Untitled California Attorney General Opinion

BACKGROUND

California law authorizes non-attorney professionals known as legal document assistants to provide certain services to individuals who are representing themselves in legal matters. 1 Under Business and Professions Code section 6400 et seq., legal

1 Bus. & Prof. Code, § 6400, subd. (c)(1); see generally 1 Witkin, California Procedure (6th ed. 2023) Attorneys, § 406 (Legal Document Assistants). The chapter of the

1 22-602 document assistants may “[c]omplet[e] legal documents” for a self-represented person “by typing or otherwise completing the documents at the person’s specific direction.” 2 Legal document assistants may also file and “serv[e] legal forms and documents at the [client’s] specific direction”; make available “published legal documents”; and provide “general published factual information that has been written or approved by an attorney, pertaining to legal procedures, rights, or obligations.” 3 Legal document assistants may perform these services without affiliating with an attorney. 4 But they may not “[e]ngage in the unauthorized practice of law”: they are prohibited from “giving any kind of advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation to a consumer…