OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Ron. Charlee Ii.Slau~htar
County Attorney
Stanton, Taxart
Dear Mr. Blaughttsr:
opinloa l?o*
Your request ,for quar-
tioot
Whether a Beta
for drmwlng ’
whother aeae
ov mw. 0orpor80ion
WSIWOiatiOU Of pTEOll8,
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 iOQ with proosodin@ pending or proepeotlte
before a oourt or a juatloeof tho peaocl or a
or oikoer
body, boara, ooxaittee, oomntirelori
oonatltuted by law and h~vln8 author$t;P tb take
evidence In or settle of detewbs oontroveroiar
HOII. Charles H. Slaughter, Janwry 87, 1939,Page 2
in the exeroise of the judlolal pow4r of the
State or eubdlrlelon thereof; or, (b) For a
oonelderation reward or peouniarg benefit, pre-
imnt or sat.10ipated, dlreot, or indireot, advises
or oouns4la another em to seoular law, or draws
a paper, dooument, or Instrument affeotlag or
relating to eeoular rights; or, (0) For a oonel-
deratloa, reward, or peoualarg benefit, present
OT aatiolpeted, direot or indireot, does any eot
in a representative Oapaoity la behalf of another
tending to obtain or seoure for suah other the
prevention Or the redr4se of a wrong or the 4a-
foroemaat or letabllabmat of a right; or, jd)
For 4 ooneideretloe, dlmot or ladlreot, glare
ea o p la lo n
lm to the rdldlt7 of the title to rod
or pereoalllpmp4rty, or (4) he a rooatlon, ea-
foroee, wonme, 84ttle8, adjust.8or oaapraleee
defmlted, ooatrov4rWd or d.leput.4daoooaate,
olalme or d4made b4tm4a poreoae with wither
of whar be ie la prlrlt7 or in &he relatlea of
emplo7er end lmplo7m la the ordiner menee$ 18
pxuotlelag law. Bothlag la thle eeotion M k
ooaetruod to prohibit an7 po%eoa, firm, eeeoola-
tioa or oorporetloa, oat OS oourt, from lttenQir U
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-
o umb r ea oo
thereon; nor lhrll anything la thlm eeo-
tloa be ooaotruod em prohibitlagan7 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
(47 above nor shell 4aything in this seotfoa pro-
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 Aot 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 lhall not prohibit ea7 iadirl-
dual, omnpany, oorporetion or e88OOiatlOa owalag,
opsretlag, maaaglng or ooatrolllng ew-&sating
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 or oompromlaln~, out of oourt,
defaulted, oontroverted or disputed aocounte or
claims growing out of aontraotual relationa, pro-
vided that said individual, oompanp, oorporat$oa
or aseooiatlon com9li4s with the above statute;
and provided further that nothing In this Aot shell
be oonstrued es proklbltlngFsal estate agent8 from
oolleotiag rent8 for th4ir eaplo74re; providedthat
nothing hersla ohall prevent Hoterlee Pub114 fra
drawing ooaveyanoee for or rithout aompsneatioa.
“Preotfoe -proomoretioa t&lawful; eotin& em fldu-
ciarg.
"Sea. 3. It *hall b4 aalawfolfor uy 44rpar-
etioa to pr4otlo4 lev em dofla4d bp this Act or fo
appear em en eQtora47 ior ea7 person other Wma it-
eelf la any ooart la thin Btrt8, or .b4for4aa tadl-
olel body or any hoti or oomiee~on Of th4 fBWt4 Of
Texan; or hold ltwl? out fo the publlo oc adrmtlee
am being entltl4d te praetioo Lawa and no oorpera-
tlon shell pr4psm 40 ret0&ertsrs or ueadaqte
thereto, or other 1464
T 644mat8 not xvlatiag to If8
authorin busiasse a draw wlll.s;.orhold ite4lf
out in any manner dlrocrtly~or la4ir4otly am b4ia( ea-
titled to do any of the iormgelryt eote$ provided, that
the foregoi~ ehell not pnr*at 8 oorpwetlon, pu-
son or ae8oolatloa of p4reone from4mplo7lag na et-
toraey or other agent ef r4 rcswntativw in ngerd to
Its owa effelre in 4ay hearlp ag or iar4etlgetloa be-
for4 ma7 admlnletratlt4 offl4lel or body.
DProvlded, furth4r, that the above provieloas of
this Aot 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
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 edznlnisteringthe 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?
Texas bring uoh aotion in the name o? the Stata
Or Texas in the proper oourt to enJOin any muoh :*
p er so n,
o o r p o r a tlo
o rn,
l~~oofation OS per8on.s
from violating any or the provlrrlon8of 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 laj pomon, oarporatlon, Or
aseooiation or pereoiu upon the reasipt or 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
Aot ahall be guilty of a misdemsanOP. fr amy pro-
rision or this Aot is violated by any person indi-
vidually or by any person or 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::ry27, 1939, Page 5
In view of the foregoing statute, you are reppeot-
fully advised t!lat it is the opinion of this Department that
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-
mants in oonneotion ~5th the bUBiIIeB8 of such corporation,
fira or aeBOOiatiOll but would not be entitled to oharge 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
ATTOltHETOESBRAL CF TBXAB
BYCL.fhMUL
Aaaiataat