Legal outsourcing firms based in India are creating jobs for US lawyers in a new trend, according to the New York Times. US based employees of legal outsourcing firms describe their working environment as “truly global”.

In April, Pangea3 sent Kirit Amichandwala, a senior manager from Mumbai, to train new employees in Texas on how to conduct document reviews and other tasks the way the company’s lawyers do in India. The new hires ‘all have good document review experience,’ Mr. Amichandwala said, ‘but a lot of the processes we follow are pretty unique to us.’

Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times

The “unique” processes are certainly related to Indian culture, which inform the Indian way of business: indirect norms of communication, intensive management of tasks, hierarchical decision making and beyond. Through the process of what we might call “modernization”, many technologies and methodologies have been transferred from West to East, but knowledge transfer for these firms has gone in the opposite direction. In a way, Mr. Amichandwala went to Texas to conduct a pseudo-intercultural awareness program for his American trainees – a key step in preparing a company for success with colleagues working across cultures.

One of Pangea3’s main competitors, UnitedLex, has started regularly swapping teams of lawyers between the United States and India so that employees in both countries can learn to work the same way.

The big challenge is ‘how do you get a bunch of American lawyers to believe that we might be doing things smarter’ by using a process developed in India, said Shelly Dalrymple, senior vice president for global litigation support at UnitedLex.

One American law firm was so won over that it asked a UnitedLex document review manager from India to train its own team in Boston, Ms. Dalrymple said.

The crossing of cultures in the legal world will likely be fraught with the same challenges BPO and other offshoring companies have found in working with its Western clients. It will be interesting to see how this industry continues to expand operations in the US, creating jobs when for years it took jobs.

Sean

RW3 CultureWizard

Read an article by Charlene Solomon and Sean Dubberke of RW3 CultureWizard, titled “Awakening Giant: India’s Burgeoning Workforce”, which is featured in this month’s Mobility magazine. Below is a synopsis from the editors.

As multinational organizations increasingly make strategic use of educated Indian talent, at the same time they are aiding in the development of many of India’s industries. Dubberke and Solomon write that to truly appreciate the country’s global importance, and to understand the scope of India’s activities in the marketplace, one must first be able to successfully engage and collaborate across cultures.

RW3 CultureWizard

According to the New York Times, outsourcing legal services to India has grown in the past few years, and is poised to expand at an even faster rate in coming years.

Cash-conscious Wall Street banks, mining giants, insurance firms and industrial conglomerates are hiring lawyers in India for document review, due diligence, contract management and more.

Legal outsourcing firms are also hiring experienced lawyers from Western countries to handle more complicated projects, something many lawyers would not consider in prior years based on a general aversion to outsourcing legal work and relocation to India. The article highlights the challenges of moving to India and working with Indians:

Moving to a legal outsourcing firm, especially in India, is not for everyone. About 5 percent of Western transplants cannot handle it and move back home, managers estimate.

Some find it hard to adapt to India. Other times, the job itself does not suit them — after spending years working nearly independently as a litigator, for example, it can be hard to transition to managing and inspiring a team of young foreign lawyers.

Cultural preparation is supremely important to living and working in a new culture. While many people are inherently suited to assignments in countries around the world, the vast majority of people won’t be equipped with the skills to succeed without sufficient intercultural training. How will this new trend impact internal needs for cultural training? The article predicts legal outsourcing will climb to over $1 billion in revenue by 2014. What are organizations doing to support global initiatives like this? What are the challenges of virtual, global teams that span time zone differences of 10 hours or more and cultural, linguistic and religious barriers?

Sean

RW3 CultureWizard

Everyone seems to be working. You get the feeling that no one is lounging around and there is an energy, evidence of the abundant opportunity in this city. It seems to me that the work ethic is grounded in Hinduism, by that I mean the work ethic feels like “this is what we do; this is what we need to do; and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to do it.” I sense that from everyone, no matter how I come in contact with them. Really a different sensibility that’s very strong and committed to doing a good job, no matter what that job is. And a very deep-seated politeness.

I was so struck today by a remark a delegate voiced in one of our training sessions. We were talking about time zones and how complicated it is to arrange conference calls between the US and India because of the time difference. Some people said it was hard to work until 7pm and then get home (after braving the traffic) and have a call with colleagues in the US at 8pm. One fellow raised his hand and said, “It’s very difficult when you stay awake til midnight and then most of the team on the other end doesn’t even dial in.”

I know that time zone differences are among the most challenging aspects of virtual teams, and the idea has always been to “be fair” and rotate the pain. But it became so strongly personal as I listened to this manager, thinking of him staying awake until midnight only to have many of his colleagues on the other end not show up. Can you imagine how enormously frustrating and demoralizing that would be? What would that do to his morale?

Charlene