Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Ron. Charlee Ii. Slau~htar
County Attorney
Stanton, Taxart
Dear Mr. Blaughttsr:
opinloa l?o* quar- Your request ,for tioot Whether a Beta
for drmwlng ’
whother aeae
ov mw. 0orpor80ion Of pTEOll8, WSIWOiatiOU who are aeabor8 of the and lLiaense&, to praotlao la fursher dofines the praotise o? law r (a) In a reprersntatioe oapaoi*v appemrs ae an edrooate or draw8 papers, plemd- lng8 or dooument.6, or perform any aob in eon- mot i OQ with proosodin@ pending or proepeotlte before a oourt a juatloe of tho peaocl or a body, boara, ooxaittee, oomntirelori oikoer oonatltuted by law and h~vln8 author$t;P tb take evidence In or settle of detewbs oontroveroiar *2 Charles H. Slaughter, Janwry 87, 1939, Page 2 HOII.
in the exeroise of the judlolal pow4r of the State or eubdlrlelon thereof; or, (b) For a oonelderation reward or peouniarg benefit, pre- i dlreot, or indireot, advises imnt or sat.10 pated, or oouns4la another em to seoular law, or draws a paper, dooument, or Instrument affeotlag or relating to eeoular rights; or, (0) For a oonel- deratloa, reward, or peoualarg benefit, present OT aatiolpeted, direot or indireot, does any eot in a representative Oapaoity la behalf of another tending to obtain or seoure for suah other the prevention Or the redr4se of a wrong or the 4a- foroemaat or l etabllabmat of a right; or, jd) For 4 ooneideretloe, dlmot ladlreot, glare ea o plalon l m to the rdldlt7 of the title to rod or pereoalll pmp4rty, or (4) he a rooatlon, ea- foroee, wonme, 84ttle8, adjust.8 or oaapraleee
defmlted, ooatrov4rWd or d.leput.4d aoooaate, olalme or d4made b4tm4a poreoae with wither of whar be ie la prlrlt7 or in &he relatlea of emplo7er end l mplo7m la the ordiner menee$ 18 pxuotlelag law. Bothlag la thle eeotion M k ooaetruod to prohibit an7 po%eoa, firm, eeeoola- tioa or oorporetloa, oat OS oourt, from l ttenQirU to or oulng for him or it8 oua baeiaaae, o m'demaade, or the olelae, derande or tra l- ae8e'of eald~oorporatlon or ot the lndlrf berm of enld sorporatloae or amoolatloae; nor from preparing abetreota ef tltla, oertlfplag, ~lursa- teeing or %eurfng tltlre to prapsrtf, r8el or p4reoa41, or ea Intenet therein, or a lien or en- oumb reao o thereon; nor l hrll anything la thlm eeo- tloa be ooaotruod em prohibitlag an7 beak 01: trust ocnpany without reeortlng to oourt action fPa eot- lag for it8 owtomer la sntorolng, 84aurlag, eettl- in or adjusting en7 item meatloned in mbdl~ielou nor shell 4aything in this seotfoa pro- (47 above hibit say'p4recta or 4saoOlatioa of p4reoae fran pur8olag em a roocltfoa the btlsiaees of edjtut~ lnear4nOo or fr4lght rate olsims; provld4d SurEher that nothiag in thle shnll prohibit any p4reoa or essooietloa of p4reoae rrom appearing b4for4 any Board, Comniesloa or &dmiaietratlt4 BOd7 ia o4aa4otioa with their rooetion of adjusting Inear- anoe or ?xvight Bate oleims; provided thet eub- dlvieioa (4) hersof l hall not prohibit ea7 iadirl- dual, omnpany, oorporetion or e88OOiatlOa owalag, opsretlag, maaaglng or ooatrolllng ew-&sating *3 Hon. Charles H. Slaughter, January 27, 1939, Page 3
agenoy, oommeroial ag4noy, or oommeroial report- .
lng credit agency within thla State, subjeot to an occupation tax undsr Article 7061, Cpapter 2, 65.tle 122, Revised Clrll Statutes, 1925, of Texas, from furnlshfnp reports and collecting, seourfng, settling, aCjusting oompromlaln~, out of oourt, defaulted, oontroverted or disputed aocounte or claims growing out of aontraotual relationa, pro- vided that said individual, oompanp, oorporat$oa or aseooiatlon com9li4s with the above statute; and provided further that nothing In this Aot shell be oonstrued es proklbltlng Fsal estate agent8 from oolleotiag rent8 for th4ir eaplo74re; provided that nothing hersla ohall prevent Hoterlee Pub114 fra drawing ooaveyanoee for or rithout aompsneatioa.
“Preotfoe -pr oomoretioa t&lawful; eotin& em fldu- ciarg.
