SDD Global Solutions Private Limited

SDD Global Solutions is a legal services offshoring company incorporated in Mysore, India. According to mainstream media reports, it is the only such company in India run by a United States law firm. Its parent company, Smith Dornan Dehn PC is an international media, entertainment and intellectual property law firm headquartered in New York with clients such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Entertainment, HBO and Clinton Foundation.

History

SDD Global Solutions launched its operations in Mysore on April 30, 2006. It was floated due to the efforts of American attorney Russell A. Smith, a Columbia Law School graduate. Mr. Smith was in Mysore to learn Yoga, was attracted by the city and decided to establish an offshore company for the parent firm. The American Lawyer Magazine, in its June 2007 EDition, dubbed Smith as “the Maharaja of Media,” because his firm “represents the Hollywood elite – from Mysore, India.”

Mysore was chosen for the advantages of easy availability of talent pool, salubrious climate, and a superior quality of life that is absent in cities such as Bangalore.

In its July 2007 report, “Offshoring Legal Services to India: An Update,” ValueNotes, a business research company, has referred to SDD Global Solutions as one of two “emerging players with a strong onshore presence and expertise in the LPO space." In its report, ValueNotes also included SDD Global among eight vendors in the LPO (legal process outsourcing) industry who "are aggressively ramping up their headcount.”

The Legal Services Offshoring Industry in India

Most firms and corporations offshore primarily for cost saving measures, and this is considered the biggest advantage in offshoring legal work. While an attorney in major legal markets such as the US charge at minimum 250 dollars for work, countries that are offering offshored legal services charge just a fraction. Another comparable advantage is the turnaround time since most countries that offer offshored legal services are either on the other side of the Atlantic and generally with customers from the US. India’s legal services are affordable, efficient, and above all, skilled. Offshoring legal work to India costs up to 80% less than the cost of using the services of American law firms. (see Legal Services Offshoring on Wikipedia)

The India revenues from legal services offshoring are slated to grow from $146 million for the calendar year 2006 to reach $640 million by end 2010. The industry employed around 7,500 people in the legal offshoring space in India as of end 2006. The number of employees is expected to reach 32,000 by end 2010. Legal services offshoring includes a wide range of services which can be divided broadly into eight areas as follows : Legal transcription, document review, Litigation support, Legal research, Intellectual Property related Services, Contract related Services, Secretarial Services and Legal Publishing. For a young legal professional, a career with an LPO is attractive for several reasons: it is a sunrise industry which should see a boom in the next 3-5 years; there is a tremendous variety of work at all levels of expertise; high-end opportunities for graduates of top law schools; attractive remuneration and future management prospects; an opportunity to work in a corporate structure that straddles borders; a learning opportunity for those considering legal and paralegal careers in the U.K. or the U.S.

Areas of Practice

SDD Global Solutions currently operates in the following areas :

• Legal Research
• Legal Drafting
• IPR Enforcement
• Litigation Support
• Immigration Visas
• Health Insurance Claims
• Document Management
• IP Registrations