Legal Tech Embraces LPO

John Parker posted the following at A-1 Technology blog (snippets below):

Aptara, Inc., a global leader in integrated content transformation solutions, today announced the addition of an advanced Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) solution to its expanding stable of content services. The new LPO solution enables law firms and General Counsels within corporations to effectively manage their costs and resources. Aptara will provide pre-established service level agreement (SLA) offerings to ensure delivery of the highest performance and quality.

As part of this advanced solution, Aptara has expanded its offerings to include coding, indexing, tagging and advanced Collection, Forensic and Electronic Discovery (eDiscovery) services. Leveraging state-of-the-art software and certified ISO:9000 facilities, Aptara offers the outsourced advantage of bringing together a worldwide network of high quality professionals and resources resulting in reduced costs and administrative time for legal customers so they can focus on the intricacies of each case. In the U.S. alone, the demand for content related legal services is projected to rise from $1.2B in 2005 to $5.0B in 2010.

Aptara's LPO solution includes both discovery and non-discovery services. Discovery services will provide corporate and law firm customers with access to both paper and electronic document processing capabilities. Services include scanning and optical character recognition to provide customers with the ability to transform paper documents into electronic images.

Non-discovery services include consulting and analysis support such as, case management, coding and indexing services, and subpoena services. These services provide litigators with a dedicated, certified offshore paralegal so that they are able to refocus their in-house resources. Additionally, legal research staff can be provided for document analysis, e-filing capabilities and other case support activities. Finally, Aptara will provide support for attorney re-certification by leveraging its renowned eLearning capabilities.

Sounds promising, any further information or first-hand experience using the "LPO Solution" is welcome. The industry seems to be taking the natural path of growth, outsourcing coupled with leveraging technology to continually improve the offering and cost-effectiveness.