Estimates have put the percentage of commodity work handled by legal departments as high as a third of all they do. Whatever the proportion, where general counsel identify blocks of relatively routine work, they can choose from a set of actions how best to handle the services.
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Standardize processes and create aids, such as process maps, benchmarks, templates, and training tools.
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Invest in software that streamlines the commodity work, such as document assembly, intranet guides, precedent banks, and macros.
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Assign different levels of talent to take on the tasks, such as project managers, paralegals, secondees, or contract staff.
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Help clients absorb more of the work on their own (See my post of May 18, 2008: self-service with 7 references.).
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Gather and analyze productivity and cost metrics, perhaps with disciplines such as Six Sigma and TQM.
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Make arrangements with outside counsel to handle the work on a fixed fee.
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Turn to offshore vendors and other unbundled service providers can take on tasks.