The state of Texas thinks so. Texas, or more specifically the Supreme Court of Texas, is investigating whether Nolo Press, a Berkeley, Ca., publishing company, is illegally practicing law by selling self-help legal books and software. It's an interesting case, because Nolo is one of the top companies peddling legal advice on the Internet. And it has lots of competition. There are many articles derived from books that Nolo publishes as well as a legal dictionary.
Articles cover a wide gamut of issues from debt and bankruptcy to sexual harassment.
Nolo also sells software which helps you prepare a will or start a business without the aid of a lawyer. That's what the state of Texas is all in a tizzy about. And it's just the tip of the iceberg. Just as online trading brokerages are stealing the business of traditional stock brokers, legal information is moving to the Internet. The site also offers pages to refer visitors to attorneys.