TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Education Series: Nonlawyer Ownership, Fee Sharing

Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Dec 22, 2025

In the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order soliciting comments from the legal community, the court asks whether it "should modify, reduce, or eliminate regulations prohibiting nonlawyer ownership of law firms or fee sharing with nonlawyers." Arizona, Utah and Puerto Rico formally changed their rules earlier this year to allow nonlawyer ownership. California and Florida rejected proposals to allow nonlawyer ownership. Washington launched a pilot program to allow entities with innovative business models (including those operated by individuals not licensed to practice law) to apply to offer legal services under timebound, limited exemptions of the rules governing the practice of law. At the end of the pilot, the state’s Supreme Court will consider the accumulated data to determine whether to move forward with more permanent regulatory reforms. Feedback on Tennessee's potential modification of nonlawyer ownership of law firms or fee sharing with nonlawyers may be sent to TBA's newly formed Legal Access & Regulatory Reform Task Force at townhall@tnbar.org as well as directly to the court. Watch TBA Today to learn more about the seven points in the Supreme Court’s order and specific ways to engage with the task force. Visit TBA's Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page for more information.

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