First Entity Authorized to Provide Legal Services in Innovative Pilot Project
SEATTLE, WA [Sept. 9, 2026] — The Washington Supreme Court (Court) today authorized the first participant in its Entity Regulation Pilot Project, which is a time-bound, data-driven study to determine if new service models—that are not allowed under current regulations—can meaningfully expand access to legal services while protecting consumers.
Essentially, for the first time in state history, businesses and nonprofits (entities) can seek Court authorization to offer legal services via the pilot process; until now only individual people licensed by the Court—mainly lawyers—have been allowed to own law firms and practice law.
And the very first entity in this historic moment is Legata, Inc., a Seattle-based legal-technology firm that is now authorized to provide estate-planning services such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health-care directives. Legata’s model is to use legal experts to oversee and train nonlawyer staff to provide entry-level services and design automated document-generation technology; clients with complex cases will be escalated to Washington estate-planning lawyers.
“We are excited to see this first pilot project entity launch,” Chief Justice Debra Stephens said. “Washingtonians need options in areas of law that impact their lives the most—and estate planning is an area that affects almost everyone at some point in their life. We want to be clear that the Court is carefully reviewing every application, and approved participants in the pilot project will be closely monitored going forward. Innovation and public protection must go hand-in-hand, and we all benefit when that happens.”
The Court authorized the pilot in December 2024, and the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and Practice of Law Board (POLB) designed and implemented the process; the application portal opened in October 2025, and since then four entities have applied to participate.
“Legata is the first, but we hope there are many more participants to come,” WSBA Executive Director Terra Nevitt said. “This is an opportunity for anyone with an innovative business idea to do good by doing well. Washington is renowned for its technology and innovation savvy, so let’s focus our best ideas on legal services. We have not made a meaningful dent in the access-to-justice gap despite decades of our best efforts and intentions. The Entity Regulation Pilot Project allows us to explore legal service models never before possible that could amplify legal access and reach.”
The WSBA will be collecting data for Legata—and all future pilot-project participants—to ensure they comply with the conditions established by the Court. Ultimately, guided by many years of data, the Court will determine whether systemic changes to its legal regulations are warranted.
Want to learn more? Visit www.wsba.org/entityreg for the latest information and to apply.
About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court and exercises a governmental function authorized by the Court to license and regulate the state’s nearly 40,000 legal professionals, including lawyers, limited practice officers, and limited license legal technicians. The WSBA both regulates legal professionals under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. The WSBA administers the Bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; administers the lawyer discipline system; and provides continuing legal education for legal professionals, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities. The Bar’s mission is to serve the public and its members, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice.
