Judiciary I - Civil Law Committee

Filed: 5/18/2005

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1883

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1883 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Attorney Act is amended by changing Section
5 1 as follows:
 
6     (705 ILCS 205/1)  (from Ch. 13, par. 1)
7     Sec. 1. No person shall be permitted to practice as an
8 attorney or counselor at law within this State without having
9 previously obtained a license for that purpose from the Supreme
10 Court of this State.
11     No person shall receive any compensation directly or
12 indirectly for any legal services other than a regularly
13 licensed attorney, nor may an unlicensed person advertise or
14 hold himself or herself out to provide legal services.
15     A license, as provided for herein, constitutes the person
16 receiving the same an attorney and counselor at law, according
17 to the law and customs thereof, for and during his good
18 behavior in the practice and authorizes him to demand and
19 receive fees for any services which he may render as an
20 attorney and counselor at law in this State. No person shall be
21 granted a license or renewal authorized by this Act who has
22 defaulted on an educational loan guaranteed by the Illinois
23 Student Assistance Commission; however, a license or renewal
24 may be issued to the aforementioned persons who have

 

 

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1 established a satisfactory repayment record as determined by
2 the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. No person shall be
3 granted a license or renewal authorized by this Act who is more
4 than 30 days delinquent in complying with a child support
5 order; a license or renewal may be issued, however, if the
6 person has established a satisfactory repayment record as
7 determined (i) by the Illinois Department of Public Aid for
8 cases being enforced under Article X of the Illinois Public Aid
9 Code or (ii) in all other cases by order of court or by written
10 agreement between the custodial parent and non-custodial
11 parent. No person shall be refused a license under this Act on
12 account of sex.
13     Any person practicing, charging or receiving fees for legal
14 services or advertising or holding himself or herself out to
15 provide legal services within this State, either directly or
16 indirectly, without being licensed to practice as herein
17 required, is guilty of contempt of court and shall be punished
18 accordingly, upon complaint being filed in any Circuit Court of
19 this State. Such proceedings shall be conducted in the Courts
20 of the respective counties where the alleged contempt has been
21 committed in the same manner as in cases of indirect contempt
22 and with the right of review by the parties thereto.
23     The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to other
24 remedies permitted by law and shall not be construed to deprive
25 courts of this State of their inherent right to punish for
26 contempt or to restrain the unauthorized practice of law.
27     Nothing in this Act shall be construed to conflict with,
28 amend, or modify Section 5 of the Corporation Practice of Law
29 Prohibition Act or prohibit representation of a party by a
30 person who is not an attorney in a proceeding before either
31 panel of the Illinois Labor Relations Board under the Illinois
32 Public Labor Relations Act, as now or hereafter amended, the
33 Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board under the Illinois
34 Educational Labor Relations Act, as now or hereafter amended,

 

 

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1 the State Civil Service Commission, the local Civil Service
2 Commissions, or the University Civil Service Merit Board, to
3 the extent allowed pursuant to rules and regulations
4 promulgated by those Boards and Commissions or the giving of
5 information, training, or advocacy or assistance in any
6 meetings or administrative proceedings held pursuant to the
7 federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the
8 federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the federal Americans with
9 Disabilities Act of 1990, or the federal Social Security Act,
10 to the extent allowed by those laws or the federal regulations
11 or State statutes implementing those laws.
12 (Source: P.A. 91-798, eff. 7-9-00.)".
 
