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| Since our last newsletter, there has been movement in multiple states. In Indiana, the supreme court formed the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future. One of the five working groups will focus on the ways to improve the law firm business model and professional regulations, including a look at alternative licensing models. In Arizona, the supreme court formed the Alternative Business Structure Task Force. It has been directed to propose amendments to the Administrative Code of Judicial Administration and court rules as appropriate. More specifically, the task force shall determine whether additional disclosures should be made for those funding Alternative Business Structures (ABSs), whether it is acceptable for ABSs to be approved for the sole purpose of soliciting mass tort business, and whether ABSs must provide substantial services to people in Arizona. While no new initiatives have launched in the past two months, we did recently learn about one that launched in May 2023—the Hawai‘i Rural Paternity Advocate Pilot Project. The purpose of the project is to establish a program to provide representation by advocates, working under the supervision of a Hawai‘i-licensed attorney, for self-represented clients in paternity or other practice areas as authorized by the Hawai‘i Supreme Court in which low-income parties are significantly underrepresented. On the allied legal professionals front, the Arizona Board of Nonlawyer Legal Service Providers released its Annual Report on the Status of the Legal Paraprofessional Program. And in Colorado, licensed legal paraprofessional applicants will soon receive their exam results and be sworn in on June 20. |
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Jessica Bednarz
May 2024 |
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| May 1: “The Madness of the Lawyer Fee-Sharing Ban” in Lawyer Magazine April 17: “In Colorado, you can go bankrupt getting divorced from a marriage you didn’t know you had” on Denverite April 16: “The Latest in Law Firm Ownership” on Attorney at Work April 12: “More options coming for people needing legal help” on BC Gov News April 6: “First licensed paralegals in Oregon sworn into state bar” on KPTV April 1: “Oregon's first licensed paralegals will provide family and housing law legal assistance” in the Statesman Journal March 26: “BC legal regulator expresses concern over proposed legislation for a single regulator” in Canadian Lawyer |
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Resources
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| “Paul Sherman | Protected v. unprotected legal speech” “Paul Sherman | Evolution of protected professional speech” Board of Nonlawyer Legal Service Providers’ Annual Report on the Status of the Legal Paraprofessional Program “Legal Licensing Reform: Does the World Need More Lawyers?” Administrative Order: Establishment of the Task Force on Alternative Business Structures and Appointment of Members |
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Visit our
Knowledge Center to track what's happening around the country and the world when it comes to legal regulation, as well as submit information and sign up for notifications.
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| Here are some upcoming events during which regulatory reform or innovation has been identified as a topic for discussion. For purposes of this events section, we are defining regulatory reform and innovation as rethinking how legal services are regulated and delivered and as expanding the ecosystem of service providers who can deliver legal help.
June 20: Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional Swearing-In Ceremony (April 2024 Exam) August 1–3: Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers 2024 Annual Meeting |
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IAALS is a national, independent research center dedicated to facilitating continuous improvement and advancing excellence in the American legal system. Our mission is to forge innovative and practical solutions to problems within the American legal system. |
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