Outsourcing company

When choosing an outsourcing partner, the following should be considered: communication; samples; credentials; stability; references; track record.

Track Record. Find out everything you can about the outsource partner's experience, the different types of businesses that they have previously provided services for, and the number of projects that they have successfully completed. Find out if they have particular experience in delivering services at the scale that your business needs.

References. Before finalizing an agreement with an outsource partner, request that they provide references. From these you can find out more about the quality of service they provide, how timely their deliveries are, and what their customer support services are like. They will also give you an insight into issues such as their level of responsibility and turnaround time.

Stability & Credentials. Be 100% sure that your potential outsource partner is financially secure. It is also worth finding out about their directors and managers (Are they well qualified? What experience do they have?).

Samples. Samples give an opportunity to assess an outsourcing partner's quality of output and expertise. Obtaining these will enable you to make certain that the service provider fully understands what you require and if they have the right processes, technology and people to handle your project.

Communication. Ensure that the outsource partner that you choose can communicate well in English and find out what hours they will be available to contact and through what means of communication.

A lawyer is allowed to outsource legal and non-legal work although he/she must be ethically responsible for the work performed. Outsourcing is generally allowed though the lawyer retained in a matter is still responsible to his/her client for any work performed in furtherance of his/her representation of the client. The opinion states that Model Rule 5.1 and 5.3 apply to the outsourcing relationship, which means that lawyers acting in a supervisory capacity must take reasonable steps to ensure that the Rules of Professional Conduct are being adhered to by subordinate lawyers and/or non-lawyer assistants. Supervising lawyers are responsible for violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct by subordinates if there is knowledge or ratification of bad conduct, or if there is knowledge of the bad conduct when it could still be avoided or mitigated but no remedial action is taken. Supervising or managing lawyers will obviously always be responsible for violations of ethical duties if they order the wrong conduct in the first place.