Unauthorized law practice halted

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Supreme Court has unanimously approved a consent decree in which the operator of a Youngstown “bankruptcy petition preparer” business agreed to stop what the court said was an unauthorized law practice, and to stop using the business name “Bankruptcy for Less” or any similar name in his business.

The preparer, Joseph-Mario Spates, was assessed a civil penalty of $250 for each of nine counts of unauthorized practice of law, resulting in a penalty of $2,250. The top court adopted findings by the Board on the Unauthorized Practice of Law that, in his dealings with the nine clients cited in the complaint against him, Spates went beyond nonattorney petition preparation services.

The court said Spates did that by giving legal advice, preparing court documents beyond the initial bankruptcy petition, and providing or directing clients to sample court documents to be relied upon in drafting documents to be filed with the court.