Four states license people who are not lawyers to advise and represent clients in limited areas without a lawyer's supervision: Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Colorado.
Minnesota and New Hampshire let paraprofessionals appear in court, but only under a lawyer's supervision.
Washington, which licensed limited license legal technicians from 2012, stopped issuing licenses after July 31, 2023.
Texas proposed licenses in 2024 and delayed them indefinitely. They weren't in effect as of October 2026.
Most of these programs accept paralegal education and experience as a route in, so a paralegal certificate can be a first step toward one.
Everywhere in the United States, a paralegal works under a lawyer's supervision and may not give legal advice. A
licensed legal paraprofessional is the narrow exception: a person who is not a lawyer, licensed by a state supreme
court to advise clients and, in some states, represent them, in defined areas such as family law and housing. The
programs exist to serve people who can't afford a lawyer, and each state built its own, with its own name, scope
and route in. Each is described below from its own rule or regulator, read on October 1, 2026.
The Programs, State By State
Arizona: Legal Paraprofessional (LP)
In effect
Status
In effect since January 1, 2021
Set by
Arizona Supreme Court, Code of Judicial Administration section 7-210
Lawyer supervision
None required
Licensees
104 active at the end of 2025
Areas of law
Family, civil, criminal, administrative and juvenile law, and probate (its exam was released in January 2026)
Route in
A paralegal associate's degree, or a degree plus an ABA-approved paralegal certificate, among other routes, with a year of supervised experience; or seven years of experience. A core skills test plus a test in each subject.
Utah Supreme Court, Rule 5-703; administered by the Utah State Bar
Lawyer supervision
None required
Areas of law
Specified family matters, evictions, and debt collection up to the small-claims limit
Route in
A JD, a paralegal associate's degree, any associate's degree plus a paralegal certificate, any bachelor's degree, a legal master's, or NALA's CP, NALS's PP or NFPA's RP; 1,500 hours of experience in three years; an ethics exam and an exam in each area.
In effect since July 1, 2023; first licensees sworn in March 29, 2024
Set by
Oregon Supreme Court rules; Oregon State Bar
Lawyer supervision
None required
Licensees
28 practicing in 2025
Areas of law
Family law and residential landlord-tenant matters
Route in
A paralegal associate's degree or higher, any bachelor's degree, or a JD, or a waiver route (7,500 hours of experience, or a national certification); 1,500 hours of experience in three years; an exam. A paralegal certificate alone does not qualify.
Domestic relations, including representation at court hearings
Route in
A JD, a paralegal associate's or bachelor's with 30 law credits, or any bachelor's plus a paralegal certificate with 30 law credits; 1,500 hours of experience including 500 in Colorado family law; an ethics class; a family law and ethics exam.
Permanent since January 1, 2025, after a pilot from March 2021
Set by
Minnesota Supreme Court, Supervised Practice Rule 12
Lawyer supervision
A licensed Minnesota attorney required
Areas of law
Tenant housing, family law, protective orders, expungement, conciliation court, consumer debt up to $15,000, petty misdemeanors, limited probate and some agency hearings
Route in
A paralegal associate's or bachelor's, a paralegal certificate plus any degree, or a JD; or a high school diploma and five years of experience.
In August 2024 the Supreme Court of Texas preliminarily approved rules for licensed legal paraprofessionals and
licensed court-access assistants, who would have served low-income clients in family, estate planning and
probate, and consumer debt matters, and expected them to take effect that December. In November 2024 it delayed
them "pending further order", and as of October 2026 they are not in effect. The
Texas page covers what does apply there.
Related Programs That Are Not Paralegal Credentials
Alaska's Community Justice Workers (Bar Rule 43.5, effective November 2022) and Delaware's Qualified Tenant
Advocates (Supreme Court Rule 57.1, effective March 2022) let trained nonlawyers help people through legal aid
programs. They're worth knowing about, but they're advocate programs tied to legal aid organizations, not
licenses a paralegal can apply for on their own.
Where A Paralegal Certificate Fits
Every independent license above accepts paralegal training as part of a route in, though none accepts a certificate
on its own: Arizona pairs an ABA-approved certificate with a degree, Utah accepts any associate's degree plus a
paralegal certificate, Colorado any bachelor's degree plus a certificate with 30 law credits, and Oregon wants a
degree or a waiver route. All of them also want supervised experience, measured in hundreds or thousands of hours.
So a certificate is a first step, and you can start with the
certificate programs and the
ABA-approved list.
Common Questions About Legal Paraprofessionals
What is a licensed legal paraprofessional?
A person who isn't a lawyer but is licensed by a state supreme court to give limited legal help directly to clients in defined areas, most often family law and housing. Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Colorado license them to work without a lawyer's supervision. Minnesota and New Hampshire allow paraprofessionals to appear in court under a lawyer's supervision.
Is a legal paraprofessional the same as a paralegal?
No. A paralegal works under a lawyer's supervision and may not give legal advice. A licensed paraprofessional holds a license that lets them advise and, in some states, represent clients in a narrow area. Many come to the license from paralegal work: most of these states accept paralegal education and experience as a route in.
Can I still become a limited license legal technician in Washington?
No. The Washington Supreme Court voted to sunset the program in 2020, and no new licenses have been issued since July 31, 2023. Existing technicians may keep practicing, and 67 were active in May 2026.
Does Texas license legal paraprofessionals?
Not as of October 2026. The Supreme Court of Texas preliminarily approved rules in August 2024 and delayed them indefinitely in November 2024, and the State Bar Rules contain no paraprofessional article.
Sources For Legal Paraprofessional Licensing
Each program's governing rule is linked beside it above. Counts and status come from:
