The firm announced today it had signed a deal with US-Based legal outsourcing company Integreon, and will use 200 of the company's trained lawyers in India for legal work. 

The firm will outsourcer some its low level legal work such as document review, document processing, due diligence and discovery relating to litigation. The Integreon team will consist of experienced staff members, including forensic experts and individuals with law and business degrees, supported by teams of lawyers, as case needs dictate.

LPO is common practice around the world. Integreon already has nine of the top 10 global law firms, and 32 of the top 50 AM Law firms as clients. 

But managing partner Tony O'Malley describes the deal as a "watershed moment" for the Australian legal services industry. 

“We are making efficiency our business, whilst responding to cost pressures in the highly competitive legal market, " he said. 

O'Malley said Mallesons was always looking to innovate a service offering.

"Most general counsel have in their top two or three things to manage getting their costs down and their external costs down with their providers. What we're trying to do is respond to that pressure by working to clients to give them a legal outsourcing process solution that helps not only with a cost but also at times a better quality solution in particular areas of work, he told Boardroom Radio. 

He said the firm made a conscious decision to take some leadership in this area. 

"This agreement will deliver the sourcing alternatives and efficiency that our clients are demanding, and enable us to maintain the oversight and control necessary to deliver the level of legal advice for which we are known. LPO is already common practice elsewhere in the world, and it’s time that our clients have access to, and benefit from this innovative business practice.”

Bob Gogel, CEO of Integreon said: “Mallesons is leading the charge for bold innovation in legal services delivery in Australia. By fully evaluating and understanding the evolving needs of their clients and embracing the business-model transformation necessary to meet those needs, Mallesons continues to exhibit the bold thinking that is a hallmark of leading global law firms.”

Through a due diligence process, Mallesons said it chose Integreon for its proven quality, consistency, transparency and reliability. Of the legal process outsourcing providers evaluated by Mallesons, Integreon exhibited the greatest ability to scale globally to meet clients’ constantly evolving needs, it said.