Arizona is the first state to formally allow nonlawyers to co-own law firms and other legal service operations, part of changes approved by the state’s highest court and designed to increase the public’s access to legal services.
The regulatory reforms, approved unanimously on Thursday by the Arizona Supreme Court, are meant to boost innovation and make legal services more affordable while still protecting the public. They also could have another consequence: allowing the Big Four accountancies a way to begin competing more directly with law firms, an eventuality some firms have feared because of the Big Four’s size and tech ...