterion is a leading independent legal outsourcing consulting firm, helping law firms and corporations find solutions to their legal outsourcing needs.
For more guidance on legal outsourcing, including the ethical implications, contact us at: info@fronterion.com / +1.312.473.4887
