Senate Bill sb1776

    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1776

    By Senator Villalobos





    38-1182-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the practice of law;

  3         amending s. 454.23, F.S.; increasing the

  4         criminal penalty for the unauthorized practice

  5         of law and for licensed attorneys violating ch.

  6         454, F.S., from a misdemeanor of the first

  7         degree to a felony of the third degree;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9  

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         Section 1.  Section 454.23, Florida Statutes, is

13  amended to read:

14         454.23  Penalties.--Any person not licensed or

15  otherwise authorized by the Supreme Court of Florida who shall

16  practice law or assume or hold himself or herself out to the

17  public as qualified to practice in this state, or who

18  willfully pretends to be, or willfully takes or uses any name,

19  title, addition, or description implying that he or she is

20  qualified, or recognized by law as qualified, to act as a

21  lawyer in this state, and any person entitled to practice who

22  violates shall violate any provision provisions of this

23  chapter, commits shall be guilty of a felony misdemeanor of

24  the third first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082,

25  or s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

26         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

27  

28            *****************************************

29                          SENATE SUMMARY

30    Increases penalties for the unlicensed practice of law
      and violations of ch. 454, F.S., from a first-degree
31    misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.