See Rule 4-1.1. A participating attorney could not ethically allow the corporation to control the attorney's exercise of independent professional judgment in rendering services for clients or to interfere in any way with the attorney-client relationship. This must be specified in the corporation-participating attorney contract. If nonlawyers are shareholders, directors, officers, or managing agents of the proposed corporation, it is possible that the corporation's activities could constitute the unlicensed practice of law. Of course, attorneys are prohibited from assisting nonlawyers in the unlicensed practice of law.
Questions regarding the unlicensed practice of law are beyond the scope of an ethics opinion.
Therefore, the inquiring attorney is urged either to make his own determination after examining relevant Florida law or to request an advisory opinion on the unlicensed practice of law pursuant to Rule 10-7.1. A related issue is presented by the corporate form of the corporation. Florida attorneys are not permitted to practice law in a corporate form other than a professional service corporation organized pursuant to Florida Statutes Chapter 621. Whether the temporary nature of the participating attorney-supervising lawyer relationship need be disclosed to the supervising lawyer's client would depend on whether the client would likely consider the information material. See Rule 4-1.4.