Chap. 415.—An ACT relating to the practice of law, and preventing persons,
firms and corporations, not practicing attorneys, from appearing before any
magistrate, civil or police justice, civil justice court, or any other court, to
represent any claim or cause of any person, firm or corporation, unless the
person, firm or corporation has a property interest in said claim or cause;
preventing evasions of this act and crexeribing penalties. {(H B 327 {

Approved March 21, 1924.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That it shall
be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, not being an attorney
at law duly authorized to practice in this Commonwealth, to represent
the claim or cause of any other person, firm or corporation before any
magistrate, civil or police justice, civil justice court, or any other court
now existing or which may. hereafter be created, unless the said person,
firm or corporation so appearing has a property interest in said claim
or cause; and it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to
assign to any other person, firm or corporation, any claim or cause, or
any interest in any claim or cause, for the purpose of having the said
claim or cause, or any interest therein represented before any of the
courts above mentioned by any person, firm, or corporation, not at-
torneys at law; and it shall also be unlawful for any person, firm or cor-
poration to accept an assignment of any claim or cause, or any interest
in any claim or cause, from any other person, firm or corporation for
the purpose of representing it or them before any of the courts above
mentioned in violation of this act.

2. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent any person,
firm or corporation from representing his or their claim or cause before
any of the courts of this Commonwealth, or from preventing any person,
firm or corporation from having his or their regularly employed agent
or employee from appearing before any of the courts of this Common-
wealth to represent said person, firm or corporation where such agent
or employee, so appearing, is regularly employed on a salary basis; nor
shall this act apply to any real estate agent in the collection of rents on
property regularly listed with him by the owners; provided, that nothing
in this act shall be construed as authorizing the practice of law by per-
sons, firms or corporations not duly licensed as attorneys at law.

3. Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions
of thts act shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and shall be fined
not less than fifty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, and each
violation shall constitute a separate offense hereunder.