Unauthorized Practice of Law Resources

Opinions, Complaints and Articles:


	Jacoby & Meyers Law Offices, Plaintiffs vs. The Presiding Justices of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Departments Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Defendants.
	TODD JANSON VS. LEGALZOOM- Complaint filed in Missouri Against LegalZoom for Unauthorized Practice of Law and to Certify Class Action.
	Request by LegalZoom to Remove Case to Federal Court. Court Order in TODD JANSON VS. LEGALZOOM - Holding the Document Preparation Service is conduct and not speech, protected by the First Amendment.
	Letter from North Carolina Bar to Legal Zoom Alleging Unauthorized Practice of Law - (Cease and Desist)
	Article by Professor Catherine J.Lanctot: Does LegalZoom Have First Amendment Rights: Some Thoughts About Freedom of Speech and the Unauthorized Practice of Law
	Efforts to Define the Practice of Law by the Organized Bar In 2001, the American Bar Association created a Task Force on a Model Definition of the Practice of Law. However, rather than promulgate a uniform definition, the Commission decided to advise that each state should develop its own definition. This resulted in a response from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice which warning letters to several state bar association because there definitions of the practice of law are so broad that the definition violates the Sherman Anti-trust and most likely the Ist Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Several state courts have also ruled that the provision of legal information and typing services does not constitute the unauthorized practice of law. See Warning Letter from the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice to the Massachusetts Bar Association on this issue and also, Letter to the American Bar Association from the Federal Trade Commission on the anti-competitive effects of the ABA's proposed definition of the practice of law. To see the FTC/DOJ response to the various states, click here.

	ABA Ethics 20/20 Commission
	PowerPoint Presentation by Richard Granat to the ABA Ethics 20/20 Commission, February 5, 2010. (click to Open)
	Written Statement Submitted to the Ethics 20/20 Commission, February 5, 2010, by Richard S. Granat Innovative Models of Legal Service Delivery Nassau Bar Committee OKs Tie With AmeriCounsel.com Representation and Limited Retainer Agreements Representation Agreement on EZLAW.COM web site.