In the past Slaughters, seen as one of the most traditional top law firms, has used CAS, the legal arm of the construction giant, to carry out some of the more straightforward work it used to do for Carillion. But the Vodafone move is taking the CAS collaboration one step further. The magazine Legal Business reports that the arrangement has been 'well-received' by Vodafone GC Rosemary Martin who has been encouraging the Slaughters and other Vodafone panel firms to use creative solutions to keep costs down. Slaughters has been looking at outsourcing for the past five years, according to Legal Week, which reported back in 2009 that the firm was in the early stages of discussions with a legal process outsourcer over outsoucing due diligence and document review work relating to a specific transaction. 

A game-changer

A recent report by Integreon revealed that outsourcing was one of the biggest game-changers on the horizon for law firms and legal departments. The research, part of the GC Excellence report, revealed that almost half of all legal departments had a panel of preferred LPO providers already in place. Law firms are considering the implications of outsourcing for their services and the recent move by US law firm LeClair Ryan to join forces with LPO provider UnitedLex may spark off more such deals. 

New business models

Commenting on the implications of the LeClair Ryan move,  law firm consultant  George Beaton of Beaton Capital said: "If you can’t beat them, join them is a cynical throwaway line I heard earlier in the week from a BigLaw managing partner commenting on what he regards as another, weakened firm capitulating, by linking up with providers of alternative business model services. LeClairRyan appears to be on a path to creating a network organisation. This is smart and in some ways novel for law firms, but old hat in other industries. By integrating UnitedLex’s services into the its litigation and transactional practice areas LeClairRyan should gain, at least temporary, competitive advantage." Commenting on the Slaughter and May Carillion arrangement, Roland Turnill, the Vodafone relationship partner at Slaughters, told Legal Business: 'It is of real value to us and our clients to have access to the CAS service in the right circumstances and for the right sort of work.'