Rethinking the Lawyers' Monopoly

This volume examines lawyers' stranglehold on legal services and presents reform visions for a more equitable and accessible justice system.

Facing an access-to-justice crisis and an onslaught of new legal technologies, the legal profession is on the cusp of a revolution. This volume examines the civil justice status quo and sketches how reformers can create a more equitable and accessible system going forward.For decades, American lawyers have enjoyed a monopoly over legal services, built upon strict unauthorized practice of law rules and prohibitions on nonlawyer ownership of law firms. Now, though, this monopoly is under threat-challenged by the one-two punch of new AI-driven technologies and a staggering access-to-justice crisis, which sees most Americans priced out of the market for legal services. At this pivotal moment, this volume brings together leading legal scholars and practitioners to propose new conceptual frameworks for reform, drawing lessons from other professions, industries, and places, both within the United States and across the world. With critical insights and thoughtful assessments, Rethinking the Lawyers' Monopoly seeks to help shape and steer the coming revolution in the legal services marketplace. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.