Rule Changes and Code Section Proposals Affecting the Practice of Law

By Brian Y. Furuya
President, State Bar of Arizona
March 6, 2020

It is important that we continue to inform State Bar members that the Arizona Supreme Court is considering a rule-change petition that would affect the practice of law in Arizona. Among the possible changes would be the elimination of the prohibition on lawyers and nonlawyers jointly operating a law office. That change and others are viewed by proponents as a significant effort to address the widening Access to Justice Gap.

In addition to Petition R-20-0034, which is currently open for comment, the Administrative Office of the Courts has filed a proposal to create a new section of the Arizona Code of Judicial Administration (ACJA). The proposal can be viewed on the ACJA Web Forum. Proposed Section: 7-209 Alternative Business Structures (ABS), sets forth the regulatory requirements for ABSs not covered in R-20-0034.

The proposed Code section also establishes the policies and procedures for the licensing of ABSs, which are entities with non-lawyer ownership that wish to provide legal services.

We encourage you to read the R-20-0034 and Code proposals together to understand the full regulatory structure being proposed. Ready to comment? Instructions for posting comments on the Forum are available here.

UPDATED: Rule Changes and Code Section Proposals Affecting the Practice of Law

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