An act signed into law June 19 by Texas Governor George W. Bush has brought the battle between Nolo Press and the Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee to a close. House Bill 1507 states that the practice of law does not include the publication and sale of books or software, as long as the product clearly states that it is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
On June 24, the Texas State Bar, representing the committee, signed an agreement to drop its investigation of Nolo self-help legal guides.
Stephen Elias, associate publisher and general council for Nolo.com (the press has changed its name), expressed relief as he told American Libraries that the legislation “brings this long saga to a grinding halt.” Although the Texas Supreme Court has asserted its “inherent power to decide what is and is not unauthorized practice of law,” he said, the committee “has agreed to abide by the legislation.”
Posted June 28, 1999.