**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  TEXAS **AUSTIN**

Honorable Zaomas 0. Broad, Searetsry-Treaeuzm State Board of ArohltecturallZxaminex~~ Burt BulldIng Dallas, Texar Dear Sir:

brought to our of Abllene, Texas, Olds, Arohiteotsregistered architect Ids is a reglrtered

ti\ of ra*noe df opinion about thla among the membera ur Bqu&+*%herefore, ve would like your legal inte&m3tat,on. ’ “d Section 11 of Article 249a, Vernon~a Annotated Civil Statutes, reads, in part, as follow8t

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. . . . n.n.“...a.T.CTHonorable Tholpoa D. Broad, Seoretary-Treasurer, page 2

%O. 11. Any P-.-a Or fill4, VhO fO2'

8 fee or other direct compensationtherefoti, ah811 engage In the planning, or desigalng, or superolalug the oonstruotionof buildings to be emoted or altered In this State, bg or for other persons than themselves,as a profeselon or buslnesr, and shall represent or advertise themselvesas arehiteats, arohitectwal designers, or other title of profesrion or business using some form of the.vord *srahlteot,

9 shall be considereda8 praoticing the profession of erohiteoture in thlr State, and shall be required to oomply tith the provisions of this Aotj and no person or flm shall engage in or oonduot the praotloe of arohiteotum as aforesaid in thle State unless a reglstratlonoertlfloateor oertlflcstestherelorhaQe beea duly Issued to euoh person or the members of such firm se provided for by thle Act, and no flm or partnership shall engage In, or conduct, the praotfoe of arohlteoture 81 afolvsaldvlthln this State exoept by and through persona to vhom reglstr.&lon csrtlflcatea have been duly Issued, and vhlch oertlflcateeare In full effect; but nothing In thle Act shall prevent draftsmen, students, clerks of vorlc, superintendents,

or other employees or assistants of those legally praotlelng archlteatureunder reglatratloncertificates as herein provided for, from acting under the instruction,control, or supervisionOS such reglstered arohlteots.” Section 1 of Article 32718, Vernon’s Annotaked Cl011 Statutes,prlvlderr

%eotlon 1. That In order to safeguardlife, health, and property, any person practlclng or offering to practice the profession of engineering as hereinafterdefined shall hereafterbe required to submit evidence that he 18 qualified 80 to practlce and shall be registered 84 her&miter provldedl and it shall be unlavful for any person to practioe or offer to practice the profession of engineerIn this state, or to use ln oonnectlonvlth his name--- J

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Honorable Thomar D. Broad, tage 3

It vi11 **be** noted that under Seotlon 11 of Artlole 249a a 

### 'flm l l l vh0 l 8 + 8h8ll + l l reprerrent or advrrttse thenumlvera8 ~uahiteots, arohiteoturaldesigners, or other title 0s prore88ion or bu8i.11048 urbg 80010 r0rpl or the rord 'architeot, ' shall be oonsldered88 praotlolng the prof8sslon ofarchlteotum ln thlr state, 8nd shdllba required to comply vlth the provisions of thl8 ActI and no person or firm rhall engage in or oonduot the praotlce of arohlteoturea8 aforerreld

ln t&i8 state unle44 a registrationaertlflcateor oertlfloateatherefor have been duly 184ued to suah person or the member8 0s suoh rim4 a8 provided for by thlr Aot, and no flm or partnership shall engage in, or oonduot, the prsotloo of erohlteotureaa aroreaaldvfhin thi8 8tate exoept by and -throughper8on8 to vhom registrationaertlfloateahave been ; 44ue erfeot 8 lí ~ndersoorSng our8 J Under the raotr a8 we under8tand them thr only peraon praotlclng the profeeslon of architectureln the 0880 you have preronted Is th8 duly lloermedarchlteot and thle 18 prealaely in aooordanoe vlth the provlrlons of the Seotlon above quoted that 'no firm or partnership l l l ah811 practloe l + l ar chlteoture l l **+** except **by and**  through person8 to whom reglrtratlon certlflcate8have been duly 188ued.'

Seotlon 11 simply raises a presum~tlon that by uslug the term "architect"a firm 14 pr8otloing architecture'and It Is required that thla profeesrion be praotloed only by the memberof the flrin duly llcen4ed to practice It. In InterpretingSection 1 of Article 3271a, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutea, this departmentheld ln opinion NO. O-1901 (conferenceopinion X0. 3101) that 'The Leglalatureha4 not men fit to deny, ln speolflo 18nguage, to anyone the rightHonorable l9m4a8 D. Broad, Page 4

to advertisehhmr slmpl~ as an 'engineer,'8nd that a person 18 not guilty 88 8 matter 0s lav 0s vlolatlng the provisions of Artlole 3271a, Vernon’s Qmotatdd 01~11 Statutes,when he advertiseshimself olmpl7 as an 'englneer.I" In the absence of a shoving that a member of ! ( the firm not llaensed a8 such IS hold+ himself out as 8 flpr0r446i0a engineer’ or "arohiteot (or praotiokng such profes8lon8)~It 14 our oplnlon and you are advised that it is not unlavful for a rFrn to us11 it&elf "A & B- Arohiteots - lQ@neers' vhen Mr. ‘A ’ 14 a registered profesrlonalengineer and Hr. aB' 18 a duly lloensed arohlteot.
YOIWB V&r7 tmily ATTO- OERBRAL OF TEXAS

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