Move over Silicon Valley. The real home for legal tech is...Arizona? Maybe! 

New laws there as well as in Utah, have made it easier for companies owned or partially owned by non-lawyers to have a greater role in the legal space in these two states. And according to Legaltech News, several companies are ready to test the market.

• Utah started a pilot program for parties that want to test the new regulations: Five companies have already signed up, including Rocket Lawyer, a well-known startup that has received nearly $50 million in funding. The others include LawPal, which intends to bring a TurboTax-style service to divorce, debt and eviction cases, and 1Law, a provider of legal services through chatbots, instant messaging and other techniques. 

• These companies won’t be the last: Legal analysts expect many entities to test the waters in Arizona and Utah. Some will be technology-related and others will be more traditional firms that have an unorthodox ownership structure that features nonlawyers.

Why Arizona and Utah wanted to allow these changes

The goal is to increase access to justice. Whether that will occur is unknown, as many experts believe the change in law will benefit businesses more than people. 

• But former LegalZoom GC Chas Rampenthal said he believes Arizona’s and Utah’s new regulations will provide a better system for consumers to more readily engage with the legal system. 

The Verdict 

It won’t just be lawyers, investors and company executives watching what happens in Arizona and Utah; lawmakers will, too. And if California or New York adopts similar regulations, drastic changes could be headed for the legal market.