A few years ago, Washington state made news by approving a program to recognize licensed limited legal technicians (LLLTs) who would be allowed to provide limited legal services to clients. Since then, other jurisdictions have been working on approving similar programs.
The program has not generated the results many expected. There were problems with the direction of the program itself, and so far only 30 people have become LLLTs.
In addition, the original program, however, did not allow the LLLTs to represent clients in courts. This decision limited one of the goals of the program which is to provide access to legal representation to those who don't have access to it.
Thus, it can be argued that there is an inherent contradiction in a system that seeks to increase access to legal services but that also limits the participation of LLLTs in that representation.
Here is a recent article addressing this issue, which argues that LLLTs should be allowed to represent clients in the courtroom.
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