Frequently Asked Questions: Foreign Legal Consultants

What am I not permitted to do as a Foreign Legal Consultant?

Pursuant to rule 9.44 of the California Rules of Court, you cannot:

• appear for a person other than yourself as attorney in any court, or before any magistrate or other judicial officer, in this state or prepare pleadings or any other papers or issue subpoenas in any action or proceeding brought in any court or before any judicial officer;
• prepare any deed, mortgage, assignment, discharge, lease or any other instrument affecting title to real estate located in the United States;
• prepare any will or trust instrument affecting the disposition on death of any property located in the United States and owned by a resident or any instrument relating to the administration of a decedent’s estate in the United States;
• prepare any instrument in the respect of the marital relations, rights or duties of a resident of the United States or the custody or care of the children of a resident; or
• otherwise render professional legal advice on the law of the State of California, any other state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the United States or any country other than the country in which you are admitted to practice law, whether rendered incident to preparation of legal instruments or otherwise.

Pursuant Title 3, Division 3, Chapter 4 of the Rules of the State Bar, you cannot claim in any way to be a licensee of the State Bar of California.