Opinion ID: 1188922
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: sixth cause of complaint

Text: DR 3-101(A) provides: A lawyer shall not aid a nonlawyer in the unlawful practice of law. The trial panel concluded that the accused assisted nonlawyers in the unlawful practice of law in violation of DR 3-101(A) when he employed paralegals to assist him in preparing living trust packages. There is insufficient evidence for us to conclude that the paralegals engaged in the unlawful practice of law by giving the seminars on living trusts and by answering general questions about the living trust packages. Disseminating information that is directed to the general public and not to a specific individual is not the practice of law. Oregon State Bar v. Gilchrist, 272 Or. 552, 558, 538 P.2d 913 (1975). Apparently, the seminars and questions answered by the paralegals in the seminars went to general information about the advantages of living trusts and about the contents of the packages. The dissemination of that information did not involve the practice of law. It appears, however, that at least Monnett went beyond the mere dissemination of general information to the public. The Bar alleges that it was Monnett's interactions with individuals that constituted the practice of law. In Gilchrist, this court held that advertising and selling do-it-yourself divorce kits did not constitute the practice of law. 272 Or. at 557-60, 538 P.2d 913. This court also held, however: [A]ll personal contact between defendants and their customers in the nature of consultation, explanation, recommendation or advice or other assistance in selecting particular forms, in filling out any part of the forms, or suggesting or advising how the forms should be used in solving the particular customer's marital problems does constitute the practice of law   . Id. at 563-64, 538 P.2d 913. This court set forth the test for ascertaining what conduct constitutes the practice of law in State Bar v. Security Escrows, Inc., 233 Or. 80, 89, 377 P.2d 334 (1962): [T]he practice of law includes the drafting or selection of documents and the giving of advice in regard thereto any time an informed or trained discretion must be exercised in the selection or drafting of a document to meet the needs of the persons being served. In State Bar v. Miller & Co., 235 Or. 341, 347, 385 P.2d 181 (1963), this court held that an insurance salesperson that assisted people in preparing estate plans could explain to his prospective customer alternative methods of disposing of assets    which are available to taxpayers generally.    He cannot properly advise a prospective purchaser with respect to his specific need for life insurance as against some other form of disposition of his estate, unless the advice can be given without drawing upon the law to explain the basis for making the choice of alternatives. (Emphasis in original.) In this case, Monnett examined wills and interpreted them for clients of the accused. Moreover, Monnett discussed clients' individual assets with them to determine whether a living trust would be an appropriate device for the particular client to use. Monnett also told the accused's clients his opinion of the usefulness of another trust format, telling them that it didn't do much. In short, Monnett advised clients and potential clients of the accused on legal decisions specific to them, and he used discretion in selecting between using a trust and a will and among trust forms. Accordingly, Monnett, a nonlawyer, practiced law. The accused argues that, even if Monnett practiced law, he did not assist Monnett. He argues that he took pains to tell these paralegals not to practice law at the seminars. He also told them to call him at the office or at home [i]f any legal questions arose. Furthermore, the accused argues that he did not know of Monnett's conduct nor did he aid in that conduct; therefore, he did not violate the rule. This court's decision in In re Jones, 308 Or. 306, 779 P.2d 1016 (1989), is instructive. In that case, the accused allowed a nonlawyer to use pleading paper and a letterhead stamp with the lawyer's name on it in the nonlawyer's dissolution-processing business. 308 Or. at 308, 779 P.2d 1016. The accused knew that the nonlawyer had been warned by the Bar not to practice law. Id. at 309, 779 P.2d 1016. The accused instructed her to bring any legal questions that she had to him. Id. This court held that the accused aided a nonlawyer in the practice of law because he took no steps to enforce his instruction or to test her ability to determine when legal help was needed. Id. This court also found it to be important that the clients were never required to speak with the accused. Id. Here, as in Jones, although the accused told his paralegals not to practice law, he did not tell them the precise contours of what constituted the practice of law. Moreover, the accused created the situation in which at least one of his paralegals had the opportunity to practice law. The accused sent the paralegals to meet with clients alone, and he failed to supervise them properly. Thus, even if the accused did not intend for the paralegals to practice law, he assisted in that unlawful practice by allowing them too much freedom in dealing with clients, thereby allowing at least Monnett to provide legal advice to those clients. Accordingly, we conclude that the accused assisted in the unlawful practice of law in violation of DR 3-101(A).