NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Williams Lea Tag, the global leader in marketing and communications supply chain services and specialized business process outsourcing solutions for law firms and Sandpiper Partners, LLC, a recognized education and business consultancy for the legal industry, today announced publication of the results of the Fourth Annual Survey on Trends and Opportunities in Law Firm Outsourcing. The survey offers insight into law firm initiatives in 2015 and those that are being implemented through 2016. Participants’ titles range from managing partners to 30 different C-level and director titles at top law firms.
The 2015-2016 Survey results highlight significant increases in technology use and technology budgets. Strategies for cost savings include improving processes, vendor contract negotiation and increasing outsourcing services. “Investment in technology solutions are helping firms enable cost savings and process efficiencies,” said Lynn Glasser, President, Sandpiper Partners, LLC. “Combining technology with centralized services to achieve cost savings and process efficiencies appears to be a winning formula,” she added.
The Survey reveals that 57% of firms plan on increasing their operations expense budgets; the top targets for spending are in cyber security and data protection, technology and technology staffing. Law firms are particularly willing to spend money on technology which will bring in a return on investment and provide lower costs to clients. More than half (53%) of the firms cite an increased use of technology as a strategy they employ to achieve significant savings.
Renee Castrorao, Americas Chief Operating Officer for Williams Lea Tag, commented: “Our clients are increasingly looking to leverage technologies to improve workflow processes and centralize activities across a broader range of support functions. Client pressures and cost reduction are the most instrumental among the reasons firms make outsourcing decisions.” In the survey, firms reported the top challenge they face is reducing the costs of their back office/administrative functions (with 69% citing this as the top need); followed closely by pressure from clients to reduce cost, and the need to assure the security of their data which were also cited as top needs. “The Survey offers many insights on how law firm leaders plan to navigate through the barriers and benefits of outsourcing while keeping the clients’ wishes in mind,” Castrorao added.
The Survey shows that firms are becoming even more productive and rethinking their approaches to the management of business services and workflow processes as 2016 unfolds.
“Four years of survey data has really contributed to our understanding of how firms react and adapt to the evolving landscape of the challenges they face. Firms have been dealing with client pressures, cost control, partner resistance to digitization, data security and compliance regulations,” said Lynn Glasser, President, Sandpiper Partners, LLC.
To download the survey results, visit www.williamslea.com/en/article/insight-2015-2016-trends-opportunities-law-firm-outsourcing
About Williams Lea Tag
Williams Lea Tag is the leading provider of marketing and communications supply chain services. We help organizations transform business processes and realize the potential of their brands. Our solutions combine reengineered processes, leading technologies and highly experienced collaborative client teams. As part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group, our financial strength and global reach enable us to deliver these solutions anywhere in the world. We combine this expertise with our global strength and scale to help organizations transform communications-focused business processes and realize brand potential. For more information, visit www.wlt.com.
About Sandpiper Partners, LLC
Sandpiper Partners of Clifton, N.J. is dedicated to helping law firms, companies and non-profits achieve greater success in their endeavors, including expanding existing activities and entering new lines of business. Sandpiper has led the way in innovative business management solutions and substantive law education in the legal field including running more than 50 events a year for clients on many aspects of the business of law and substantive law topics. Its clients are located throughout the United States and Europe, and it has completed projects in more than a dozen U.S. cities, London, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Milan.
