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The ways you can engage as a participant may include any of the following: Because those that provide that service were not authorized to practice law in Missouri, there was a clear risk of the public being served in legal matters by "incompetent or unreliable persons." Hulse, 247 S.W.2d at 858.What you can do during a lecture depends on your instructor's settings, and many of the options are found at the bottom menu of the Zoom application. LegalZoom's internet portal sold more than merely a good (i.e., a kit for self-help) but also a service (i.e., preparing that legal document). However, the Court herein held that LegalZoom’s internet portal did not offer self-help merchandise but a legal document service which goes beyond the role of a notary or public stenographer. Following previously decided cases such as In re Thompson, it has become law in Missouri, as it is in other jurisdictions, that the practice of law did not include the sale of “do-it-yourself” kits, which includes blank legal forms and general instructions. This Court was bound to apply the decisions of the Missouri Supreme Court regarding Missouri's unauthorized practice of law statute. Court certified the class action on the basis that plaintiffs did not argue that any of LegalZoom’s legal documents were in any way flawed, but rather that the overarching issue is whether LegalZoom’s preparation of legal documents violates Missouri law.ĭoes LegalZoom’s services constitute practice of Law under Missouri law? Answer: Plaintiffs Janson, Ardrey, Ferrell and C&J Remodeling LLC filed a claim for unlawful practice of law on four counts. It also offered a self-help internet portal wherein after a customer completes an online questionnaire, an employee will prepare the requested legal documents by entering the information provided by the customer into a template, checking for formatting and completeness of information. It offered various blank legal forms that customers may download, print, and fill in themselves.
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Internet company LegalZoom maintained a website-offered online legal document forms and services. § 484.020, it is impossible to lay down an exhaustive definition of "the practice of law." In any event, the Missouri general assembly may only assist the judiciary by providing penalties for the unauthorized practice of law, the ultimate definition of which is always within the province of the Missouri Supreme Court. When applying Missouri's unauthorized practice of law statute, Mo. The judicial branch of government has the power to regulate the practice of law.
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