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H.B. 2003

             1     

UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW

             2     
AMENDMENTS

             3     
2001 SECOND SPECIAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Sponsor: Stephen H. Urquhart

             6      This act creates legislative findings on the accessibility of legal services within the state of
             7      Utah and adds a new section to the Judicial Code pertaining to the unauthorized practice of
             8      law by persons not licensed in this state. This act takes effect immediately and is repealed
             9      on May 1, h [ 2003 ] 2002 h .
             10      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             11      ENACTS:
             12          63-55b-178, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             13          78-9-101, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             14      This act enacts uncodified material.
             15      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             16          Section 1. Legislative findings on the accessibility of legal services -- Charge to
             17      Judiciary to study the issue and suggest changes.
             18          (1) The Legislature finds that:
             19          (a) there is significant unmet need for legal services within the state of Utah;
             20          (b) this unmet need for legal services is linked in part to the high cost of those services;
             21          (c) the unmet need for legal services adversely impacts the health, safety, and welfare of
             22      Utah citizens;
             23          (d) in many situations, non-attorney professionals now provide, at low cost to consumers
             24      with adequate protections, services previously reserved by law to attorneys;
             25          (e) the right of a person to represent himself and his interests in a court of law is a
             26      recognized right in our legal system; and
             27          (f) recent enhanced technological capabilities have helped people access information


             28      needed to handle their own legal issues.
             29          (2) The Legislature requests that the Judiciary study S [ avenues to improve the accessibility
             30      of legal services to the citizens of the state of Utah. The Legislature further suggests that the
             31      Judiciary include in its study
] s
the following:
             32          (a) increasing the availability of standardized legal forms for use in filing legal matters;
             33          (b) increasing the use of technology to make legal services available to the public;
             33a           h (c) allowing non-lawyers to provide charitable legal help;
             33b          (d) allowing duly-authorized officers to represent their business entities; h and
             34           h [ (c) ] (e) h S [ the licensing of ] ALLOWING s independent lay professionals to perform
             34a      certain functions now
             35      requiring an attorney.
             36          Section 2. Section 63-55b-178 is enacted to read:
             37          63-55b-178. Repeal dates -- Title 78.
             38          Section 78-9-101 is repealed May 1, h [ 2003 ] 2002 h .
             39          Section 3. Section 78-9-101 is enacted to read:
             40     
CHAPTER 9. UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW

             41          78-9-101. Practicing law without a license prohibited -- Exceptions.
             42          (1) Unless otherwise provided by law, a person may not practice law or assume to act or
             43      hold himself out to the public as a person qualified to practice law within this state if he:
             44          (a) is not admitted and licensed to practice law within this state;
             45          (b) has been disbarred or suspended from the practiced of law; or
             46          (c) is prohibited from doing so by court order entered pursuant to the h [ court's ] courts' h
             46a      inherent
             47      h [ power to regulate the practice of law ] powers h or published court rule.
             48           h [ (2) Subsection (1)(a) shall not apply if the person or organization providing the service is
             49      not compensated in any way by the person receiving the service or by anyone specifically on that
             50      person's behalf.
] h

             51           h [ (3) ] (2) h The prohibition against the practice of law in Subsection (1) shall be enforced by any
             52      civil action or proceedings instituted by the Board of Commissioners of the Utah State Bar.
             53           h [ (4) ] (3) h Nothing in this section shall prohibit a person from personally and fully representing
             54      his own interests in a cause to which he is a party in his own right and not as an assignee.
             55          Section 4. Effective date.
             56          If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this act takes effect
             57      upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
             58      Constitution Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto, the


             59      date of veto override.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 9-21-01 2:41 PM


A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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