13     Section 10. The Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act
14 is amended by changing Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 as follows:
 
15     (705 ILCS 220/1)  (from Ch. 32, par. 411)
16     Sec. 1. It shall be unlawful for a corporation or any other
17 entity to practice law or appear as an attorney at law for any
18 reason in any court in this state or before any judicial body,
19 or to make it a business to practice as an attorney at law for
20 any person in any said courts or to hold itself out to the
21 public as being entitled to practice law or to render or
22 furnish legal services or advice or to furnish attorneys or
23 counsel or to render legal services of any kind in actions or
24 proceedings of any nature or in any other way or manner to
25 assume to be entitled to practice law, or to assume, use and
26 advertise the title of lawyers or attorney, attorney at law, or
27 equivalent terms in any language in such manner as to convey
28 the impression that it is entitled to practice law, or to
29 furnish legal advice, furnish attorneys or counsel, or to
30 advertise that either alone or together with, or by or through,
31 any person, whether a duly and regularly admitted attorney at
32 law or not, it has, owns, conducts or maintains a law office or

 

 

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1 an office for the practice of law or for furnishing legal
2 advice, services or counsel.
3 (Source: Laws 1917, p. 309.)
 
4     (705 ILCS 220/2)  (from Ch. 32, par. 412)
5     Sec. 2. It shall be unlawful for any corporation or entity
6 to solicit by itself or by or through its officer, agent or
7 employee, any claim or demand for the purpose of bringing an
8 action at law thereon, or for furnishing legal advice, services
9 or counsel, to a person sued or about to be sued in any action
10 or proceeding, or against whom an action or proceeding has been
11 or is about to be brought or who may be affected by any action
12 or proceeding which has been or may be instituted in any court
13 or before any judicial body or for the purpose of so
14 representing any person as attorney or counsel in securing or
15 attempting to secure any civil remedy.
16 (Source: Laws 1917, p. 309.)
 
17     (705 ILCS 220/3)  (from Ch. 32, par. 413)
18     Sec. 3.
19     Any corporation or entity violating the provisions of this
20 Act shall be guilty of a petty offense, and shall be fined not
21 to exceed $500, and every officer, trustee, director, agent or
22 employee of such corporation or entity who directly or
23 indirectly engages in any of the acts herein prohibited or
24 assists such corporation or entity to do any such prohibited
25 act or acts is guilty of a petty offense.
26 (Source: P.A. 77-2380.)
 
27     (705 ILCS 220/4)  (from Ch. 32, par. 414)
28     Sec. 4. The fact that any such officer, trustee, agent or
29 employee shall be a duly and regularly admitted attorney at law
30 shall not be held to permit or allow any such corporation or
31 entity to do the acts prohibited herein, nor shall such fact

 

 

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1 constitute a defense upon the trial of any of the persons
2 mentioned herein for a violation of the provisions of this act.
3 (Source: Laws 1917, p. 309.)
 
4     (705 ILCS 220/5)  (from Ch. 32, par. 415)
5     Sec. 5. Nothing contained in this act shall prohibit a
6 corporation or entity from employing an attorney or attorneys
7 in and about its own immediate affairs or in any litigation to
8 which it is or may be a party, or in any litigation in which any
9 corporation or entity may be interested by reason of the
10 issuance of any policy or undertaking of insurance, guarantee
11 or indemnity, nor shall it apply to associations organized for
12 benevolent or charitable purposes or for assisting persons
13 without means in the pursuit of any civil remedy or the
14 presentation of a defense in courts of law, nor shall it apply
15 to duly organized corporations or entities lawfully engaged in
16 the mercantile or collection business or to corporations or
17 entities organized not for pecuniary profit.
18     Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent a
19 corporation or entity from furnishing to any person, lawfully
20 engaged in the practice of the law, such information or such
21 clerical services in and about his professional work as, except
22 for the provisions of this act, may be lawful, provided, that
23 at all times the lawyer receiving such information or such
24 services shall maintain full professional and direct
25 responsibility to his clients for the information and services
26 so received. But no corporation or entity shall be permitted to
27 render any services which cannot lawfully be rendered by a
28 person not admitted to practice law in this state nor to
29 solicit directly or indirectly professional employment for a
30 lawyer.
31     Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to
32 prohibit a corporation or entity from prosecuting as plaintiff
33 or defending as defendant any small claims proceeding in any

 

 

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1 court of this State through any officer, director, manager,
2 department manager or supervisor of the corporation or entity
3 as authorized by Section 2-416 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
4 (Source: P.A. 83-909.)".