The other day while exchanging views on the impact of ERP on increasing efficiency and rendering certain aspects HR headcount redundant, a couple of NGLHRSM executives got into an ‘elevated’ debate on the overall significance of technology in a business Company. I liked one of the punch lines delivered-when it comes to ICT let’s begin from the basics even when we assume we know better. I guess we aren’t alone; surely IT is a recurring agenda, one that has dominated even the symposia at the last leg of the strings of events staged to mark the 75th Anniversary of AAU in the presence of the Premier.
Twenty or more years ago when we said one couldn’t do without hitching a ride on the information highway, we were talking about being IT literate, about operating the keys and mouse with ease, about trying slight networking, about accessing and entering data. You know something in the line of what the late Diane Keaton’s character in one of her movies says (when inquired about her level of ICT literacy) – “I am good at using Google.”
In those days learning the ABC of computer begins with MS-DOS. I have a faint memory how we were taught to enter valid command segments to access the right Directory and of course how to go Windows! ‘Migrating’ data from the blinding deep blue MS-DOS screen to the interactive beautiful Windows was a trilling experience. Of course back in College I remember our friends at FBE breaking their backs trying to make sense of code language such as COBOL( Common Business Oriented Language). They were way ahead of us and never missed an opportunity to remind us about it.
But we are kinda catching up. You know how? Among others IT has gone Legal! Now the new fad in remote legal counseling is LPO-Legal Process Outsourcing. Just like in any other business venture, Legal Outsourcing Companies are hitting the advert panels with tantalizing offers themed in the benefits of economy of scale and efficiency by enabling the law firms or legal departments to focus on the core deliverables. Just to give you a hint how we are breaking with the tradition of sampling stacks of ‘Attorney and Legal Advisor’ call cards, a Minneapolis-St. Paul based LPO firm introduces its service as ‘ data driven insights and innovative legal solutions’ and is actively targeting Africa as a lucrative market. It won’t be long before we begin raising sign boards that read ‘Access your IT driven Legal Solutions Here’ around Lideta.
Imagine clerking to a law firm based in New York, London, Hong Kong or Moscow from your tiny office in Addis. Just try to figure out why LPO companies are zooming in on Africa. It isn’t any different from the pulling factor among global brand manufacturing enterprises renting sheds at Hawasa or Eastern Industrial zone or Bole Lemi. We are cheap and affordable. No minimum wage, little environmental sensitivity, no regulatory straightjacket on the contrary abundantly available, skilled and young and vibrant professionals who would work long hours and might not even be timing the counseling. Here is the icing on the cake. In the long run, you will be ‘hauling in the hard currency’ and government would only be too happy to hook you up with multinational companies or reputed law firms wherever it can.
According to literature on the subject LPO ranges from routine administrative duties to dissecting complex legal issues. Delegation is the key term in LPO. The nature of the business is such that it could both be onshore and offshore outsourcing. For instance, existing Outsourcing Companies can test the water by trying to offer delegated services to legal departments of multinational or holding companies or big law firms specializing in tendering legal counseling. I bet banks and insurance companies could greatly benefit from outsourcing routine legal services thereby enabling their in-house lawyers focus on the core legal tasks. After all the Federal Advocacy Services Licensing and Administration Proclamation does extend express recognition to Law Clerks and Advocate Assistants, the latter having the added advantage of having the capacity to make an appearance before a court of law or tribunals.
There is no denying the fact that a trailblazing party encounters more challenges than readily available solutions. Still those who make a dent on the world are the ones wandering away from the beaten track and explore better options. Roadblocks are inevitable, I know, the point is venturing in a spirit of ‘We shall Overcome’. Let us face it- outsourcing is made conspicuous by its very absence in the list of businesses that define a trader in the Commercial Code of the FDRE.
God Bless.
