First law firm owned entirely by nonlawyers opens in Utah
Image from Shutterstock.com.
Law on Call—touted as the first entirely nonlawyer owned law firm in the United States—is open for business in Utah.
Law on Call is operating as a result of legal reforms approved by the Utah Supreme Court in August 2020, according to a March 15 press release.
The two-year pilot project allows law firms with nonlawyer owners and nontraditional legal service providers to operate in a “regulatory sandbox” in the state.
Law.com and Reuters Legal have coverage.
Law on Call’s clients pay $9 per month to get unlimited phone access to lawyers who can offer advice in the areas of business law, end-of-life planning, contracts, employment, housing and real estate. If legal work is needed, the discounted rates start at $100 per hour.
Law on Call has also applied to operate in Arizona under its new rules and hopes to serve clients in other states that lift restrictions on nonlawyer ownership of law firms, according to Law.com. Three lawyers and two paralegals currently work for the company in Utah, but the aim is to eventually hire as many as 100 lawyers.
Law on Call is a project of Northwest Registered Agent, a company in Spokane, Washington, that provides registered agent and corporate filing services. Tom Glover, president of Northwest Registered Agent, told Law.com that the company fills a need for consumers who are frustrated with the hurdles to hiring a lawyer.
“You need to try to find one you like, submit an inquiry, schedule an initial call, connect with a lawyer to see if it’s a fit, get an engagement letter, send in a deposit,” Glover told Law.com. “Our customers are a lot more fast-paced.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Rocket Lawyer is among the first applicants approved to join Utah’s regulatory sandbox program”
ABAJournal.com: “How Utah’s judicial and state bar officials worked together for regulatory reform”
ABAJournal.com: “Utah’s high court proposes nonlawyer ownership of law firms and wide-ranging reforms”
