[author: Randi Weaver]
Lawyers are increasingly seeking new career opportunities that leverage contemporary technologies and maintain work-life balance. These opportunities can be found with Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs) — outside of traditional law firm, government, or in-house settings — where they have access to cutting-edge technology and exposure to multiple practice areas.
Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
A recent IBA report revealed that over 70% of young lawyers are concerned about their work-life balance, mental health, and limited opportunities for career advancement.1 ALSPs offer the flexibility to pick and choose between projects, enabling lawyers to manage their work hours and develop expertise in areas that align with their interests and schedules. The ability to decide workload also increases lawyers’ capacity to balance personal responsibilities, such as family commitments or further education. Most ALSPs offer part-time opportunities (10-30 hours per week), and allow for various levels of involvement, including the choice to carry a larger role in a project or program by leading fellow team members. These variations in workload intensity, role, and duration increase autonomy for lawyers’ professional development.
Career Diversity
By working with ALSPs, lawyers have the opportunity to explore and develop new skills across various traditional legal practice areas, such as general litigation, antitrust, IP, technology, white collar, and employment, while leveraging the latest technology. Additionally, they gain access to a diverse set of mentors and receive feedback on each matter. With the support of experienced program managers and senior lawyers, those in ALSP programs are exposed to a wide range of technical skillsets and backgrounds. This access to varied experiences positions lawyers as more versatile and valuable in the legal market, significantly enhancing their potential for professional growth.
Building Technology Competencies
According to Fortune Business Insights, the American Records Management Association (ARMA) has concluded that “more than 90% of records created nowadays are in electronic form.”2 Due to the exponential growth of data potentially subject to discovery or needed for investigations, the usage of legal technology tools to analyze those data populations has grown exponentially. The International Journal of Law article ‘The Impact of Technology on Legal Profession,’ highlights the ‘double-edged sword’ nature of technology in the legal profession, noting that without the correct technology, eDiscovery investigations cannot be performed efficiently, and thus inhibit your client's representation.3 The expanded adoption of legal technology tools by corporations over the years has led to an increased need for lawyers with those skillsets to assist with data analysis.
Of the 3,000 lawyers surveyed in the IBA report above, 40% of respondents believe that AI training in legal technology will be critical for their future career development. Furthermore, the 2020 Legal Analytics Study by LexisNexis indicates that 92% of law firms planned to enhance their adoption of AI, primarily driven by the need for business excellence (57%) and client expectations (56%).4 As a result, it is not only practical to understand how to defensively collect, review, produce, and present electronic evidence in conjunction with legal technology tools, but also essential for lawyers to be proficient in utilizing legal technology to meet ethical requirements and zealously represent clients.
Increased Importance of eDiscovery Skills
Whether in between roles or considering an alternative legal career path, participating in document review at an ALSP is a common practice for lawyers. Many lawyers worry that taking these temporary positions might typecast them as document review specialists which might limit their future opportunities. However, as knowledge of eDiscovery workflows grows in importance, combined with an increased need for quality control analysis of AI and advanced technology outputs, this concern is largely becoming outdated.
ALSPs not only offer traditional document review projects, which assist in legal technology skill development, but some also offer projects with post first-level document review discovery-related workflows. These workflows may require the expertise of seasoned legal professionals while assisting in the development of legal technology skills. Participating in these limited duration projects allows lawyers to leverage their prior experience while enhancing their skills and competitiveness in the legal job market.
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