From Risk to Reward: Best Practices for MLS Outsourcing

Outsourcing legal work to an external provider can understandably cause apprehension. After all, it involves sharing sensitive client data, confidential contracts, and meeting strict regulatory compliance obligations - all areas where caution is essential. Additionally, you will want to ensure that the quality of the work product meets your high standards - completely understandable for teams that are already often too busy.

If outsourcing goes wrong, or if appropriate safeguards aren’t in place, there could be serious consequences. Yet, when done well, outsourcing to a Managed Legal Services (MLS) partner offers clear advantages: cost efficiency, improved quality, and standardisation – and, crucially, it can free up your legal team to focus on high-value strategic work.

The benefits are compelling, but they depend on getting the approach right. This article sets out some key considerations for building a safe, effective, and mutually beneficial outsourcing relationship. We will focus on two critical strands: technology safeguards and quality assurance processes.

Technology Safeguards

Doing your Due Diligence: Start by assessing any potential MLS partner’s security and governance framework. They should have clear data handling protocols, robust encryption standards and disaster recovery plans, and be able to evidence these without hesitation.

Best-in-Class IT Partner: Ask who powers their IT infrastructure. A premium IT partner should mean secure hosting environments, proactive monitoring, threat detection, and scalable solutions that support growth without compromising security. Strong IT foundations signal an MLS partner that takes your data seriously.

Cyber Essentials Certification: Cyber Essentials accreditation is a baseline security standard that demonstrates protection against common cyber threats and a commitment to safeguarding client data. Verify that your MLS partner holds this certification before beginning a relationship.  

A Culture of Security: Technology alone isn’t enough – people and processes matter. Is your chosen MLS partner building a culture of security from day one? Do they use secure communication channels? What training do staff receive? Are they committed to continuous improvement and investing in security upgrades? Look for a partner that treats security as an ongoing priority, not a one-off exercise.

Quality Assurance Processes

Scope: Work with your MLS partner to clearly define what you’re outsourcing. They should help ensure all aspects are captured so the arrangement delivers real value for you. Keep this under regular review – does the work product meet your needs? If not, adjust early.

Early and Honest Feedback: Your MLS partner should want to share their work product early on in any new engagement, and this should be documented in the scoping exercise. Reviewing initial outputs against the agreed scope lets you spot gaps and provide feedback quickly, reducing rework and keeping projects on track.

Quality Control: A strong quality control process is non-negotiable. Ask about supervision ratios, their review methodology, and how feedback is integrated. Consistent quality depends on structured checks, not assumptions.

Continuous Improvement: Your MLS partner should be committed to efficiency and innovation. Look for leadership that understands continuous improvement, ideally with Lean Six Sigma credentials. Regular checkpoints, feedback loops, and exploration of tech or AI enhancements should be part of the relationship. Continuous improvement is key to a successful long-term relationship.

A successful relationship with an MLS partner can transform your legal team’s ability to be agile, responsive, and focused on work that delivers real value.  They will want you to succeed and to partner with you to achieve your goals.  By outsourcing routine, process-driven tasks and those which can be done more effectively externally, your team gains the bandwidth to concentrate on the complex and strategic work.

However, success doesn’t happen by chance. Taking the time to verify technology safeguards such as data security protocols, encryption standards, and disaster recovery plans, alongside robust quality assurance processes will help to protect your team from unnecessary risk. These steps ensure not only compliance and consistency, but also build trust and transparency from day one.

When developed thoughtfully, MLS outsourcing isn’t just a cost-saving measure, it’s a strategic partnership that drives efficiency, innovation, and long-term growth. The teams that invest in getting this right will reap the benefits of a stronger, more future-ready legal function.