Outsourcing and offshoring are not concepts new to India. Amidst much hullabaloo over IT and banking outsourcing, legal services offshoring units are making the country their base.
Be it because of the expenses involved in setting up plush offices down town or the huge salaries that legal service providers demand in the West, offshoring is emerging as a viable option.
Mysore, which sports the reputation of a “potential city,” headquarters one such unit, SDD Global Solutions Pvt Ltd.
SDD, formed, majority-owned and managed by Smith Dornan Dehn, a Manhattan-based international media and intellectual property firm is the only high-end legal service KPO (knowledge process offshoring) company in India, company officials claim.
“Mysore is a city with great capacity. No doubt setting up office here meant rent that was 43 times lesser than the Manhattan price, relieving clients of huge fees, thanks to these exorbitant rents and less traffic, but also initiating the reverse migration process. Many localities have left the city for want of better job prospects. But if more companies set up base here and offer competitive salaries, I don’t see why youngsters will leave the City,” says Chairman and President of SDD, and Columbia Law School graduate with 21 years of litigation and other legal experience, Russell Smith.
Elaborating on the company’s operations, he says, “Approved by the Government of India (STPI) as an IT-Enabled Services company, SDD offers legal research and drafting, immigration visa processing, intellectual property registrations, anti-infringement operations, film and television production company management, insurance claims and administration services.”
High-end clients
It has US and London based clients, which include Universal Pictures, HBO, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, former President Clinton's organisation, the Clinton Foundation,best-known retail brands in the world, US book publishers and many TV and Hollywood personalities, as clients, he adds.
Well this looks like that perfect opportunity to be associated with the who’s who of the entertainment industry, not to mention the chance to be part of one of the most sought after legal services branch and understanding the legal system prevalant in the US. And the reason that you have no legal education background is not going to stop you from grabbing the opportunity in the least for the company as Smith puts it is a small “law school in itself.” The recruits are introduced to law concepts and procedures, and equipped to provide legal services. Legal services market is on the growth path. And this concept is giving a new dimension to the law field, the one beyond black coats and courts,” he adds.
Apart from this ‘earn while you learn’ facility, the company pampers its employees with a movie club, cafeteria, transportation facilities, relaxation room, guest lecture and interactive programmes. It is a five-day week for the employees. They work in two shifts. A series of written tests and interviews will get you a job in this year-old company, which currently has over 30 employees. The company plans to expand its operations.
“SDD is all about quality. It is a great opportunity for youngsters as they will get to experience the US legal world. The only things I miss is walking down the corridors of the court. But this is a different experience all together. Employees are also given various benefits,” says Mani Agarwal, a Delhiite and one among the many non-Kannadigas, who work for the company.
Employee satisfaction is not the only criterion of the company though. “We in association with other corporate houses, administration and NGO’s plan to make Mysore a greener place to live in,” says Smith, reiterating the company’s social responsibility.
All in all SDD, with its “dedicated staff and high-fi technology” promises to make a mark in the legal services sector.