Need Legal Typists this Easter?

As any Practice Manager or Senior Partner in a UK law firm knows, the demand for temporary legal transcriptionists or secretaries can fluctuate significantly throughout the year. While it is easier to predict staff absences during peak holiday periods such as the summer or school breaks, unforeseen illnesses or absences can disrupt operations unexpectedly. While many firms can anticipate the common winter cold sweeping through offices, these unpredictable events highlight the need for flexible staffing solutions. So, is it time to move away from traditional temp agencies and explore outsourced legal transcription services?

Why Legal Temp Agencies Are Becoming Less Effective

In the past, it was easier to find temporary secretaries or legal transcriptionists to cover short-term assignments at your law firm or chambers. However, the landscape has changed. Today's legal temp workers often prefer longer-term placements, leaving fewer candidates available for short-term needs. Research by Total Jobs reveals that temp agencies can take up to a month to source the right candidate.

If you require immediate cover for short-term absences, such as unexpected sickness or urgent workload surges, waiting for a temp to be sourced might not be an option. So, what is the solution?

The Benefits of Outsourced Legal Transcription Services

Instead of hiring a traditional temp or bringing someone into the office, outsourcing legal transcription can be a more efficient and cost-effective option. Many outsourced transcription providers, such as Outsec Legal, can integrate directly with case management systems, just like an in-house secretary would. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can provide them with your templates and precedents for secure and efficient document completion.

By outsourcing your legal transcription needs, you gain all the benefits of having a temporary legal secretary or typist at your disposal, without the added administrative burden of recruitment, training, or supervision. Moreover, you will avoid expensive agency fees, and your firm can maintain continuity without any loss in productivity.

Key Advantages of Outsourcing Legal Transcription for UK Law Firms

1. Access to Highly Skilled Legal Typists

At Outsec Legal, we ensure that all our legal typists possess over 10 years of experience in the legal sector, with many holding professional certifications such as CILEx or the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Legal Secretary certification. Our team’s deep understanding of legal terminology, client confidentiality, and accuracy makes Outsec Legal one of the most reliable legal transcription services in the UK.

If you are struggling to find qualified legal typists or battling recruitment challenges, Outsec Legal provides instant access to skilled transcriptionists, helping you stay on top of your legal documentation without delay.

2. Significant Cost Savings

Outsourcing your legal transcription can lead to substantial cost reductions. Hiring full-time staff comes with fixed costs like salaries, National Insurance, pensions, and additional office infrastructure costs. Beyond these direct expenses, firms also face "unproductive" time costs, research suggests that the average employee is productive for only 2 hours and 53 minutes of an 8-hour workday.

By outsourcing transcription services to Outsec Legal, you only pay for the actual work completed, eliminating the need to fund office space, equipment, and unproductive hours. Furthermore, outsourcing helps reduce HR costs related to recruitment, training, and supervision, as all of these responsibilities are handled by the transcription provider.

3. Flexible, Scalable Support

One of the key advantages of outsourcing your legal transcription services is flexibility. Whether your law firm is experiencing a temporary surge in workload or needs ongoing transcription support, outsourcing allows you to scale up or down quickly, based on your needs. Unlike traditional staffing models, you can adjust the level of support you require without the burden of permanent hires.

Additionally, outsourcing transforms your fixed costs into flexible ones, ensuring that you only pay for transcription services when you need them.

4. Enhanced Business Continuity Planning

The global disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of robust business continuity plans. Outsec Legal ensured continued operations during the crisis, supporting our clients with uninterrupted transcription services. By using an outsourced legal transcription provider, your law firm or chambers can ensure business continuity even during challenging times.

This is particularly relevant in meeting the requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Code of Conduct, which emphasises effective risk management and business continuity planning. Outsec Legal offers a reliable solution that supports your firm’s ability to operate without disruption, regardless of unforeseen challenges.

Key Considerations Before Choosing a Legal Transcription Provider

When evaluating legal transcription services, it is essential to ask the right questions to ensure your provider meets your needs and safeguards your data. Consider asking the following:

Does the provider have experience working with your specific legal practice area?
What digital dictation systems do they support, and can they integrate with your case management software?
What are the data security measures in place to protect sensitive client information?
Are there any hidden fees, such as setup or management charges, or a minimum spend requirement?
How are transcription assignments allocated to typists? Will your firm’s work be handled by a dedicated team who understand your preferences?

Why Choose Outsec Legal for Your Legal Transcription Needs?

Outsec Legal stands out as a leading outsourced legal transcription provider for law firms and chambers across the UK. We specialise in delivering reliable, accurate, and cost-effective transcription services tailored to the needs of the legal profession. Our expert team of transcriptionists understands the legal industry inside and out, ensuring that every document is processed with the utmost attention to detail and confidentiality.

If your firm is struggling with recruitment, dealing with unpredictable workloads, or looking to improve operational efficiency, Outsec Legal offers the perfect solution. With a dedicated, flexible transcription service, you can focus on delivering exceptional client service while we handle the legal typing.

About OutSec Legal

At Outsec Legal, our services are designed to support legal professionals by providing reliable and high-quality legal transcription, allowing your practice to focus on clients and fee production. Whether your practice needs help with day-to-day transcription or support during busy periods, our pay-as-you-go option enables legal practices of all shapes and sizes to access support as and when they need it.

So What Are The Benefits?

Sole Practitioners/Barristers/Small Law Practices:

OutSec Legal is the perfect solution for sole practitioners, small law firms or barristers who need typing assistance on a pay-as-you-go basis, as it provides a cheaper alternative to employment.

Medium to Large Law Practices:

Medium to large law firms use OutSec Legal to:

Reduce secretarial staff (completely or partially). This reduces the need for expensive office space (or enables space to be utilised for more productive use/fee generation);
Allow fee earners to concentrate on chargeable hour targets, rather than typing emails or amending documents;
Provide an effective solution to enable your fee-earning staff to work remotely. Therefore providing further opportunities to reduce expensive office space or increase your fee earner headcount with less space. It enables flexible working and makes law firms more agile;
Provide a business continuity solution to enable law firms to access secretarial staff in times of absence.
Enable firms to upscale support as the firm grows or at times of high workloads, without the need for employing additional staff.

Get in Touch with Outsec Legal Today

If you are ready to experience the benefits of outsourced legal transcription, contact Outsec Legal today to learn more about how we can support your law firm’s needs. Whether you need temporary cover for short-term absences or ongoing transcription support, we are here to help.

Want to know more, why not get in touch with us on 020 7112 7538.

Article written by Mark Hope.

Image by Freepik.