6411. It is unlawful for any person engaged in the business or acting in the capacity of a legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant to do any of the following:
(a) Make false or misleading statements to the consumer concerning the subject matter, legal issues, or self-help service being provided by the legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant.
(b) Make any guarantee or promise to a client or prospective client, unless the guarantee or promise is in writing and the legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant has a reasonable factual basis for making the guarantee or promise.
(c) Make any statement that the legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant can or will obtain favors or has special influence with a court, or a state or federal agency.
(d) Provide assistance or advice which constitutes the unlawful practice of law pursuant to Section 6125, 6126, or 6127.
(e) Engage in the unauthorized practice of law, including, but not limited to, giving any kind of advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation to a consumer about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms, or strategies. A legal document assistant shall complete documents only in the manner prescribed by subdivision (d) of Section 6400.
(f) Use in the person’s business name or advertising the words “legal aid,” “legal services,” or any similar term that has the capacity, tendency, or likelihood to mislead members of the public about that person’s status as a nonprofit corporation or governmentally supported organization offering legal services without charge to indigent people, or employing licensees of the State Bar to provide those services.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 128, Sec. 13. (AB 1213) Effective January 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2024, pursuant to Section 6401.7.)