---
title: HB 1433. Courts; make certain acts of the unauthorized practice of law felonies and to provide for penalties
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1433
cite_as: HB 1433, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1433
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1433.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1433/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73545
date: 2026-03-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1432.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1434.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 185
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1433.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1433
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-24
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
- Joseph Gullett
- James Burchett
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1433/2025
upstream_id: 2123590
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- unauthorized practice of law
- criminal penalties
- Georgia courts
- legal profession regulation
---
# HB 1433. Courts; make certain acts of the unauthorized practice of law felonies and to provide for penalties
## Text
House Bill 1433
By: Representatives Gullett of the 19th and Burchett of the 176th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 3 of Chapter 19 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the regulation of practice of law, so as to make certain acts of the unauthorized
practice of law felonies and to provide for penalties therefore; to provide for related matters;
to provide for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 3 of Chapter 19 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
regulation of practice of law, is amended by revising Code Section 15-19-56, relating to
penalty for prohibited conduct, as follows:
"15-19-56.
(a) Any person, corporation, or voluntary association violating Code Section 15-19-51,
15-19-53, 15-19-54, or 15-19-55 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) Every officer, trustee, director, agent, or employee of a corporation or voluntary
association who directly or indirectly engages in any of the acts prohibited in Code Section
15-19-51, 15-19-53, 15-19-54, or 15-19-55 or assists a corporation or voluntary association
in performing the prohibited acts shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. The fact that the person
is a duly and regularly admitted attorney at law shall not be held to permit or allow the
corporation or voluntary association to do the acts prohibited in such Code sections, nor
shall the such fact be a defense upon the trial of any person mentioned therein for a
violation of those Code sections. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent any court having
jurisdiction from punishing the corporation or its officers for contempt.
(c) Any person, corporation, or voluntary association violating Code Section 15-19-51 or
15-19-53 shall be guilty of a felony and, upon the first conviction thereof, shall be punished
by imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than three years, a fine of not less than
$50,000.00 nor more than $250,000.00, or both. For a second or subsequent conviction,
the punishment shall be imprisonment of not less than two years nor more than ten years,
a fine of not less than $250,000.00 nor more than $1 million, or both.
(d) Every officer, trustee, director, agent, or employee of a corporation or voluntary
association who directly or indirectly engages in any of the acts prohibited in Code Section
15-19-51 or 15-19-53 or assists a corporation or voluntary association in performing the
prohibited acts shall be guilty of a felony and, upon the first conviction thereof, shall be
punished by imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than three years, a fine of not
less than $50,000.00 nor more than $250,000.00, or both. For a second or subsequent
conviction, the punishment shall be imprisonment of not less than two years nor more than
ten years, a fine of not less than $250,000.00 nor more than $1 million, or both. The fact
that the person is a duly and regularly admitted attorney at law shall not be held to permit
or allow the corporation or voluntary association to do the acts prohibited in such Code
sections, nor shall such fact be a defense upon the trial of any person mentioned therein for
a violation of those Code sections. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent any court
having jurisdiction from punishing the corporation or its officers for contempt."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, and shall apply to all offenses committed
on or after such date.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would make certain violations of the state's unauthorized practice of law rules a felony instead of a misdemeanor, with prison time and fines up to $1 million for repeat offenders.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 15-19-56), anyone who violates the state's rules against practicing law without authorization, including specific sections covering advertising as a lawyer and holding oneself out as one, faces only a misdemeanor charge. This bill would split those violations apart: some remain misdemeanors, but violations of two specific sections, O.C.G.A. §§ 15-19-51 and 15-19-53, would become felonies.
The bill applies the new felony penalties both to the person, corporation, or voluntary association that commits the violation and to any officer, trustee, director, agent, or employee who directly or indirectly takes part in it. A first felony conviction would carry one to three years in prison and a fine of $50,000 to $250,000, or both. A second or later conviction would carry two to ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000 to $1 million, or both. Being a licensed attorney does not excuse the conduct or serve as a defense. The change would take effect July 1, 2026 and apply only to offenses committed on or after that date.
### What it does
- Removes violations of O.C.G.A. §§ 15-19-51 and 15-19-53 from the existing misdemeanor penalty and creates a separate felony penalty for them.
- Sets a first-offense felony penalty of one to three years in prison, a fine of $50,000 to $250,000, or both.
- Sets a repeat-offense felony penalty of two to ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000 to $1 million, or both.
- Applies the new felony penalties to corporate officers, trustees, directors, agents, or employees who take part in the prohibited conduct, not just the organization itself.
- Keeps violations of O.C.G.A. §§ 15-19-54 and 15-19-55 as misdemeanors under the existing penalty.
- Sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.
### Who it affects
People, corporations, or voluntary associations that engage in unauthorized practice of law under Georgia's rules, along with their officers, trustees, directors, agents, or employees. It also affects licensed attorneys, since being a lawyer does not excuse or defend against the prohibited conduct.
### Why it matters
Someone found to have violated the specified sections after July 1, 2026 could face years in prison and fines reaching six figures or more, instead of the misdemeanor penalty that applies today. This significantly raises the legal risk for individuals and organizations involved in unauthorized legal practice covered by those sections.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 15-19-56 to keep misdemeanor penalties for violations of Code Sections 15-19-54 and 15-19-55.
- Section 1 adds new subsection (c) making violations of Code Sections 15-19-51 and 15-19-53 felonies with escalating prison terms and fines for repeat convictions.
- Section 1 adds new subsection (d) extending the same felony penalties to corporate officers, agents, and employees who participate in the prohibited conduct.
- Section 1 preserves language that being a licensed attorney is not a defense to these violations and that courts may still hold violators in contempt.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-24)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-04)
- Sponsors: Joseph Gullett, James Burchett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73545
> The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1433.md?full=1