Alternative Business Structures
Alternative Business Structures, or ABSs, are business entities that provide legal services and have nonlawyer ownership, managers or decision-makers in the business. Nonlawyers can have economic ownership in the business, but only lawyers and other individuals licensed or certified by the Arizona Supreme Court may provide legal services. At least one lawyer licensed to practice law in Arizona must be appointed by the ABS to serve as its compliance lawyer. All ABSs must be licensed by the Arizona Supreme Court.
More information regarding Alternative Business Structures is available on the Arizona Supreme Court website.
Legal Paraprofessionals
Legal Paraprofessionals, or LPs, are professionals with specific education and experience licensed to provide legal services in limited practice areas. LPs must be licensed by the Arizona Supreme Court. An LP is often compared to a nurse practitioner in the medical field. An LPs areas of practice include family law, juvenile dependency law, limited jurisdiction civil law, limited jurisdiction criminal cases where no jail time is involved, and state administrative law if the administrative agency allows it. LP services may include drafting, signing and filing legal documents; providing advice, opinions, or recommendations about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options or strategies; appearing before a court or tribunal; and negotiating on behalf of a client.
More information regarding Legal Paraprofessionals and how to become certified as a Legal Paraprofessional is available on the Arizona Supreme Court website.
Certified Legal Document Preparers
The Legal Document Preparer Program certifies legal document preparers in Arizona. Legal document preparers are certified individuals who can, without the supervision of an attorney, provide limited assistance by acting as a scrivener when completing an approved form or standard document that you have selected. Legal document preparers may provide general legal information but may not give legal advice or draft legal documents. Effective July 1, 2003, all nonlawyers and businesses preparing legal documents without the supervision of an attorney in good standing with the State Bar of Arizona must be certified pursuant to Arizona Supreme Court Rule 31 and Arizona Code of Judicial Administration §7-208.
A directory of all individuals and businesses who are certified legal document preparers may be found on the Supreme Court’s Certification and Licensing website here.
For general inquiries, call 602.452.3378, Text telephone (TTY/TTD) for the hearing impaired: 602.452.3545 or Email: LDP@courts.az.gov