Global LPO Conference II

Day Two: Sunday November 14, 2010
Day two of the Global LPO Conference kicked off with a much anticipated panel featuring Lalit Bhasin and Mark Ross of Integreon (the only LPO named in the Writ Petition).

Bhasin started his address by acknowledging that the liberalization of the Indian legal profession was, “critical and controversial.” The primary thrust of his address was that domestic Indian law firms need to be offered a “level playing field” by liberalizing the legal profession (such as lifting restrictions on law firm adverting) in order to effectively compete with large, sophisticated international clients. Until these restrictions are lifted, foreign lawyers have no right to practice,“from the soil of this country.” International law firms need to ensure they are, “staying on the right side of the law.”

As optimistic as one may be about the resolution of the Writ, one should keep in mind that a similar case filed in Mumbai in 1997 was not effectively resolved until 2009.

Ross provided a presentation on the ethics of legal outsourcing. Mark Wyatt, founder of The Lawyer, LegalWeek and the European Lawyer provided an entertaining perspective on the importance of media plays in the creation of transparency in the legal profession.

The most interesting part of the panel session was the question and answer session which followed. Bhasin defended his views on the closed state of the Indian legal profession. Further discussion ensued. One standout comment was made by Ganesh Natarajan, industry veteran CEO of Mindcrest, He said, we [LPO industry] are like “Moses parting the Red Sea” meaning that everyone in the industry is pulling in the same direction, but it takes time to accomplish the goals.

A number of additional speakers addressed a many different issues concerning the LPO industry, more than I possibly have room for, at this point.

More details in the upcoming November issue of our Fronterion Forefront newsletter. To sign-up for the newsletter, email forefront@fronterion.com