Liable Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony

“Practice of law by persons not admitted as attorneys. Exceptions. (a) Unless a person is providing legal services pursuant to statute or rule of the Superior Court, a person who has not been admitted as an attorney under the provisions of section 51-80 or, having been admitted under section 51-80, has been disqualified from the practice of law due to resignation, disbarment, being placed on inactive status or suspension, shall not:

   (1) Practice law or appear as an attorney-at-law for another in any court of record in this state,

   (2) make it a business to practice law or appear as an attorney-at-law for another in any such court,

   (3) make it a business to solicit employment for an attorney-at-law,

   (4) hold himself or herself out to the public as being entitled to practice law,

   (5) assume to be an attorney-at-law,

   (6) assume, use or advertise the title of lawyer, attorney and counselor-at-law, attorney-at-law, counselor-at-law, attorney, counselor, attorney and counselor, or an equivalent term, in such manner as to convey the impression that he or she is a legal practitioner of law,

   (7) advertise that he or she, either alone or with others, owns, conducts or maintains a law office, or office or place of business of any kind for the practice of law, or

   (8) otherwise engage in the practice of law as defined by statute or rule of the Superior Court.

(b) (1) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a class D felony, except that in any prosecution under this section, if the defendant proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant committed the proscribed act or acts while admitted to practice law before the highest court of original jurisdiction in any state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a territory of the United States or in a district court of the United States and while a member in good standing of such bar, such defendant shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor. No person whose admission to practice law under the provisions of section 51-80, or whose admission or permission to practice law pursuant to any other statute or rule of the Superior Court has been suspended, solely on the basis of the failure to pay the occupational tax on attorneys imposed pursuant to section 51-81b or the client security fund fee assessed pursuant to section 51-81d shall be subject to prosecution under this section for engaging in the practice of law during the period of such suspension.”

—Sec. 51-88