Any changes to ownership rules in California could have a more sweeping impact on the competitive landscape than tinkering already underway in other states.

Arizona has scrapped its rule barring fee-sharing between lawyers and non-lawyers, while Utah two years ago initiated a ‘sandbox’ program to test new legal ownership models.

In those states, “we’re seeing a wide range of new entities that couldn’t exist under current rules in California,” said David Freeman Engstrom, a Stanford Law School professor and member of an ABA access to justice working group.