As I fathomed a long time ago, the legal industry is being offshored

[Deja Q]

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070102/APC03/701020542/1888/APCbusiness

The practice already has begun. And Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Co. is recognized as a pioneer in the growing trend. Other corporations like Oracle, Cisco and General Electric also are trimming their legal costs as well.

The legal offshoring industry is estimated to be about $60 million to $80 million today — tiny in comparison with the estimated $225 billion U.S. legal industry — but has the potential to grow to $4.7 billion by 2012 in India alone, according to a report by Crisil Research and Information Services.

The cost of working with lawyers in India averages $50 to $70 an hour, compared with an American lawyer with equivalent experience who would be paid $200 or more.

An Indian lawyer working as a temp would cost $20 an hour or less, whereas one in this country would cost up to $70 an hour.

[IndyOp]

1. Law & computing jobs are exported, engineers & teachers are imported...

I am not an isolationist by any means, but it is time to stand up to the multi-nationals and end this crap.

Everyone who believes that the stock market is an index of our economic health ought to realize with this that it is exactly opposite -- stocks rise higher when labor is abused. And guess what lawyers & engineers? YOU ARE LABOR!

[Deja Q]

2. Imported as real Americans, or as "guest workers"?

That's my worry.

[IndyOp]

4. Guest workers, I believe.

And as for importing them as real Americans - the number of job openings in each field should be a litmus test for the number new immigrants allowed to become citizens. There is no shortage of American engineers -- there is a just a shortage who will work for crappy wages.

After the theft of the 2004 election I filled out the online test to see if I could emigrate to Canada and my degree - level and type - played a role in my score. It is harder than heck to emigrate to Canada and, as a result, the number of people and number of jobs are kept in balance.

[Deja Q]

9. Canada knows how to govern themselves...

The US has a bizarre stance regarding jobs, immigration, emigration, and that includes jobs as well as people.

And you're right; because the pay is shite and corporate america refuses to be bothered to match the cost of living to go with the wages (unlike China where gas is about 1/4th that of the US price...), people will not take them. Understandably so.

With globalization, it has to be equal in all things or it is not going to work.

[piesRsquare]

3. This is crazy...

This is just absolutely crazy...

We're importing teachers and nurses as well. And just when I was planning to take the LSAT, too.

[newyawker99]

12. Hi piesRsquare!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. It's mighty hard to feel sorry for lawyers.

"Lawyers are like other people--fools on the average; but it is easier for an ass to succeed in that trade than any other." - Mark Twain

[ellenfl]

6. well now, that should get some important attention. eom

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. Well you have to be a member of the Bar in the state where you work, unless they just plan to use

the Indian lawyers as "scutmonkeys" doing work for the American lawyers who are members of the Bar...

[Deja Q]

11. Or until they change that law...

Hey, they want to make it legal for immigrants to run this country (ala Governor Groper, Arnold Schwarzenegger)... :D

[librechik]

8. will the last American to leave please turn out the light? n/t

[Deja Q]

10. The 300 million of us here are working in the dark.

We don't know why it's happening or what the end result is going to be. All we know is, it's happening... and in some ways it is a wake-up call for those who became stagnant in one field. That's how I look at it; I did become stagnant in my field and it's time to find a new passion in life.

[elehhhhna]

13. The opportunities for corp. espionage are MASSIVE!

Offshoring your legal work means offshoring your documents. How deep are the contractors conflicts-checks? LOL! How much bribe money does it cost for a 20 dollar employee to flip some documents?

Any Corp.Counsel who'd DREAM of doing this should expect no less than a disaster.