In May 2023, the Bavarian Higher Lawyers’ Court requested a ruling from the European Court of Justice on an issue which has important implications for third party ownership of law firms in Germany. The ruling relates to the question of whether an Austrian company which is not authorised to provide legal advice services is nonetheless…
The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System publishes new Allied Legal Professionals report
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, announced today that it released its new Allied Legal Professionals landscape report, along with an accompanying online Knowledge Centre. This project seeks to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals nationally, with the goal of increasing the options for…
Non-lawyer ownership of law firms is trending – but is it a good idea?
Rubin, Karen E. “Non-lawyer ownership of law firms is trending – but is it a good idea?” Ohio Law. 35 (2021): 6. Read the full article here.
Arizona Supreme Court grants first ABS licence
Law company Elevate has been granted an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) license by the Arizona Supreme Court, making Elevate and its affiliated law firm, ElevateNext, a single entity. This makes Elevate the first non-lawyer-owned law firm in the United States. In 2020 Arizona became the first state to remove the prohibition of non-lawyers owning law…
Florida makes moves towards ABS licencing
On the 28th of June 2021, the Florida State Supreme Court’s Special Committee to Improve the Delivery of Legal Services (formulated by the Bar Board of Governors in November 2019), released their final report on changes in the legal sector. The report is calling for further study on allowing some nonlawyers to have an ownership…
First Alternative Business Structures approved in USA
The first two fully licenced alternative business structures (ABSs) have been approved by the state of Arizona. On the 17th March 2021, two businesses, Trajan Estate LLC and Gilbert and Payne Huebsch PLC received their ABS license after the State Supreme Court approved their bids. Trajan Estate is a legal service provider focused on estate…
California Closing the Justice Gap Working Group holds first public meeting
A California State Bar working group established to study access to justice innovations held its first public meeting on the 14th January 2021. The State Bar’s Closing the Justice Gap Working Group, created by the Board of Trustees to carry on with important recommendations from the State Bar’s Task Force on Access Through Innovation of…
Law Society of British Columbia to Widen Access to Legal Services
On September the 10th the Law Society of British Columbia elected to make changes suggested by a task force on modernisation established this January. The task force cited ongoing changes in the legal market, which have been accelerated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the pace of change in other jurisdictions, as to…
Arizona to Allow Non-Lawyer Ownership
The Arizona Supreme Court has approved rule changes allowing for non-lawyer ownership of law firms in the state. The rule change comes in the wake of the two-year sandbox announced in Utah, however, the Arizona courts went one step further, opting to make the changes permanent. The recommendations for the rule change were first proposed…
Accountancy Body to Hand Designated Legal Regulatory Powers to CILEx
The Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA) in England and Wales is to withdraw from legal services regulation in a UK first. The legal activities that are exercised by its members will now be regulated in a new partnership by CILEx Regulation (CRL), the regulatory body for Chartered Legal Executives. Under the Legal Services Act 2007…