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TOTM It is questionable whether states should have unauthorized practiced of law statutes and bar admission standards based on credentials rather than examinations. A first step, . . .
It is questionable whether states should have unauthorized practiced of law statutes and bar admission standards based on credentials rather than examinations. A first step, however, is to attack statutes that forbid a non-lawyer from giving free legal advice, whether to friend, family, or just someone who can’t afford all the legal help he needs. Should such charity be a crime?
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TOTM Let me start with a couple of stories. Story 1. I’m an economist, but I got a chance to be like a real lawyer in . . .
Let me start with a couple of stories.
Story 1. I’m an economist, but I got a chance to be like a real lawyer in filing an amicus brief recently (Barnes v. Indiana– here’s our brief). We had only two weeks to organize, write, and file because of an oddity of the case (a petitition for the Indiana Supreme Case to rehear after an opinion that surprised everyone with its breadth). We had legal counsel, but pro bono, without paralegal help, and by email. It came down to the wire in writing and getting final approval from amici, so he suggested that I do the physical filing. I took the brief to Kinko’s around 9 p.m., but discovered they couldn’t do the binding by 11, and I needed to drive an hour get to the Indianapolis Statehouse and file by midnight. I went to my office instead, and did simple staple binding with green cardstock, which ran out so I used white cardstock for the back covers and made it to the Rotunda at 11:50. Alas, our counsel shortly got a notice that the back covers needed to be green too. But the Court Clerk was merciful, and allowed us to slip in replacement briefs without a formal motion.