Wisconsin Statutes
Wis. Stat. § 757.30 (2026)
Penalty for practicing without license
✓ current as of July 2026
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757.30(1)(1) Every person, who without having first obtained a license to practice law as an attorney of a court of record in this state, as provided by law, practices law within the meaning of sub. (2), or purports to be licensed to practice law as an attorney within the meaning of sub. (3), shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $500 or imprisoned not more than one year in the county jail or both, and in addition may be punished as for a contempt.
757.30(2)(2) Every person who appears as agent, representative or attorney, for or on behalf of any other person, or any firm, partnership, association or corporation in any action or proceeding in or before any court of record, circuit or supplemental court commissioner, or judicial tribunal of the United States, or of any state, or who otherwise, in or out of court, for compensation or pecuniary reward gives professional legal advice not incidental to his or her usual or ordinary business, or renders any legal service for any other person, or any firm, partnership, association or corporation, shall be deemed to be practicing law within the meaning of this section.
757.30(3)(3) Every person who uses the words attorney at law, lawyer, solicitor, counselor, attorney and counselor, proctor, law, law office, or other equivalent words in connection with his or her name or any sign, advertisement, business card, letterhead, circular, notice, or other writing, document or design, the evident purpose of which is to induce others to believe or understand the person to be authorized to practice law or who in any other manner represents himself or herself either verbally or in writing, directly or indirectly, as authorized to practice law in this state, shall be deemed to be purporting to be licensed to practice law as an attorney within the meaning of this section.
757.30(4)(4) No person shall practice law in this state under any other given name or any other surname than that under which originally admitted to the bar of this or any other state, in any instance in which the board of bar examiners shall, after a hearing, find that practicing under the changed name operates to unfairly compete with another practitioner or to mislead the public as to identity or to otherwise result in detriment to the profession or the public. Any person violating this subsection shall be subject to the penalty provided in sub. (1). This subsection does not apply to a change of name resulting from marriage or divorce.
757.30 HistoryHistory: 1977 c. 26; 1977 c. 187 s. 96; Stats. 1977 s. 757.30; 1979 c. 98; 1991 a. 32, 39; 1993 a. 490; 2001 a. 61.
757.30 AnnotationWhen the record did not indicate that a tenant union provided inadequate, unethical, or complex legal advice to tenants, the tenant union’s information service was protected by free speech guarantees. Hopper v. City of Madison, 79 Wis. 2d 120, 256 N.W.2d 139 (1977).
757.30 AnnotationA nonlawyer may not sign and file a notice of appeal on behalf of a corporation. To do so constitutes practicing law without a license in violation of this section and voids the appeal. Requiring a lawyer to represent a corporation in filing the notice does not violate constitutional guarantees of equal protection, due process, or the right of any suitor to prosecute or defend a suit personally. Jadair Inc. v. United States Fire Insurance Co., 209 Wis. 2d 187, 562 N.W.2d 401 (1997), 95-1946.
757.30 AnnotationSection 799.06 (2) authorizes a non-lawyer employee to represent a party to a small claims action at the appellate, as well as trial court, level and is an exception to the rule stated in Jadair, 209 Wis. 2d 187 (1997). Holz v. Busy Bees Contracting, Inc., 223 Wis. 2d 598, 589 N.W.2d 633 (Ct. App. 1998), 98-1076.
757.30 AnnotationA nonlawyer’s questioning of a witness on the state’s behalf at a John Doe hearing, even if constituting the unauthorized practice of law, did not require exclusion of the testimony at trial. State v. Noble, 2002 WI 64, 253 Wis. 2d 206, 646 N.W.2d 38, 99-3271.
757.30 AnnotationNo exception was found under this section to permit an attorney unlicensed in this state to represent a person at a peer review hearing at which representation by legal counsel was allowed. Seitzinger v. Community Health Network, 2004 WI 28, 270 Wis. 2d 1, 676 N.W.2d 426, 02-2002.
757.30 AnnotationA nonlawyer personal representative of an estate may not represent the interests of the estate in a mortgage foreclosure proceeding and may not commence an appeal from a mortgage foreclosure. Accordingly, the notice of appeal filed by the nonlawyer personal representative in this case was ineffective to initiate a valid appeal on behalf of the estate. Ditech Financial, LLC v. Estate of Stacey, 2018 WI App 18, 380 Wis. 2d 447, 909 N.W.2d 180, 16-2371.
757.30 AnnotationOfficers and employees of a bank are not illegally practicing law by filling out lease forms designed and prepared by the attorney representing the owner of the property being leased under a property management agreement between the owner and the bank. 60 Atty. Gen. 114.
757.30 AnnotationDrafting of articles of incorporation constitutes the practice of law within the meaning of sub. (2). 65 Atty. Gen. 173.
757.30 AnnotationSub. (2) is inapplicable to practice in federal courts. United States v. Peterson, 550 F.2d 379 (1977).
757.30 AnnotationNonlawyer Practice: An Expanding Role. Tenenbaum. Wis. Law. Nov. 1994.
757.30 AnnotationThe Unauthorized Practice of Law: Court Tells Profession, Show Us the Harm. Zilavy & Chevrez. Wis. Law. Oct. 2005.
