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Probate & Trust Law Section Conference Manual ... - Minnesota CLE

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IV.<br />

Preparing North Dakota deeds requires a license to practice law in North Dakota<br />

A. North Dakota Rule 5.5 Unauthorized Practice of <strong>Law</strong> provides:<br />

. . . .<br />

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br />

(d)<br />

A lawyer who is not admitted to practice in this jurisdiction shall not represent or<br />

hold out to the public that the lawyer is admitted to practice law in this<br />

jurisdiction. A lawyer who practices law in this jurisdiction under paragraph (b)<br />

or (c) shall disclose in writing to the client that the lawyer is not licensed in this<br />

jurisdiction.<br />

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br />

B. According to my recent emails with retired North Dakota Supreme Court Justice<br />

William A. Neumann, who is now the Executive Director of the State Bar<br />

Association of North Dakota, non-North Dakota licensed attorneys may not<br />

prepare deeds regarding North Dakota real property or mineral interests because<br />

doing so violates Rule 5.5 and is the unauthorized practice of law.<br />

C. According to my recent emails with Attorney Brent J. Edison, Assistant<br />

Disciplinary Counsel for the Disciplinary Board of the North Dakota Supreme<br />

Court, when he is asked about whether something constitutes the unauthorized<br />

practice of law and Rule 5.5, his usual response is to refer lawyers to the safe<br />

harbor exceptions set forth in 5.5(a) and 5.5(b). If the contemplated conduct does<br />

not fit within one of these safe harbors, there may be an issue of the unauthorized<br />

practice of law.<br />

22

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