While outside firm ownership and alternative business structure (ABS) licenses are common in countries across the world such as the United Kingdom and Canada, in the United States, the legal market is still set in its traditional ways. For the most part, only lawyers can own law firms in the country, while the rigid business models to which they must adhere are little changed from centuries ago. But in recent years—and especially over the past few months—that's been steadily changing. While its unlikely the U.S. will have as an open a legal market as other countries this year, there are still strong signs that parts of the nation are treading in that overall direction. Above we look at recent developments that are pushing the transformation of the U.S. legal market.