No “Sovereign Citizen” Defense To Unauthorized Practice

The Ohio Supreme Court has enjoined the unauthorized practice of a non-attorney

Relator’s evidence demonstrates that Brown filed multiple documents in three separate cases in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and that in some of those documents, she identified herself as attorney-in-fact for the plaintiff.

The three cases involved the interests of one person. The trial courts had found that the conduct amounted to unauthorized practice.

The court agreed

The board found that relator proved by a preponderance of the evidence that Brown had engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. Relator has proved that Brown prepared for others legal documents that were then filed in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and also appeared at a pretrial conference on behalf of another. Therefore, we agree that she engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.

The court also found that a civil penalty was appropriate for the third instance

But noting that Brown filed a complaint and petition for emergency injunction in the Marinpietri matter after she had been clearly admonished by two Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas Court judges for her unauthorized practice of law, and that she claimed she had the right to file the lawsuit as a “sovereign citizen,” the board recommends that we impose a $5,000 civil penalty with respect to Count 3.

The court imposed a $7,000 fine. (Mike Frisch)