LITTLE ROCK — A Pulaski County Circuit judge on Wednesday ordered a 34-year-old North Little Rock woman not to practice law without a license and warned that she could face criminal charges if she does.
Tamara Gotell appeared before Judge John Plegge on a complaint by the state Supreme Court Committee On The Unauthorized Practice Of Law, which was seeking a permanent injunction against her.
Gotell didn’t challenge the injunction, testifying she didn’t know what she was doing was wrong.
Committee attorney Charlene Fleetwood said regulators had received complaints from circuit judges Vann Smith in 2010 and Alice Gray in 2011 about reports of Gotell charging clients to draft and file court documents in divorce cases.
Gotell was issued a cease and desist letter in November 2010, warning her against drawing up court papers or giving legal advice, Fleetwood said.
Gotell client Donna Easter testified that Gotell’s services were recommended by a friend and that Gotell charged her $390 to draft the necessary docu-ments for her 2010 divorce. She said Gotell told her she was a paralegal and could not represent her in court.
Gotell said she has an associate degree in paralegal technology and is studying for her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Questioned by Fleetwood, she said she holds no certifications and was not familiar with regulations that prohibit paralegals from preparing court filings unless they areunder the supervision of an attorney.
Gotell refused to say whether she was working for a lawyer or where she worked, saying that information was irrelevant to the proceeding. But she said she would not draft any more court papers.
“I’m not going to continue to do it now that I’m aware I can’t without the supervision of an attorney,” she told the judge. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do that.”
Plegge said Gotell risked criminal prosecution for practicing law without a license if she violates his order.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 10/18/2012