Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Oregon

Re: impersonating a lawyer

First off, I would suggest you call the Oregon State Bar. They are online as well, at www.osbar.org -- ask for the people who handle complaints regarding the unauthorized practice of law. They SHOULD be able to answer your questions. As to whether one is entitled to compensation if damaged as a result of this person misrepresenting themselves as a lawyer, this would be too hard to answer in writing without specific facts. I'd suggest again that you run it by the people at the BAR -- they have a toll-free number statewide that you can use as well. Good luck!!

Sam

Re: impersonating a lawyer

Washington requires that one be an active member of the Washington State bar in order to practice law. You can check the website at www.wsba.org to determine if this person is licensed to practice law in Washington. If they are not, then you might want to forward a copy of the letter you received to the attorney general's office closest to you for their review.

Seems to me that there is a criminal statute that addresses barratry (the fancy name for unauthorized practice). It will be in the RCW Title 9 or 9A. If the circumstances under which you received this letter fit, you might want to forward a copy of it to your local prosecutor's office.

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. Glad to know you saw the threat for the hollow shell it was and asked for more information. Hope this helps - Elizabeth