Washington authorized its first business in a monitored legal-services pilot
The September 2026 approval tests a new service model while requiring oversight and data collection.
News report
Washington's Supreme Court authorized the first participant in its Entity Regulation Pilot Project on September 9, 2026, according to the Washington State Bar Association. The approval allows a Seattle company to test a legal-services model under conditions set by the court.
The participant, Legata, Inc., was authorized to provide estate-planning services such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney and health-care directives. The bar association described a model in which legal experts supervise and train nonlawyer staff and oversee document-generation technology, with complex matters referred to Washington estate-planning lawyers.
The pilot is a time-limited study of whether service models outside existing regulations can expand access while protecting consumers. It is a specific authorization for an approved participant, rather than a general permission for any business to practice law or a finding that one provider is appropriate for every client.
The court approved the pilot framework in December 2024, and its application portal opened in October 2025. By the first authorization, four entities had applied, the association reported. The bar association and Practice of Law Board developed and implemented the application process.
Monitoring is central to the project. The bar association said it would collect information to assess compliance with court conditions, with any broader regulatory decisions to be guided by experience and data. The September approval therefore marks the beginning of a test, not proof of its eventual results. The development concerns how legal services may be organized and evaluated; it does not change the substance of a person's estate-planning needs.
