Unlicensed Brazilian Lawyer Practicing in N.J.
A Brazilian lawyer has apparently openly practiced immigration law in New Jersey for a decade, although she is not admitted to the state bar and is licensed only as a foreign legal consultant allowed to represent clients for the purpose of giving advice on the laws of the country in which she is licensed, reports the New Jersey Law Journal.
Several clients have sued – unsuccessfully – for reimbursement of fees, the article states, and Newark-based Norka Schell was indicted last year by an Essex County grand jury on counts of unauthorized practice of law and theft by deception. That case was dismissed when the alleged victim returned to Brazil and did not come back to testify.
The unsuccessful suit “has thrown a light on the apparent failure of state and federal authorities to prevent Schell … from openly practicing law in New Jersey,” the article contends.
Schell and her lawyer did not participate in the article, but she provides details about her practice in a Web site for her law firm.