757.30 AnnotationWhen Nonlawyers “Represent” LLCs. Mehl. Wis. Law. Mar. 2009.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 27
cases (6 in the last 5 years), 1984–2026 · leading case: Seitzinger v. Cmty. Health Network, 2004 WI 28 (Wis. 2004).
Seitzinger v. Cmty. Health Network, 2004 WI 28 (Wis. 2004). “If we answer in the affirmative to the first issue, the second issue is whether there should be an exception to the unauthorized practice of law statute, Wis. Stat. § 757.30 (2001-02), [2] to allow for such unlicensed representation.”
Jadair Inc. v. United States Fire Ins., 562 N.W.2d 401 (Wis. 1997). “Rachanski's action here constitutes the unauthorized practice of law under Wis. Stat. § 757.30 . 8 Furthermore, even if Mr.”
State v. Noble, 2002 WI 64 (Wis. 2002). “She claimed that, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 757.30 , [5] which prohibits a person from practicing law without a license, it was unlawful for Matthews to represent the state in the proceeding.”
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Hyndman, 2002 WI 6 (Wis. 2002). “2d 401 (1997), this court pointed out that this *659 statute, which permits an authorized full-time employee to appear in small claims actions on behalf of an employer, is an exception to the general proscription against practicing law without a license set out in Wis. Stat. §…”
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Webster, 2002 WI 100 (Wis. 2002). “After that question was raised Webster contacted the district attorney's office in the county where that action was pending and secured an opinion from the district attorney that Webster's activities on behalf of the trust in the foreclosure action did not violate the…”
State v. Noble, 2001 WI App 145 (Wis. Ct. App. 2001). “§ 757.30 describes when activities constitute practicing law without a license.”
Schaefer v. Riegelman, 2002 WI 18 (Wis. 2002). “See Wis. Stat. § 757.30 ; see also Jadair, 209 Wis.”
Life Sci. Church v. Shawano Cnty., 585 N.W.2d 625 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998). “See § 757.30(2), Stats. That part of subsection (2) concerns persons who give legal advice.”
Evans v. Luebke, 2003 WI App 207 (Wis. Ct. App. 2003). “252 *612 (failure of a guardian to file accounting punishable as contempt); Wis. Stat. § 757.30 (practicing law without a license punishable as contempt); Wis.”
In Re the Admission of Blue Dog, 375 N.W.2d 660 (Wis. 1985). “Any other interpretation, the Board argued, would "condone and reward the unauthorized practice of law," citing sec. 757.30, Stats., which imposes a penalty on the practice of law in Wisconsin by a person not licensed to practice *140 law in the state.”
Nowicki v. Ullsvik, 69 F.3d 1320 (7th Cir. 1995). “See Wis. Stat. § 757.30 . As a result, Judge Ullsvik issued an order that placed limits on the activities of Petteg-rew’s assistant.”
Holz v. Busy Bees Contracting, Inc., 589 N.W.2d 633 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998). “There, the supreme court construed the unauthorized practice of law statute, § 757.30, Stats., and concluded that a notice of appeal which invokes the appellate court's jurisdiction may not be filed by a non-lawyer on behalf of a corporation.”
— Wis. Stat. § 757.30(1) — 3 cases
State v. Noble, 2001 WI App 145 (Wis. Ct. App. 2001). “§ 757.30 describes when activities constitute practicing law without a license.”
Jadair Inc. v. United States Fire Ins., 562 N.W.2d 401 (Wis. 1997). “Rachanski's action here constitutes the unauthorized practice of law under Wis. Stat. § 757.30 . 8 Furthermore, even if Mr.”
City of Cedarburg v. Warren J. Eickhorst (Wis. Ct. App. 2023).
— Wis. Stat. § 757.30(2) — 7 cases
Seitzinger v. Cmty. Health Network, 2004 WI 28 (Wis. 2004). “If we answer in the affirmative to the first issue, the second issue is whether there should be an exception to the unauthorized practice of law statute, Wis. Stat. § 757.30 (2001-02), [2] to allow for such unlicensed representation.”
Life Sci. Church v. Shawano Cnty., 585 N.W.2d 625 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998). “See § 757.30(2), Stats. That part of subsection (2) concerns persons who give legal advice.”
Jadair Inc. v. United States Fire Ins., 562 N.W.2d 401 (Wis. 1997). “Rachanski's action here constitutes the unauthorized practice of law under Wis. Stat. § 757.30 . 8 Furthermore, even if Mr.”
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Webster, 2002 WI 100 (Wis. 2002). “After that question was raised Webster contacted the district attorney's office in the county where that action was pending and secured an opinion from the district attorney that Webster's activities on behalf of the trust in the foreclosure action did not violate the…”
State v. Noble, 2001 WI App 145 (Wis. Ct. App. 2001). “§ 757.30 describes when activities constitute practicing law without a license.”
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