ANALYSIS: Remote Work Came First. Practicing Anywhere Is Next.

Imagine a time when an attorney licensed only in State A could pack up on a Friday afternoon and fly to State B, hang up a shingle there next day, and begin practicing State B’s law. That time indeed may come.

A sensible new proposal to change the American Bar Association’s model rule on the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) envisions such a scenario, in which competency to practice is the standard that lawyers are held to, and clients are more empowered to decide whom they want to represent them.

The pandemic has forced the legal profession, notorious for shunning ...