There has been quite a bit of talk lately about the latest trend with law firms — moving legal research and other back-office work offshore. The article states that paralegals in India earn about a third of what their U.S. counterparts make — an undeniable savings.
You can view a copy of the Berkeley report here (PDF File).

A friend of mine here in Dallas has been using foreign research support for some time now. His company, Atlas Legal Research, utilizes lawyers in India, not paralegals, to conduct legal research. You can request a research project, and when you wake up the next day, it’s done.

I haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking about this issue, but it seems that from a business standpoint this idea has undeniable value. From the view of quality of research, I have to agree with Tim at K&E Research Services, who doubts that the overseas researchers will be able to “interpret and filter, evaluate and deliver” the research results.