Visit Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites for a news update on limited license legal technicians, including a link to the Oregon State Bar’s Board of Governors report:
“Three Notable Updates on Non-Lawyers Providing Legal Assistance,” by Robert Ambrogi, 3/2/15.
Link directly to the Oregon State Bar Task Force report on limited license legal technicians:
“Could Volvo’s No Death Goal Show The Way for Access to Justice Innovation,” February 1, 2015 by Richard Zorza
‘I recently discovered that Volvo Cars has set a zero death goal for its new cars by 2020.
“Our vision is that no one is killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020,” the chief of governmental affairs is reported to have sad. Whether or not they actually achieve the specifics of that goal is less important than the fact that by setting such a goal, and doing so publicly, they change their whole system from thinking day to day, or year to year, to where they really want to be. (More on the vision here.) Interestingly, it turns out that a bit less than 20 years ago Sweden set as a goal that “Nobody should be killed or seriously injured within the road transport system” so this is also an example of corporate culture following governmental policy.
The January 2015 ABA Journal has these articles and more:
“Washington state moves around UPL, using legal technicians to help close the justice gap,” by Robert Ambrogi
“It’s unethical for prosecutors to allow debt collectors to use official letterhead, says ABA opinion,” by David L. Hudson, Jr. (ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 469)
Richard Zorza & David Udell Article: New Roles for Non-Lawyers to Increase Access to Justice
You can also link to this article from the SRLN website or from Richard Zorza’s Access to Justice blog, where you will be able to find dozens, hundreds, of other practical and provocative articles on Access to Justice issues.
Washington State is the latest state to create a Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) professional classification.
Find a Washington Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) Research Guide at the Gallagher Law Library. The Research Guide includes links to similar limited license initiatives in other states.
For an Oregon perspective, the December 2013 issue, page 12, of the Multnomah Lawyer has an article on the Washington State LLLT.
From Richard Zorza’s Access to Justice blog:
California Bar Explores Joining Movement for Non-Lawyer Practice
California, Washington, and New York are featured in this article on the movement to allow people who cannot afford attorneys “to receive low-cost guidance in simpler legal matters by qualified non-lawyers.”
The American Bar Association (ABA) has issued their: 2012 Revised Version: ABA Model Guidelines for the Utilization of Paralegal Services.
You can find a copy ($10) at the ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals website. (Oregon attorneys can find a copy at the PLF website.)
On June 15, 2012, the Washington State Supreme Court adopted a new rule:
APR 28, entitled “Limited Practice Rule for Limited License Technicians”
You can link to the text of the new rule and the final order from:
Oregon Legal Research Blog