What is UPL (unauthorized practice of law)?

Unauthorized practice of law (UPL) is the offense of providing legal services without being licensed to practice law in the relevant jurisdiction. Every US state regulates UPL, and penalties range from civil fines to criminal misdemeanor charges.

What counts as UPL

Generally, you're practicing law if you:

• Give legal advice about a specific person's specific situation
• Draft legal documents for someone else's case
• Represent another person in court or in negotiations
• Hold yourself out as an attorney when you're not

What does NOT count as UPL

These activities are safe for non-lawyers:

• General legal information (explaining what service of process is, in the abstract)
• Pro se assistance (helping someone fill in their own court forms with their own information)
• Notarization (notaries are not practicing law)
• Process serving (the actual physical serving of papers)
• Skip tracing (investigative work)
• Document scanning, filing, courier work

The Servd line

Servd's AI assistant is carefully designed to stay on the legal-information side of the UPL line:

• ✅ "Service in California requires 3 diligent attempts before sub-service is permitted" (general rule)
• ❌ "Based on your facts, you should file a motion to quash service" (legal advice on a specific case)
• ✅ "Skip tracing reports give 1-3 candidate addresses" (explanation of a service)
• ❌ "You should sue under §1983 because…" (specific legal recommendation)

When the AI detects a UPL-adjacent question, it surfaces a disclaimer and points the user to their court's self-help center or recommends they consult a licensed attorney of their own choosing. Servd does not match, refer, or recommend lawyers.

State variations

Some states are stricter than others:

• California: Among the strictest. Even drafting court forms for someone else can be UPL.
• New York: Stricter rules around "legal advice" vs information.
• Texas + Florida: Have specific carve-outs for paralegals working under attorney supervision.
• Arizona, Utah: Have piloted paraprofessional licensing that permits limited legal services by non-lawyers.

If you're not sure whether a service crosses the line in your jurisdiction, ask a lawyer or your court's self-help center. Servd will flag UPL-adjacent questions and point you to those resources — we do not match or refer lawyers.