Washington State has become the latest U.S. jurisdiction to experiment with regulatory reform in the legal sector by relaxing restrictions on who can practise law. Beginning as early as October 2025, the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) will accept applications from law firms, nonprofits, and technology-driven organisations seeking to participate in a 10-year pilot programme that permits non-traditional business models and technology-based legal service delivery, subject to court approval.
The initiative, approved by the Washington Supreme Court in December 2024, mirrors reforms already implemented in Arizona and Utah, where non-lawyer ownership of law firms and alternative business structures have gained traction. Companies such as KPMG, LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, and Elevate have shown interest in similar programmes but indicated they may wait for Washington’s pilot to become permanent before participating.
According to WSBA regulatory counsel Renata de Carvalho Garcia, the project aims to enhance access to legal services and foster innovation while maintaining ethical oversight. Early applicants include Palace Law, which plans to expand its chatbot “PatBot” that offers free guidance to injured workers, and 2nd Chair, an AI startup developing tools for small law firms and self-represented litigants.
Legal experts view Washington’s pilot as part of a growing movement among U.S. states to re-examine traditional professional rules amid technological disruption. The outcome of this decade-long trial may determine whether flexible, tech-integrated legal models can coexist with core professional ethics and public protection mandates.