When Mauricio R. Celis, the majority partner in a former Texas law firm, goes to trial today, prosecutors will rely on a little-used law that makes it a crime to impersonate a lawyer for economic benefit. Carlos Valdez, the district attorney prosecuting Celis, says he has been able to identify only a couple previous instances when an individual has been charged under the section of the Texas Penal Code. Celis, who has said he is a Mexican lawyer, faces 23 counts of falsely holding oneself out as a lawyer.
February 09, 2009 at 12:00 AM
1 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.Com
When Mauricio R. Celis, the majority partner in former Corpus Christi, Texas, firm CGT Law Group International, goes to trial in Corpus Christi today, prosecutors will rely on a little-used law that makes it a crime to impersonate a lawyer for economic benefit.
“A criminal prosecution for holding oneself out as a lawyer is rare,” says Leland de la Garza, a partner in Shackelford, Melton & McKinley in Dallas who chairs the Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.
Presented by BigVoodoo
Join General Counsel and Senior Legal Leaders at the Premier Forum Designed For and by General Counsel from Fortune 1000 Companies
This conference brings together the industry's most influential & knowledgeable real estate executives from the net lease sector.
Join the industry's top owners, investors, developers, brokers & financiers at THE MULTIFAMILY EVENT OF THE YEAR!
Duane Morris LLP seeks a highly motivated junior associate to join its dynamic and growing Labor and Employment Class Action group in Chicag...
Lower Manhattan firm seeks a premises liability litigator (i.e., depositions, SJ motions, and/or trials) with at least 3-6 years of experien...
Tired of the stress of the big city? Are you looking to improve your quality of life? Then consider practicing law at the Jersey Shore. Pe...
MELICK & PORTER, LLP PROMOTES CONNECTICUT PARTNERS HOLLY ROGERS, STEVEN BANKS, and ALEXANDER AHRENS
