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Traditionally, the only place to seek legal advice in the U.S. has been at a firm owned and run by one or more lawyers. Change, though, may be on the horizon. A few states have loosened the rules that enforce this norm, and several more are considering it. This shift is hardly seismic at least, not yet but, if larger jurisdictions adopt similar changes, these liberalizations may well begin to shift the national landscape.
The Current Rule
With a few inapposite exceptions, ABA Model Rule 5.4 bars lawyers from sharing legal fees with nonlawyers and forbids law firms from having nonlawyer owners or officers. The rule is intended to safeguard lawyers’ professional independence by insulating them from the supervision of nonlawyers who might prioritize profit over duty to clients. One practical effect of the rule is that law firms generally do not provide services outside of law, because any nonlawyers providing th
Unbundled law firms find success offering virtual legal services
Image from Shutterstock.com.
In the family law realm, its unbundled offerings include coaching self-represented litigants on filling out divorce forms and preparing child support worksheets.
By emphasizing this nontraditional approach, also known as limited-scope representation, The Law Shop has attracted inquiries from consumers across the state seeking affordable legal assistance.
This interest from clients far beyond its base just outside of Des Moines prompted the firm to start providing some virtual legal services in the years prior to the coronavirus pandemic, said firm co-founder and partner Andrea McGinn. Doing so helped smooth The Law Shop’s transition to all-virtual work amid COVID-19 and enabled it to continue on a positive trajectory.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
We’re back with another edition of our latest legal and consulting industry news column, focusing on women’s history and achievement in the legal industry, coronavirus legal innovations and professional moves. Read on for all the latest updates:
Legal Industry Professional Moves
Legal operations veteran Bob Taylor joined Deloitte Legal Business Services team as a managing director based in Boston. Taylor will focus on business of law and legal department transformation at Deloitte Tax.
Mr.Taylor has 25 years of experience as senior corporate counsel and manager at Liberty Mutual in the company’s legal operations function.
Dr. Darrell G. Kirch, president emeritus of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), joined
March 12, 2021
Speakers include John Valery White, law professor at University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) and chair-elect of the LSAC Board of Trustees; Jason Barnwell, assistant general counsel at Microsoft; Wayne Camara, distinguished research scientist for LSAC; and Jennifer Leonard, chief innovation officer and executive director of the Future of the Profession Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
The event is free and open to the public. Register at the following link: http://lsac.symposiumlegacy-of-the-pandemic.alchemer.com/s3/
The event features moderated panel discussions on the pandemic’s lasting impact on the delivery of legal education, legal services and assessments, and its disruption of the pipeline to law school, as well as workshops focusing on each of these impacts and potential ways to address them. The symposium will include workshops focusing on each of these impacts and potential ways to address them and an opportunity for participants
Permitting alternative business structures could spur tech innovation, Arizona justice says
Arizona Supreme Court Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer. Photo by Bob Torrez/ABA Journal.
Arizona is hopeful that its decision to permit alternative business structures in the law will produce greater technological innovation within the legal industry, said Arizona Supreme Court Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer during the ABA Techshow 2021 on Monday.
Timmer also expressed optimism that her court’s unanimous vote in August 2020 to eliminate Arizona Rule of Professional Conduct 5.4 barring nonlawyer ownership and investment in law firms will lead to greater access to justice and defended the court’s action.