Outsourcing Legal Research

The Legal Process Outsourcing blog has an interesting post about outsourcing legal research.

Excerpt from the post:

“… Legal research in the practice of law is time-consuming, difficult and often times expensive-both for the lawyer and certainly for the client. Because the law is anything but clear-cut and simple, good and effective legal research takes time. While efficiency is an essential characteristic of a good lawyer, legal research requires both efficiency and thoroughness. Often times, an attorney will have to research an issue a number of times before she feels comfortable with the result of her research.Research also requires adequate tools to be effective and efficient. A basic subscription to Lexis® or Westlaw® is usually not sufficient and attorneys need specialized databases to find answers to complex questions in a timely manner. These tools are expensive, and often times they are not used frequently enough to justify the expense for a law firm. …”

I think I will print this in a large font, laminate it, and post it at the law library’s reference desk for people who think their lawyers charge too much or that the law librarian should “answer my question with a yes or a no.” Some lawyers may charge too much and there are a few yes and no answers to legal questions, but not many.

Thanks to the Law Librarian Blog for the link!