The e-discovery space is increasingly fraught with competition for law firms attempting to stand out from alternative legal service providers (ALSPs), many of which can be a lethal combination of technologically savvy and unencumbered by fee paradigms like the billable hour. But while some firms have attempted to circumnavigate the structural restraints of a traditional law practice by launching “captive” ALSPs of their own, others may find partnering with an outside tech company to ultimately be a less arduous proposition.

For example, a firm could engage a technology company to develop custom, automated workflows that help its document review service run more efficiently. “That [method] absolutely can work. And it does in a lot of ways for a lot of firms,” said Bryon Bratcher, managing director of Reed Smith’s captive ALSP Gravity Stack.