What are the mistakes to avoid when outsourcing legal documents data entry?
- Choosing cost over competence
- Failing to check for legal industry knowledge
- Overlooking data security and confidentiality protocols
- Not setting clear accuracy benchmarks or SLAs
- Neglecting to test with a pilot project
- Poor communication and lack of oversight
Overview
- As U.S. law firms increasingly turn to outsourcing for legal documents data entry, many fall into avoidable traps that risk accuracy, security, and compliance.
- This article outlines the key mistakes to avoid, such as prioritising price over expertise, overlooking legally specific knowledge, skipping data security checks, and failing to set performance benchmarks. It also stresses the value of pilot testing and clear communication.
- By steering clear of these missteps, firms can confidently partner with capable providers and maintain the high standards their legal work demands.
The U.S. legal industry is experiencing a steady shift toward outsourcing support functions, especially as firms face growing caseloads, tighter deadlines, and increasing demands for digital transformation.
Back-office legal processes are now being offloaded to third-party providers for efficiency. However, this comes with risks. Many law firms make costly mistakes when outsourcing legal documents data entry, often due to rushing decisions or prioritising price over capability.
Knowing what to avoid can help you choose a provider who understands legal standards and protects your firm’s accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance.
At Big Outsource, we help U.S. firms stay efficient and compliant by delivering secure, high-quality legal data entry services through our skilled Filipino workforce, so you can focus on your core legal work with confidence.
Choosing Cost over Competence
One of the most common outsourcing mistakes is choosing a provider based solely on price. While it’s natural to seek cost-effective solutions, legal data entry is not a low-risk task. It demands a level of expertise that goes far beyond basic data handling.
That said, price alone doesn’t dictate quality. Some affordable vendors may be highly skilled and efficient—the key is conducting proper due diligence.
Rather than making cost your primary filter, evaluate the vendor’s track record. Do they have experience handling sensitive legal documents such as pleadings or contracts? Can they offer a trial run or provide references from law firm clients?
Failing to Check for Legal Industry Knowledge
Legal documents follow strict formats and often require familiarity with jurisdiction-specific procedures. If they can’t distinguish between an affidavit and a motion or don’t know how to properly cite legal statutes, your firm could end up redoing their work—or worse, submitting incorrect filings.
Before hiring, verify that the provider has solid experience handling legal documentation. Ask about the types of documents they’ve worked on, the clients they’ve served, and how they train their staff in legal workflows.
Overlooking Data Security and Confidentiality Protocols
Outsourcing legal documents means entrusting a third party with sensitive client information, case details, and privileged communications. Without strict data security measures, this can expose your firm to serious risks, including data breaches, malpractice claims, and violations of legal ethics.
Always confirm that the vendor adheres to robust security protocols such as end-to-end encryption, restricted user access, secure file transfer systems, and signed confidentiality agreements.
If the provider lacks certifications or fails to comply with standards like the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct—particularly Rule 1.6 on confidentiality—it’s a clear red flag. Legal work requires not only efficiency but absolute discretion.
Not Setting Clear Accuracy Benchmarks or SLAs
Even the most skilled vendor can fall short if expectations aren’t clearly defined. Without service-level agreements (SLAs) or accuracy benchmarks, there’s no standard for measuring performance, and no way to hold providers accountable when issues arise.
Define metrics from the start: What accuracy rate is acceptable? How quickly should tasks be completed? How will revisions be handled? SLAs help ensure consistency, especially when working with legal documents where even a small error can have major consequences. Aligning on performance expectations early prevents frustration later.
Neglecting to Test with a Pilot Project
Before committing long-term, run a pilot project with real (non-sensitive) legal documents. This gives you a chance to assess their attention to detail, turnaround time, responsiveness, and ability to follow legal formatting.
It also allows the vendor to better understand your firm’s workflows. A short test phase can save you from long-term frustration.
Poor Communication and Lack of Oversight
Without proper oversight and open communication, even capable providers can underperform due to unclear instructions or shifting expectations.
Assign a dedicated point of contact within your firm and schedule regular check-ins. Provide style guides, document templates, or SOPs when necessary. The more context and clarity you give, the better the results. Outsourcing should be a partnership—one that depends on feedback, collaboration, and shared accountability.
Key Takeaway
The mistakes when outsourcing legal documents data entry often happen when law firms treat it as a generic task rather than a legal responsibility. Accuracy, compliance, and confidentiality aren’t optional in this field; they’re foundational.
That’s why at Big Outsource, we don’t just process information, we protect your firm’s standards. If you’re ready to outsource smarter, reach out to us. We’re here to help you scale without compromising what matters.
