Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
WSBA pilot lets nontraditional legal entities seek authorization; court, lawyers press for transparency and consumer safeguards
Summary
The Washington State Bar Association told the Supreme Court it has five applicants in a pilot allowing entities to deliver legal services under court authorization; the WSBA described background checks, public application postings and client surveys while justices and counsel pressed it to monitor competition, enforcement and unauthorized practice risks.
The Washington State Bar Association told the Washington State Supreme Court that an entity-regulation pilot it launched in October has drawn five applicants and is nearing a recommendation to the court on the first file. Renata Garcia, the Bar’s chief regulatory counsel, said the pilot requires applicants to describe their delivery model, the specific rule waivers they seek, potential consumer risks and the safeguards they will use.
The work matters because the projects propose technology-enabled legal delivery and alternative business structures that may require waivers of RPC 5.4. “Entity regulation pilot project is up and running. We launched the pilot in October. Entities can now apply for authorization to provide legal services in Washington,” Garcia said in her update to the court. She said the practice-of-law board uses a four-step review—initial staff completeness check, background investigations, a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
