In 2020, Utah became a national leader in modernizing legal services. Through a groundbreaking “regulatory sandbox,” our state allowed innovators to test new ways of delivering affordable legal help to Utahns who otherwise could not access it. The results were remarkable. In just a few years, 117,000 legal services were provided, with only 20 consumer complaints, compared to roughly 600 complaints lodged against attorneys per year. Families received help with domestic violence, housing, and debt collection. New technologies were developed to reduce costs and improve access.
However, rollbacks over the years have caused Utah to fall behind neighbors like Arizona. Innovators fled as rules tightened, reducing active sandbox participants from 39 to just 11 over three years, while Arizona’s program ballooned from 19 to 136 providers by adopting similar reforms into law.
Utah has a choice: Fall behind as consumers pay the price, or restore the legal innovation that delivers access to justice to thousands. Our proposal brings back the sandbox’s successes, provides long-term stability, and ensures legal services continue to grow and evolve.
The Problem
Legal help is often too expensive and difficult to access for families dealing with eviction, spouses struggling with domestic violence, or hard-working immigrants navigating the immigration system. There are two outdated rules that make up the lion’s share of the problem:
- Lawyer Monopoly Rules – Only licensed lawyers can deliver most legal services, even simple advice or form preparation, keeping prices high and limiting options.
- Bans on Non-Lawyer Ownership – Lawyers may not partner with other professionals or investors to create innovative, tech-driven service models.
These rules were intended to protect consumers, but today they stand in the way of affordable alternatives. Meanwhile, the healthcare industry has evolved to provide cheaper alternatives like nurse practitioners or through telemedicine consultations. Yet legal services remain stuck in the past.
Utah’s legal services sandbox was designed to break this mold, allowing experiments to flourish under the supervision of the Utah Supreme Court. Recent policy changes severely narrowed participation, forcing many promising solutions to shut down or move to states like Arizona.
Our Policy Solution
Our bill restores innovation to the Utah legal services industry, improves upon the lessons learned from innovative neighboring states like Arizona, and ensures strong safeguards through the following key reforms:
- Adding New Legal Service Roles
In addition to attorneys, the following two roles will be recognized:
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- Paraprofessionals – Similar to a Nurse Practitioner in the healthcare industry, a paraprofessional is capable of handling routine legal matters at a lower cost. This recognition allows attorneys to focus on complex client challenges, and lowers the cost for consumers seeking out these services.
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- Community Justice Workers (CJWs) – Trained individuals who work for organizations serving low-income families with basic issues like housing, debt, or domestic violence.
Both roles will have clear certification, training, and supervision standards to ensure quality and protect consumers. Importantly, it will also expand consumers options when they need legal help.
- Recognizing Alternative Business Structures (ABSs) — non-traditional business structures where non-lawyer partners and outside investment into law firms is allowed.
This provision would
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- Require an on-staff compliance attorney to ensure consumer protections and ethical standards are prioritized
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- Require disclosure of full ownership, including private equity or litigation funders
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- Require a “Utah consumer nexus” to focus on Utahns and state-based businesses
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- Establish a permanent path to keep innovative companies in Utah.
- Embracing Artificial Intelligence Responsibly
Even within the existing legal services sandbox, a lack of regulatory clarity around AI has harmed consumers by restricting experimentation. Our proposed bill clarifies when AI can be used in legal services, attaching safeguards that respect both attorneys’ high ethical standards and the breadth of new services that could be offered by a skilled professional using AI.
- Rebuilding Utah’s Sandbox
Finally, we will restore the sandbox as a place to test legal innovation by restoring oversight authority to the Utah Supreme Court and establishing a clear review timeline for entities seeking formal legislative recognition.
Our Vision for Utah Legal Services
By combining bold innovation with accountability, we can expand access to affordable legal help, support nonprofits serving vulnerable populations, and give entrepreneurs room to create new solutions. By giving consumers more options, we will finally deliver to Utahns the kind of choice and affordability they so desperately need. This issue transcends partisanship, industry entrenchment, and competition with neighboring states. It’s about everyday people in need of legal services – about fulfilling the promise of the “one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller.”
