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SJM 8006

Concerning the limited license legal technician program.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Bob Hasegawa and 1 co-sponsor

Reinstate the Limited License Legal Technician program and expand its scope within two years to include administrative hearings, eviction/debt help, and study expansion for limited

By resolution, returned to Senate Rules Committee for third reading.
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Bill Summary · SJM 8006

Summary of Senate Joint Memorial 8006 (SJM 8006)

A joint memorial urging the Washington State Supreme Court to reinstate and expand the Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) program, and to form a work group to study further expansion for defendants in courts of limited jurisdiction.

Purpose and intent

  • Repeal the sunset of the LLLT program and reinstate the issuance of new LLLT licenses.
  • Within one year, expand the LLLT program to authorize LLLTs to assist clients at administrative hearings and to provide eviction and debt-collection assistance.
  • Within two years, establish a work group to study how LLLTs can help individuals charged with offenses in courts of limited jurisdiction and to deliver recommended expansions based on that study.

Background and context

  • LLLTs are nonlawyers licensed under Washington’s Admissions and Practice Rule 28 to provide limited legal assistance, operating under defined scope and professional obligations.
  • The LLLT program was established in 2012; the Court sunset the program on June 4, 2020, with a post-sunset deadline allowing preadmission requirements through July 31, 2023. After 2023, no new LLLT licenses were issued.
  • The memorial notes ongoing access-to-justice concerns, including a shortage of attorneys for low- and moderate-income residents and the view that expanding LLLT roles could safely increase access to legal services.

Key provisions proposed by the memorial

  • Reinstate and resume issuing new LLLT licenses (reverse sunset).
  • Expand within one year to:
    • Provide LLLT assistance to clients at administrative hearings.
    • Provide eviction and debt-help assistance.
  • Form a work group to explore and recommend how LLLTs can assist individuals charged in courts of limited jurisdiction, with a target to deliver expansion recommendations within two years.

Affected parties and potential impact

  • Affected and involved:
    • Prospective and active LLLTs in Washington.
    • Low- and moderate-income clients seeking affordable legal assistance.
    • Courts with limited-jurisdiction matters (e.g., administrative hearings, eviction, debt-related proceedings, and criminal offenses in limited-court settings).
  • Potential impacts:
    • Increased access to legal help for individuals who cannot afford attorneys.
    • Possible reductions in court delays and improved understanding of procedures for self-represented or lightly represented litigants.
    • Additional oversight and training requirements for LLLTs to ensure client protections.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislature status: By resolution, returned to Senate Rules Committee for third reading (as of 2025-04-27).
  • Previous actions:
    • House and Senate committees advanced related motions (do pass; third reading; etc.) in early 2025.
    • Hearing on the memorial conducted in House Civil Rights & Judiciary on 2025-03-14.
  • Effective mechanism: As a memorial, the measure requests action by the Washington Supreme Court rather than creating new state-law requirements or appropriations.
  • Appropriations and fiscal notes: No funding appropriation requested by the memorial; a fiscal note is noted as available in the bill reports, though the memorial itself does not attach funding.

Administrative details

  • Sponsors: Senators Nikki Torres and Rebecca Saldaña Hasegawa.
  • Document type: Senate Joint Memorial (SJM 8006) – a memorial urging court action, not a statute.
  • Related text reiterates the scope of LLLT practice and the 2020 sunset, including flexibility for expanded practice areas if approved by the Court and legislature.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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