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An Act To Improve Citizen Access to Legal Representation
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 4 MRSA §802, as amended by PL 1985, c. 124, §2, is further amended to read:
§ 802.Attorneys from other states
Attorneys who are practicing law in other states, territories or foreign countries may be admitted on motion to try cases in any of the courts of this State by those courts, but shall notand may be admitted on motion to the general practice of law in this State without complying with section 805-A. An attorney admitted to the general practice of law in this State pursuant to this section shall disclose in writing to a client in this State represented by that attorney that the attorney has not met the qualifications for admission to practice specified in section 805-A and shall obtain from that client written consent to the representation.
Sec. 2. 4 MRSA §807, sub-§1, as repealed and replaced by PL 1989, c. 755, is amended to read:
 
1. Prohibition.   No person may practice law or profess to practice law within the State or before its courts, or demand or receive any remuneration for those services rendered in this State, unless that person has been admitted to the bar of this State and has complied with section 806-A, or unless that person has been admitted to try cases in the courts of this State or to the general practice of law in this State under section 802.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows an attorney who practices law in a jurisdiction other than this State to be admitted to the general practice of law in this State without complying with the qualifications for admission to practice law specified in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 4, section 805-A. This bill provides that an attorney from another jurisdiction admitted to the general practice of law in this State who has not met the qualifications for admission to practice law specified in Title 4, section 805-A must disclose in writing to a client in this State represented by that attorney that the attorney has not met these qualifications for admission and must obtain from that client written consent to the representation.