Being that this was a three day weekend here in the U.S., and as many of us do during holiday weekends, I spent it mostly with my family and especially my kids.  What’s great about spending time with them among other things is the loving notion they carry with them that mommy and daddy know everything.  It would be wonderful if that were actually true, right?  Well my knowledge of all worldly things was tested as always by my six year old’s curiosity.  As we walked down the tree-lined street in my neighborhood, I was asked, “Daddy, do all of these trees grow on their own?”  It would seem so, yes.  It was an easy question for me to answer, and simple enough to explain to a six year old.  And as we walked down the quiet street, it did appear all of the trees lining the street on either side appeared to grow on their own.  No one was standing next to them, tending to their well being, or watering them, or even ensuring the sun’s essential rays were reaching every single branch.  That would seem a little unnecessary.  Hence my quick and rather brief affirmative answer.  But I followed up to mention a small, itty-bitty caveat – as long as it rained, and the sun shined, and nothing else harmed them.

Now, my post last week drew some feedback which I did not expect. Many of you sent me emails with regards to the apparent need for some sort of body or association which can bring some guiding light and influence in the marketplace on behalf of the legal process outsourcing industry.  My six year old’s curiosity reminded me of the guiding hands which the LPO world could benefit from.  The trees made me wonder if in fact they were able to thrive without any intervention.  Perhaps when they were young seedlings, there was a caretaker there who came around at times to ensure the little seedlings were properly watered, or that they had the proper support to grow upright if they had been knocked about by a strong storm or a child’s feet or bicycle.  In essence it appeared that having someone to oversee their environment was fitting for their survival and keeping them all in some uniformity to line the street so well.

I would say that Legal Process Outsourcing industry has done pretty well thus far in its lifecycle.  But no doubt it can do better.  It has a long way to go, but it will flourish as time goes on.  But can it achieve more but faster? With an association that speaks on its behalf in the halls of government and other trade & commerce organizations?  Can legal process outsourcing make greater strides and inroads in the marketplace if there were such an organization raising awareness?  The seedlings may very well have benefited from the nurturing hands of a caretaker during its earliest days.  Wouldn’t it be nice?  We all can dream that we have caretakers who are so nurturing and who make life easier for us to prosper. 

Then I realized – I’m not six years old.  And we are not trees.  Someone would have to step up unselfishly to make it happen…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LpoSavvy/~3/xQV89V2a9RE/index.php