"Sea. 3. It *hall b4 aalawfolfor uy 44rpar- etioa to pr4otlo4 lev em dofla4d bp this Act or fo appear em en eQtora47 ior ea7 person other Wma it- eelf la any ooart la thin Btrt8, or .b4for4 aa tadl- olel body or any hoti or oomiee~on Of th4 fBWt4 Of Texan; or hold ltwl? out fo the publlo oc adrmtlee am being entltl4d te praetioo and no oorpera- Lawa tlon shell pr4psm 40 ret0 &ertsrs or ueadaqte thereto, or other 1464 T 644mat8 not xvlatiag to If8 authorin busiasse a draw wlll.s;.or hold ite4lf out in any manner dlrocrtly~or la4ir4otly am b4ia( ea- titled to do any of the iormgelryt eote$ provided, that the foregoi~ ehell not pnr*at 8 oorpwetlon, pu- son or ae8oolatloa of p4reone from 4mplo7lag na et- toraey other agent ef r4 rcswntativw in ngerd to Its owa effelre in 4ay hear ag lp or iar4etlgetloa be- for4 ma7 admlnletratlt4 offl4lel or body.
DProvlded, furth4r, that the above provieloas of this shall,not b4 oonstru4d to prohibit a pereon or oorporetioa eotlag in a fiduciary oapaoity frCm transaotlng the neo4eearp oleriael busla4ee iaoldea- tel to the routins or ueual admlaietration of 48tet48, trusts, guerdianehlpe, or other elnllar fiduoiery oapaoltlee, or filing e000unt8, preparing and filing tax rsturae of every aature, and other euoh edminle- trative mote, nor from partidlpatlag through him or its own agent or attorney, in ooopsretloa with t4eta- tor'a attorney, in the prsperetlon of teetetor*e will., where no oorPpeasatioa la oherged for auah serrios end *4 Hon. Bharles H. Slaughter, J&wary 27, 1939, Page 4
no compensation whatever is aharged or reoeivad, other than the usual aommisslon allowed by the court for edznlnistering the estate or trust, or provided lor by the instrument oreating the truSt or other fiduolary relationship.
PAnd provided, rurther, that nothing herein shall prohibit any insuranoe oompany rrom oausing to be defended, or proeeouted, or from offering to oause to be d&ended, through lawyers of its own selection, the issureds or assureds In polioies issued or to be issued by 'it, in aooordanoe rith the tsrms of suoh polioiss; and shall not prohibit ona suoh lioaneed attorney at law from aoting for several oommon oarrisrr or mother eorporatiom and assosietione or any of its eubsidlarle8 pur- suant to arrangement bstwaea said oorporatlons or assoolatlons.w
Seation 5 of aald aot provide8: Vhe oounty attqmey and/or Diatriot Attorney and/or Criminal Diatrlot Attorney of any WUaty in Tera6 shall on his own inltlatlrs or upon tha appliaation of any Bar Aeaoslation In the Btato o? bring uoh aotion in the name o? the Stata
Texas :* Or Texas in the proper oourt to enJOin any muoh person, o o r p o ratlon, o r l ~~oofation OS per8on.s from violating any or the provlrrlon8 of this Aot, and It 8hall be the duty of the oounty attoPnsy8 and/or District Attorney and/or Oririnal Diatriot i. 'Attorney of this State to file oorplaint8 in the proper oourt against l aj pomon, oarporatlon, Or aseooiation or pereoiu upon the reasipt InfOr- mation of the violation of:any of the prorislons Of this Aot."
Seotion 6 of said aot provides: *Any person, rim, oorporatlon, or assooiatlon or persons violating any or the pro~l6lons or thlu ahall be guilty of a misdemsanOP. fr amy pro- rision or this Aot is violated by any person indi- vidually or by any person persons representing a oorporation, or essooiation, or by a oorporation, the defendant or darendants upon oonrlotlon shall be
umlahed by a fine of not mom than Five Hundred g;SrgO& Dollars nor less than One Hundred ($100.00) .
Hon. Charles H. Slaughter, Janu::ry 27, 1939, Page 5
In view of the foregoing statute, you are reppeot- advised t!lat it is the opinion of this Department that fully a Notary Publio who is not duly licensed to praotioe law 'has no authority to prepare any instrument end receive O~JJ+
peneation therefor except a Notary fee for the eoknowledgment of suoh lnstraments and that a Notary Publio acting as an orrioer of a National Bank would be pemitted to prepara auoh instruments in connection with the business of the bank or any other Notaries Publio employed by any iinn, oorpors- tion or assoaiation would have the right to prepare lnatru- in oonneotion ~5th the bUBiIIeB8 of such corporation, mants but would not be entitled to oharge aeBOOiatiOll fira a faa for the praparatlon of such instruments and oould maka no eherge other than Notary fee for the aoknowled@mnt of auoh instrumenta.
Trusting that the roragolng answarm your InwIry, I ramaln
Very truly yew8 ATTOltHET OESBRAL CF TBXAB BYCL.fhMUL Aaaiataat