Law firms and corporations are increasingly turning to alternative legal service providers (ALSP or ASP) for legal research and other research. Thomson Reuters Alternative Legal Service Providers 2021 survey demonstrates this, along with other recent studies, and in Accufile’s own experience. At the 2021 ARK Law Libraries Conference, participants underscored some of the themes of these research reports: a firm’s use of alternative research providers is less about cost savings and more about a collaborative approach that makes the best use of the in-house team’s talents and frees it to engage in innovative projects, higher value research, and other services.

You will find that a partnership with an outsourced legal research provider like Accufile works best when there is clarity about the goals of the relationship, each group’s role, and the plan for communication and deliverables. When you initiate that discussion at the pre-proposal stage, both parties are well-informed and prepared for the work ahead and are more likely to approach the work collaboratively and, ultimately, successfully.

Questions to Consider

You might ask yourself these questions as you consider use of an ASP to supplement your internal legal information professionals’ research services:

• What type of research work do we want to shift? (And why, because that’s the meta question at the core of your exploration.)
• Do we want expanded coverage (time of day, day of week) for general research needs?
• Are we seeking specialty information sources or a particular expertise?
• What sort of credentials and experience do we expect of the outside research team?
• Will we start with repetitive, time-consuming tasks or simple research and build as we gain trust?
• Do we need a short-term engagement for coverage or a project or are we considering an ongoing engagement?
• Will an in-house librarian serve as gatekeeper to field and assign work, or will users contact the service directly?
• Will we provide context and treat the research process as iterative, knowing what we know about successful research?
• Is the research provider to be assigned discrete questions or engage in a team effort on multi-part, ongoing, or large research projects?
• Do we want a dedicated outside researcher assigned to our organization?
• Will the outside contractor have access to our research management system or other resources?
• Will we share templates for a cohesive, coordinated approach to deliverables or will the service provide content for our organization to package and deliver?

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I discuss these topics with law firm and corporate information professionals routinely. The acceptance and integration of ALSPs for legal research opens up opportunities for your in-house research, knowledge management, and information services groups to take on more complex projects while providing the range of research services that your organization needs. Exactly what the engagement looks like and how it integrates with your team is up to you.