Avoiding The Pitfalls Of The Unauthorized Practice Of Law,

In order to complete this assignment we must first recognize what Unauthorized Practice of Law is when it comes to paralegals. There is no set definition on what UPL is but as a paralegal there are guidelines to go by. Some ways they can violate the practice of law would be an individual holding themselves as an attorney when they are paralegals, giving legal advice as an attorney would, or representing clients in a court of law. All of the previous are violations and can be subject to several disciplinary actions [ (Unauthorized Practice of Law, 2010) ]. It has been named illegal due to the damages on may suffer due to bad legal advice. In some states it is considered a criminal offense and could be given a jail sentence.

The responsibilities that lawyers have are nearly innumerous not only are Lawyers forced to adhere to the specific guidelines of the Bar but they also have to create a relationship with each client by giving them a trusting environment. Each state bar establishes its own rules of professional responsibility for lawyers, and law firms must ensure that their partners, associates and any lawyers with whom they contract follow these rules. These rules are more important than any other duty an attorney has, including her duties to make money for her firm or to advocate for her client. Generally speaking, codes of professional responsibility require that lawyers communicate effectively with their clients, avoid criminal behavior, manage payments legally and fairly and refrain from defrauding anyone. If a lawyer breaks one of these rules and commits

During the 2013-2014 (July 1- June 30) months, over 552 cases were opened regarding the unlicensed practice of law. The Florida Bar website has referenced 9 cases that has defined the way that the courts are regulating and creating new provisions to handle UPL’s. (Board Paper Issue.Com) In this next case the case serves as a benchmark for the way that the courts will evaluate whether the conduct is practicing law. This foundation took place in 1962, see State of Florida ex rel. The Florida Bar v. Sperry. In 1978 a case known as The Florida Bar v. Brumbaugh discussed how people who sell “do it yourself” legal kits and form sellers can legally operate when conducted by nonlawyers. The case explains the procedures and the legal practice to lawfully operate. “This case liberalized the former laws by allowing nonlawyers to sell printed material purporting to explain legal practice and procedure to the public, and to operate secretarial services that type the forms for the customers” (board paper issue.com) This is only okay if the typist is copying word for word what the customer has given them. To review the rules in greater detail, see rule 10-2.1(c) on rules regulating the Florida Bar. (Board Paper Issue.Com)

Unethical conduct by paralegals has a consequential effect on an attorney’s practice. Some paralegals and legislators desire mandatory licensure of the profession, reasoning that it would assure that the clients only receive services from qualified, trained paralegal professionals. This would also help distinguish paralegals from legal secretaries and other administrators that work in an attorney office. However opponents of this debate argue regulation is unnecessary because unauthorized practice of law statutes provide adequate safeguards and already define what a paralegal can and can’t

First, there is an analysis that must be completed before determining whether an individual’s behavior constitutes as the unlicensed practice of law. The court will ask if the activity taking place is related to the practice of law? (flcourts.org) If it is, was the activity authorized? So how must one determine whether they are indeed practicing law? The court found that the definition of the practice of law was too broad. (flcourts.org) Therefore, they needed a narrower approach to the question; allowing them to develop a test to determine the practice of law. If a person is found to be giving advice, and/or performing services that will affect one’s rights, and/or the person giving the advice possesses higher skills, and knowledge compared to the average citizen; this conduct will be deemed the practice of law. (flcourts.org)

Since paralegals can only work under the supervision of an attorney, by doing the opposite may be consider an unauthorized practice of law, so paralegals must avoid assisting in the unlicensed practice of

Detlor Paralegal Services will always put clients needs first and obey the Paralegal Rules of Conduct. The business will never skimp on quality when it comes to work and will advocate for clients as effectively as possible. Client satisfaction will also be of high importance, and if a client is unsatisfied, the business will always do what it takes to satisfy them as much as

To understand what a paralegal does we must first understand what the job of a lawyer entails. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a lawyer as “a person learned in the law; as an attorney,

In stating so, Flynn argues that while some in the legal field think that paralegals are supervised and work under an attorney, therefore do not need to be licensed or certified. Others believe paralegals handle intricate legal matters, therefore should be licensed and certified. This statement from Flynn reinforces my belief that paralegals are essential to the effectiveness of a law firm and leads into my standing that licensing should be in place to ensure education, knowledge and adherence, which in turn will make a paralegal more valuable. Licensing of the paralegal profession and the requirements of experience and education that come with it; would dispel the long time misunderstanding of position titles among law office staff, attorneys and the public.

In Legal Profession Complaints Committee v Amsden (“the decision”), the Tribunal made findings of professional misconduct against Ms Amsden. Subsequently, they determined that the appropriate disciplinary consequence of was a public reprimand, an order to pay a fine of $5,000, and an order to pay the full costs of the Committee. This paper will outline the legislative and theoretical foundations of legal practitioners’ professional ethics in Western Australia in conjunction with an exploration of the justifications for disciplining legal practitioners. Subsequently, there will be analysis of the Tribunal’s reasons for their findings of professional misconduct against Ms Amsden and the effectiveness of the penalties imposed in achieving the underlying purposes of the system of legal ethics in WA. Particular emphasis will be placed upon Ms Amsden’s conduct in relation to ‘bringing the legal profession into disrepute’; this will necessitate an examination of the concept of law as a profession and its wider role in society.

A paralegal is a person who assists an attorney in various aspects. As a paralegal, my mom provides paralegal support to multiple attorneys in a fast-paced work environment; managing high volumes of document production; managing attorney deadlines and ensuring compliance with various court deadlines; drafting material pleadings motions, and identifying documents responsive to discovery requests; managing and maintaining privilege logs, drafting subpoenas and correspondence. Assisting attorneys with pre and post trial matters, arbitration, depositions and mediation

Keeping legal documents out in the open can cause easy access for others to see and read confidential legal information allowing for instances of client confidentiality to be broken. This not only affects Dennis in an ethical capacity but also in a legal one. If Dennis is working as a paralegal for a lawyer/attorney he has created a situation where the lawyer’s/attorney’s legal and ethical obligation to keep client information confidential to be broken, causing all parties involved (paralegal, attorney, and law firm)

The lawyer is the lead in the legal team and has passed the bar examination and have a license to practice law in their respective state(s). In larger firms, the lawyers can be assigned as partners and associates. The partner has actual ownership in the firm whereas the associate are usually on salary as an employee, not being an owner in the firm. The supervising attorney in a large firm is responsible for the actions and work of the lawyers under him/her. The paralegal is responsible for the litigation process. Some of the responsibilities of the paralegal are preparing casework, investigations, preparing briefings, conducting

Paralegals and Legal Assistants do various tasks to support a lawyer or attorney including organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting numerous types of documentation in preparation for legal action to take place. Legal actions that take place are court hearings, trials, and corporate meetings.

After conducting research on this career, I found paralegals have many responsibilities in the legal world. Many of them I was unaware of until this research. Paralegals