N.Y. JUD Law § 478 — New York Code / Act JUD / Article 15 / Section 478
Practicing or appearing as attorney-at-law without being admitted and registered
Status: in_force

§ 478. Practicing or appearing as attorney-at-law without being\nadmitted and registered. It shall be unlawful for any natural person to\npractice or appear as an attorney-at-law or as an attorney and\ncounselor-at-law for a person other than himself or herself in a court\nof record in this state, or to furnish attorneys or counsel or an\nattorney and counsel to render legal services, or to hold himself or\nherself out to the public as being entitled to practice law as\naforesaid, or in any other manner, or to assume to be an attorney or\ncounselor-at-law, or to assume, use, or advertise the title of lawyer,\nor attorney and counselor-at-law, or attorney-at-law or\ncounselor-at-law, or attorney, or counselor, or attorney and counselor,\nor equivalent terms in any language, in such manner as to convey the\nimpression that he or she is a legal practitioner of law or in any\nmanner to advertise that he or she either alone or together with any\nother persons or person has, owns, conducts or maintains a law office or\nlaw and collection office, or office of any kind for the practice of\nlaw, without having first been duly and regularly licensed and admitted\nto practice law in the courts of record of this state, and without\nhaving taken the constitutional oath. Provided, however, that nothing in\nthis section shall be held to apply (1) to officers of societies for the\nprevention of cruelty to animals, duly appointed, when exercising the\nspecial powers conferred upon such corporations under section fourteen\nhundred three of the not-for-profit corporation law; or (2) to law\nstudents who have completed at least two semesters of law school or\npersons who have graduated from a law school, who have taken the\nexamination for admittance to practice law in the courts of record in\nthe state immediately available after graduation from law school, or the\nexamination immediately available after being notified by the board of\nlaw examiners that they failed to pass said exam, and who have not been\nnotified by the board of law examiners that they have failed to pass two\nsuch examinations, acting under the supervision of a legal aid\norganization when such students and persons are acting under a program\napproved by the appellate division of the supreme court of the\ndepartment in which the principal office of such organization is located\nand specifying the extent to which such students and persons may engage\nin activities otherwise prohibited by this statute; or (3) to law\nstudents who have completed at least two semesters of law school, or to\npersons who have graduated from a law school approved pursuant to the\nrules of the court of appeals for the admission of attorneys and\ncounselors-at-law and who have taken the examination for admission to\npractice as an attorney and counselor-at-law immediately available after\ngraduation from law school or the examination immediately available\nafter being notified by the board of law examiners that they failed to\npass said exam, and who have not been notified by the board of law\nexaminers that they have failed to pass two such examinations, when such\nstudents or persons are acting under the supervision of the state or a\nsubdivision thereof or of any officer or agency of the state or a\nsubdivision thereof, pursuant to a program approved by the appellate\ndivision of the supreme court of the department within which such\nactivities are taking place and specifying the extent to which they may\nengage in activities otherwise prohibited by this statute and those\npowers of the supervising governmental entity or officer in connection\nwith which they may engage in such activities; or (4) an attorney and\ncounselor-at-law or the equivalent who is admitted to the bar in another\nstate, territory, district or foreign country and who has been admitted\nto practice pro hac vice in the state of New York within the limitations\nprescribed in the rules of the court of appeals; or (5) an attorney\nlicensed as a legal consultant under rules adopted by the court of\nappeals pursuant to subdivision six of section fifty-three of this\nchapter and rendering legal services in the state within limitations\nprescribed in such rules.\n