Recent News

August 6, 2010

Supreme Court Adopts Changes to Unauthorized Practice of Law Rules

Under changes to the Supreme Court of Ohio Rule governing the Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL), the Ohio Attorney General will be authorized to investigate and prosecute UPL cases starting September 1. Justices concurred 7-0 in adopting the amendments.

The revisions to Section 4 of Rule VII of the Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio will provide caseload assistance for the volunteer attorneys who investigate and prosecute UPL cases on behalf of bar associations, according to Michelle Hall, Attorney Services Counsel at the Supreme Court. She anticipates that the Attorney General’s Office will prosecute one or two complex UPL cases annually. The current rule only authorized Disciplinary Counsel and bar associations with UPL committees to initiate UPL cases. For more on revisions, see www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/.