Arizona officials have taken the next step toward becoming the first state to scrap law firm ownership rules in an effort to increase access to justice.
A Jan. 30 petition to the Arizona Supreme Court from Dave Byers, a member of the Arizona Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services, proposes “substantial” rule changes led by the proposed elimination of a rule forbidding non-lawyer ownership stakes in law firms and legal services operations.
Arizona, California, and Utah are each considering changes to their law firm ownership rules, as well as to those that define the unauthorized practice of law. ...