The “Sandbox” refers to a Utah legal regulatory pilot project launched by the Utah Supreme Court and housed within the Utah State Bar. The Supreme Court is testing whether allowing alternative legal providers (through nonlawyers and/or technology-based services such as AI) in Utah will improve access to justice (people’s ability to access legal help). Results of this experiment will inform the Supreme Court’s future decisions governing the practice of law in Utah.
A “Sandbox entity” refers to one of the approved companies and organizations in the Sandbox that are authorized to provide certain legal services by nonlawyers and/or through technology-based services. A Sandbox entity might also share fees with nonlawyers and may have non-lawyer ownership. By agreeing to receive help from a Sandbox entity, you are agreeing to receive help that might be provided by a nonlawyer or through a technology-based service such as AI. Please email innovationoffice@utahbar.org if you have questions about what this means.
If you have received legal help in Utah from one of these companies or organizations, the Utah Supreme Court welcomes your feedback to help it decide whether to make some changes permanent. You can share your feedback here.
Each company and organization in the Sandbox is only authorized to provide the legal services stated in their authorization order. You can read the authorization orders here.
Some Sandbox companies and organizations also provide services outside of the Sandbox. If you believe that a Sandbox company or organization is providing services outside of its authorization order and isn’t allowed to do so under current regulatory rules (such as nonlawyers offering legal advice in areas of law not included in the authorization order), please complete a complaint form here.
We are working with entities to implement a consumer survey.
Please use the complaint form here to submit any complaints. This information will be used by the Utah Supreme Court’s Legal Services Innovation Committee to determine whether the identified company or organization should remain in the Sandbox, or if other action should be taken with this company or organization. The complaint may be shared with the company or organization as part of the verification process. Additionally, the Legal Services Innovation Committee may refer the complaint to another regulatory body such as the Office of Professional Conduct or unauthorized practice of law committee within the Utah State Bar.
We are working with entities to implement a consumer survey. You can also provide this information in the Sandbox feedback form here. The Utah Supreme Court will use this information to help determine whether it should make permanent changes.
Non-lawyer providers (also called “alternative legal providers” or “non-traditional legal providers”) cannot do everything lawyers can do and are allowed to provide only certain types of legal help. Some non-lawyer services currently approved through the Sandbox include help with debt collection, criminal expungement, domestic violence protective orders, and end-of-life planning. Typically, non-lawyer assistance will be more limited in scope. This information will be in the authorization order, which can be found here. Additionally, Rule 4-810 describes the limited assistance that an authorized provider can give in court.
Please email innovationoffice@utahbar.org if you have any questions.
No. The Sandbox is currently authorized to operate through August 14, 2027. The Utah Supreme Court has launched the Ad Hoc Regulatory Reform Committee to make recommendations on whether any regulatory changes should be adopted when the Sandbox concludes.
A community justice advocate (“CJA”) is a type of non-lawyer provider (also referred to as a “alternative legal provider” or “non-traditional legal provider”) who is connected to a community-based organization such as a nonprofit or government agency. Currently, these types of services in the Sandbox are free. A community justice advocate may be trained in other related areas, such as social work. Please refer above about non-lawyer providers in the sandbox.
Yes, a company or organization is authorized to provide limited legal help through technology-based services if it is allowed in its authorization order. This may involve the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”). Please email innovation@utahbar.org if you have any questions.
In 2018, Utah created a regulated legal profession known as “Licensed Paralegal Practitioner” or LPP. This program provides a permanent pathway for nonlawyers to practice law in limited circumstances, such as family law and debt collection. The LPP Program is not a part of the Sandbox. For more information about this program, please visit the https://www.utahbar.org/licensed-paralegal-practitioner/.
Please email innovationoffice@utahbar.org or fill out the “Contact Us” form.