Latitude South First to Offer New Zealand-Based Outsourced Legal Services to UK Legal Teams
Tuesday 10 November 2009, 8:50AM
By Latitude South
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Latitude South NZ Ltd today launched its new legal services outsourcing offering, designed for UK in-house legal teams and law firms to reduce the costs of substantive legal work by utilizing a team of New Zealand-based former lawyers with UK and international experience.
Latitude South will provide substantive legal support services including the design of standard form agreements, professional support and know-how services, the drafting of bespoke documents, and peer review. Latitude South will also provide project management and legal process engineering services to help clients unbundle the legal work appropriate to provide from New Zealand.
``Legal outsourcing is currently a hot topic in the UK with law firms and in-house legal teams looking to outsource paralegal work to lower cost offshore providers’’, said Latitude South Director Larissa Glubb. ``However, many organizations also have a high proportion of substantive legal services that can be outsourced if the provider has the right commercial experience and a professional compatibility with its clients. We want to broaden the range of legal tasks that can be provided to the UK from overseas by offering the services of seasoned legal professionals who have previously practiced in leading UK law firms and in-house teams.’’
Latitude South has secured an initial team of former lawyers with 9+ years PQE who will operate remotely from New Zealand, and will be supported by a management team in Asia and an onshore presence in London to ensure time-zone overlaps. Latitude South actively recruits senior, former lawyers who have previously practiced in the UK and have returned to New Zealand. ``Many Kiwi legal professionals choose to spend a good portion of their legal career in the UK and have a natural compatibility with UK law firms and in-house legal teams. We want to provide an opportunity for them to leverage the wealth of onshore UK experience they've gained, upon returning to NZ,’’ said Glubb. ``And with the help of technology, there really is no reason why they cannot continue to operate on the global stage while being based here.’’
About Latitude South
Latitude South provides substantive legal services to UK in-house legal teams and law firms by deploying UK-experienced former lawyers based in New Zealand. Latitude South NZ Ltd is registered in New Zealand, has a management presence in Asia and an onshore presence in the UK. Latitude South's services are performed solely at the request of UK lawyers and are provided directly to those lawyers, in support of the UK legal services that those lawyers are performing for their end-clients. Latitude South is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice. Latitude South was co-founded in 2009 by New Zealander Larissa Glubb who previously provided substantive legal services remotely from New Zealand to a global law firm based in London and a major US-based IT solutions provider. Andrew Hamilton, also from New Zealand, resigned as a Director at Deutsche Bank after 9 years as a project manager and process engineer for Global Markets to co-found Latitude South. For more information about Latitude South, please visit http://www.latitude-south.com.