Law firm signs £583m outsourcing deal

CMS Cameron McKenna will be outsourcing substantial non-billable tasks to Integreon's team in India

A law firm has splashed out £583m on a 10-year agreement to outsource its middle office services.

CMS Cameron McKenna’s decision to outsource its middle office services is part of an ambitious strategy to establish a new business model for law firms. The firm argues that the unprecedented scale of the deal will make the legal industry stand up and take notice.

The law firm will outsource non-billable tasks, such as reports, letters, research and technology functions, to business solutions provider Integreon’s team in India.

It is outsourcing substantial portions of its IT, accounting and finance, human resources, marketing, research and development, library and information services, facilities and other services to Integreon.

This will leave CMS Cameron McKenna to focus on its core competency – providing high-end legal and tax services. However, the law firm confirmed that it will be making staff changes across the board, but detail regarding the number of staff cuts were not divulged.

Legal industry expert professor Richard Susskind regards the move as “a hugely significant development that sets the pace for the global legal market”.

“The scale and ambition of the arrangement is remarkable, and the business case is compellingly strong – by outsourcing many of its non-core activities to Integreon, CMS Cameron McKenna should achieve major cost savings and free itself to focus more strategically on its clients and services,” he said.