As legal departments face growing complexity, tighter budgets, and pressure to do more with less, many are rethinking how work gets done — and by whom. Rightsourcing offers a smarter, more strategic approach to legal resourcing, balancing quality, cost, and efficiency.
“In the simplest terms, rightsourcing is matching the work that needs to be done to the right resource. That could include insourcing, outsourcing to a law firm, or outsourcing to an ALSP. The goal is to meet the needs of the business and legal department in the most efficient, cost-effective way.
A bonus feature of rightsourcing legal services is that it helps make sure your in-house team is not burnt out, and that they are working on the matters that are the highest priority and best use of their time. So it’s a retention tool as well — and can protect you from the costs of high attrition that I outlined here.”
Editor’s note: The above excerpt by President & COO at Paragon Legal, Jessica Markowitz, originally appeared on Brightflag. Paragon Legal has provided the following content to offer additional perspective on how rightsourcing applies to legal staffing solutions. Read the full article on Brightflag.
The ACC’s 2023 Chief Legal Officers Survey marked a turning point for rightsourcing, identifying it as the second-highest strategic priority for legal departments, cited by 45% of respondents.
This was striking because until recently, I had rarely seen “rightsource” or “right sourcing” used in mainstream surveys or legal publications. Yet, as the President & COO of Paragon Legal, I can confirm that we’ve been helping clients solve this optimal resource allocation challenge since 2006.
Fast-forward to the 2024 ACC Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) Survey, and rightsourcing is still firmly on the radar. In fact, 15% of CLOs identified rightsourcing as a top strategic initiative — second only to operational efficiency (40%). These statistics reflect how CLOs continue to see value in reallocating legal work, whether shifting tasks internally, to outside counsel, or to alternative providers, as a lever for both cost control and agility.
Given that 42% of CLOs also report facing explicit cost-cutting mandates, and more than half experienced outside counsel rate hikes, the push to “right-source” has become a practical necessity, not just a buzzword.
With cost pressures mounting on legal departments, including pressure to reduce labor costs, rightsourcing (sometimes called smart outsourcing or co-sourcing) has become one of the most powerful tools CLOs have to manage budgets while maintaining high-quality work.
The impact of rightsourcing becomes even clearer through real-world examples — here’s how legal departments successfully applied it in 2024 to solve pressing challenges.
The value of rightsourcing becomes even clearer when you see it in action. The following real-world examples from 2024 show how legal departments used tailored support models to solve complex challenges, from product launches to mergers, while reducing costs and boosting team effectiveness.
A $20 billion SaaS company experienced a significant surge in workload from rapid product rollouts. The General Counsel (GC), concerned about burnout and onboarding delays for new hires, brought in a Paragon interim attorney with expertise in privacy and product counseling. This project management support provided immediate bandwidth and cost savings: $198,600 vs. an FTE and $359,600 vs. outside counsel.
A $6 billion retailer preparing for a merger needed daily coverage and deal support. The GC rightsourced by blending internal leadership, selective outside counsel, and a Paragon attorney to handle ongoing work. The approach saved $151,400 compared to an FTE and $350,400 compared to outside counsel, while providing internal lawyers with valuable opportunities for job title growth.
In the simplest terms, rightsourcing is matching the work that needs to be done to the right resource. That could include insourcing, outsourcing to a law firm, or outsourcing to an ALSP. The goal is to meet the needs of the business and legal department in the most efficient, cost-effective way.
A $500M healthcare provider implementing a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system needed help with templates, playbooks, and team training. Paragon provided two specialists, one with healthcare contracting expertise and another with CLM rollout experience. This rightsourced talent pool improved adoption, strengthened compliance, and saved $163,200 compared to law firm rates.
While rightsourcing can benefit any legal team, certain triggers make it especially valuable. Knowing when to bring in the right external support can help you act quickly and avoid costly missteps.
Common scenarios where rightsourcing makes sense include:
By recognizing these moments early, CLOs can proactively deploy a rightsourced solution that preserves quality while maintaining control over spend.
Unlike traditional staffing agencies that focus only on filling seats, a rightsourcing staffing partner aligns legal resources with business priorities. This means:
At Paragon Legal, we take a rightsourcing-first approach. We don’t just match résumés to roles — we collaborate with clients to understand complexity, urgency, and business impact before placing talent. No matter if you’re looking for short-term counsel, subject-matter specialists, or help through transitions, we supply the right fit for your team.
Paragon’s flexible staffing model is rightsourcing in practice. We help legal departments move beyond traditional outsourcing to smarter, blended solutions. You can read more in our related article, Avoid Decision Paralysis: Start Rightsourcing, which explores how to take the first steps toward building a rightsourced legal team.
Partner with Paragon to empower your legal departments with control, agility, and significant cost savings — without compromising high-quality results.
If you’re considering rightsourcing for your legal department, you’re not alone. Below are answers to common questions about how rightsourcing works and why it’s gaining momentum among today’s legal leaders.
Rightsourcing protects in-house legal teams from burnout by aligning resources with the right tasks at the right time. It enables internal lawyers to focus on high-priority, high-value matters, which improves job satisfaction and retention. By taking repetitive or highly specialized tasks off their plates, rightsourcing empowers legal teams to operate more strategically while avoiding costly turnover and staffing gaps.
Rightsourcing has gained traction as a top strategic initiative because it directly supports the goals of legal departments for operational efficiency and cost control. According to the ACC’s 2024 CLO Survey, 15% of CLOs identified rightsourcing as a leading priority — second only to operational efficiency. This reflects a broader shift toward smarter resource allocation as CLOs face mounting pressure to do more with less, especially amid rising outside counsel rates and internal cost-cutting mandates.
Rightsourcing enables legal departments to quickly scale resources up or down based on changing business needs. By tapping into flexible talent models — including interim attorneys, subject-matter experts, or managed services — teams can respond faster to surges in demand, unexpected projects, or shifting priorities without the delays of traditional hiring.
Paragon Legal takes a rightsourcing-first approach, aligning legal talent with business priorities rather than just filling roles. By understanding the complexity, urgency, and impact of each project, Paragon delivers tailored support, from interim counsel to specialized expertise, helping legal teams stay agile, reduce costs, and maintain high-quality outcomes.
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