Nonlawyers in the Legal Profession: Lessons from the Sunsetting of Washington's LLLT Program

Authors

Lacy Ashworth, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Keywords

access to justice, unmet legal needs, paraprofessional program, legal scholarship, jurisprudence

Abstract

Today, the number of attorneys in the world fails to serve the number of people in need of legal assistance. Approximately sixty percent of law firm partners are baby boomers, meaning those in their mid fifties to early seventies, and twenty-five percent of all lawyers are sixty-five or older. These individuals will predictably retire. Meanwhile, law school costs more than ever. The average law student graduates $160,000 in debt only to enter into the legal profession with an average starting salary of $56,900 in the public sector and $91,200 in the private sector. It is no surprise law schools have recently experienced lower enrollment numbers. Again, we do not have enough lawyers today to meet the legal needs of our citizens. With a significant percentage of our current lawyers reaching the age of retirement and less individuals choosing to become lawyers, the amount of unmet need will only continue to grow.

Recommended Citation

Lacy Ashworth, Nonlawyers in the Legal Profession: Lessons from the Sunsetting of Washington's LLLT Program, 74 Ark. L. Rev. (2022).
Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/alr/vol74/iss4/5