Under Utah's sandbox program, non-lawyers can own law firms and provide legal help to clients, either directly or through automated technology.
, could only work within the parameters of clients' legal playbooks, since anything beyond that would be considered practicing law. Rocket Lawyer is another legal-tech startup that's grown and scaled its services in the sandbox. The online platform, which helps consumers create legal documents and connects them with a network of independent attorneys, already had a client base in Utah. But it's now able to hire local lawyers as part of its staff, said Charley Moore, CEO and founder of Rocket Lawyer.
Now, the platform can determine who's eligible for record expungement, and provide individualized advice — just like a licensed, human lawyer would, according to Sudbury.The regulatory sandbox has also spawned businesses that wouldn't exist otherwise. "I used to be so concerned with getting my billable-hour requirements fulfilled," said Daniel Wilde, an attorney for Law on Call."The great thing about being owned by non-lawyers is that our ownership group does the marketing, the billing, the collections. All the lawyers have to do is practice law."