WSPA Regulation

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	Washington State Paralegal Association


	Regulation Proposals
	The Regulation Committee of WSPA has been considering the possibility of paralegal regulation for a number of years, tracking what is done in other states, and following new developments in Washington which may affect the regulation of paralegals. The WSPA Regulation Committee, under the direction of the WSPA Board of Directors, conducted a survey of WSPA members in the Fall of 2004. From those survey results, the WSPA Regulation Committee drafted a "WSPA Position Statement on the Expansion and Regulation of Non-Lawyer Practice" and also a proposed form of a "Washington State Limited Practice Paralegal Rule" which were presented to the WSPA Board for its approval on March 3, 2005. WSPA's position statement and proposed form of Limited Practice Paralegal Rule were approved by the WSPA Board have now been provided to the Practice of Law Board for its review and consideration. Although there are currently no formal proposals for paralegal regulation in Washington State, WSPA is aware that the Washington State Practice of Law Board (POLB) plans to issue a framework for a proposed rule on the delivery of legal services by nonlawyers in the Spring of 2005, with a series of public hearings and comment periods expected to be offered during the Summer of 2005. WSPA will be monitoring this issue closely and will keep its members informed of any significant changes in this important subject affecting Washington State. WSPA Position Statement to the Practice of Law Board: To read WSPA's Position Statement (March 3, 2005) on the Expansion and Regulation of Non-Lawyer Practice click here. To read WSPA's proposed form of "Washington State Limited Practice Paralegal Rule" click here. To read WSPA's Response Letter (May 25, 2005) to the POLB's Draft Admission to Practice Rule click here. Contrast with Arizona Legal Document Preparer Rule In contrast to WSPA's proposal, the State of Arizona approved a Legal Document Preparer's Rule, under which Certified Legal Document Preparers are currently providing legal and law-related services directly to the public. Some Certified Legal Document Preparers may have worked as traditional or independent paralegals. As of July 1, 2004, there were 508 Certified Legal Document Preparer's in Arizona. WSPA has serious concerns about the adoption of this type of rule and its implementation here in Washington State. While our proposal varies significantly to that of Arizona's, we provide the following information so that our members and other interested parties may more easily compare and contrast both models. See the following links for more information on the Arizona style rule. Text of the Arizona Rule. (25 pages) See Arizona web site for more information. Abstract (bullet points) of the rule. (2.5 pages)
Revised 07/21/2005	© 2005 Washington State Paralegal Association; all rights reserved.