Why Can't Nonattorneys Use NLRG?

You have a valid research question.  You have the money to pay our bill.  But you are not an attorney.  Why are we unable to help you directly?

The answer lies in the law governing who is allowed to practice law----to give legal advice to people who are not attorneys.  To ensure that nonattorneys are accurately advised about the law, public policy has long insisted that legal advice can be given only by lawyers who have demonstrated their knowledge of a state’s laws by passing that state’s bar examination.  For example, in order to give a nonattorney legal advice about the law of Virginia, one must be a licensed attorney in Virginia.

What if one of our attorneys is licensed to practice in your state?  Why can't NLRG just set you up with that attorney?  

Not only must the person giving you legal advice be licensed to practice in your state, the attorney's firm must also be licensed to practice in your state.  NLRG as a corporation is not licensed to practice law anywhere. So we cannot offer legal advice to nonattorneys, even if the research attorney offering the advice is licensed in your state.

What changes if you are represented by an attorney who is seeking assistance from NLRG?  

Giving legal advice to lawyers is different.  Lawyers often seek advice from nonlawyers before giving legal advice to their nonlawyer clients.  For example, a lawyer might consult a law professor licensed in another state, a government agency, a leading expert in a relevant area of law, or a research attorney, even if the research attorney is not licensed in their specific state, and is therefore technically a nonlawyer.  See ABA Formal Opinion 316 (Jan. 18, 1967) ("A lawyer can employ . . . nonlawyer researchers . . . so long as it is he who takes the work and vouches for it to the client and becomes responsible for it to the client"); Virginia Legal Ethics Opinion (LEO) 1850 (Dec. 28, 2010) (approving the practice of "send[ing] legal work involving legal research and brief writing to a legal research 'think tank' to produce work product that is then incorporated into the work product of the Virginia Law Firm'").

What can you do if you need help with a legal question, but you are not a licensed attorney?  

As with any legal question, your best option is to consult a lawyer who is licensed to practice in the state whose law is at issue.  If your question is simple, that lawyer may be able to give to guidance without consulting us.  If your question is difficult, your attorney can request NLRG’s assistance in researching the issue for your attorney.

If you need help finding an attorney, your city or state bar association is a good place to start. You can also use the link below to find an attorney from lawyers.com.