Service Delivery Models

Current reality

Organizations that have not achieved service delivery maturity often take an ad-hoc matter handling approach causing legal teams to operate inefficiently and inconsistently. Work projects are assigned to law firms or vendors with limited direction and consideration of whether the external resource is the right strategic fit. Outsourced work is inadequately managed, which may be due to the lack of internal resources needed to assess the work to be performed. A haphazard approach to service delivery leads to cost overruns and potentially even acceptance of substandard work.

Desired state

The Service Delivery Model (SDM) should be based on a team’s work tasks, matter volume, risk profile, and cost sensitivity and optimized by utilizing a mix of in-house, and resources. There is not a “best” SDM that can be implemented across companies. As organizations continue to invest in internal resources and headcount, it is important to ensure that work is assigned to the appropriate resource that will deliver quality work at a favorable cost. By analyzing work types and processes, and identifying insourcing and outsourcing opportunities, the department can create an optimized sourcing model.

• Analyze work types and processes (strategic nature, volume, skill level required) to identify insourcing and outsourcing opportunities
• Standardize processes across teams, channels, and providers for similar tasks
• Develop playbooks and train as a brand concept on the organization’s way of providing legal service
• Define and structure relationships with managed service and Legal Process Outsourcing providers
• Divide larger projects into distinct, but connected elements/segments
• Identify and engage the best expertise and experience across both your in-house teams and your ecosystem of legal service providers to ensure the highest quality of service
• Evaluate high-cost\low-value tasks and consider alternative service delivery models
• Innovate with technology that connects diverse service providers