Where did the term, LPO, come from?
The term, LPO, for legal process outsourcing, is apparently a media invention, first appearing in 2005. It derives from BPO, or business process outsourcing. But to the extent that the word, “process,” suggests standardized, commoditized, easy-to-replicate tasks that can be performed without a lot of education, much less professional training, it is a misnomer for the legal services offshoring industry. Typing a medical transcription, or answering calls based on a script, is a “process.” On the other hand, legal research, legal analysis, or drafting complaints, contracts, patent applications, or legal briefs, is not a BPO-like, commoditized “process.” Those are legal services, even if they do not amount to “practicing law,” which can only be done by the supervising, licensed attorney (often in-house corporate counsel) who reviews the services that so-called LPO companies provide. That is why many in this industry do not refer to themselves as LPOs. One company uses the phrase, a “provi
