Mallesons Stephen Jaques has become the first Australian law firm to sign a formal agreement with Integreon a legal process outsource (LPO) provider. Mallesons’ clients will now be given the choice of having work completed by Integreon, through its India-based operations.

Mallesons managing partner Tony O’Malley said the decision to provide integrated LPO services was based on client demand. “It’s about clients and responding to the demand for LPO in our client base,” said O’Malley. “The intense cost pressures our clients are under and the broader consolidation and globalisation of the legal sector means that the demand for legal process outsourcing is stronger than it has been for some time.”

He added: “For the firm’s perspective, it’s part of a broader journey for us, making efficiency and the delivery of legal service our challenge – not our clients. It allows us to continue to innovate our own service offering, during what is a period of significant change within the legal industry.”

Integreon was chosen by Mallesons following an intensive 18 months process of due diligence, including nine months of working together on a pilot matter for a major Mallesons client. Mallesons director Michelle Mahoney spearheaded the due diligence process and said that after narrowing down a list of suitable LPO providers to four it became clear that Integreon was the right one to undertake a pilot program with. “They were very responsive to us,” she said. “It was clear they wanted to do business with us.”

Having formally signed the agreement on Tuesday (October 25), the firm has since discussed undertaking work with Integreon for two more clients.  According to O’Malley, the benefits of providing clients with an LPO offering extend past the traditional focus of cost savings, although they will be significant also. He said the speed at which the work was undertaken, the faster turnaround times and a scalable workforce were all of significant benefit.  “It also has potential there for clients when they want it for foreign language capabilities, business continuity and accessing a broader talent pool across the region and potentially globally,” he added.

CEO of Integreon, Bob Gogel said clients in the market could expect cost savings of between 30 and 50 percent by using Integreon. "We are very excited about the [Australian] market," said Gogel. "When we go out and talk to general counsels they ask 'why the Australian market has not moved on this?"

Integreon  has 17 offices across North Amercia, Asia, Africa, Europe and India. It already partners with nine of the 10 top global law firms.

Related story: Implications of LPO for clients and staff at Mallesons 

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