In general, "the practice of law is not limited to conducting litigation. It also includes giving legal advice and counsel, rendering a service that requires the use of legal knowledge or skill, and preparing instruments and contracts by which legal rights are secured, whether or not the matter is pending in a court." AMJUR ATTNYS § 118.
In Kentucky: SCR 3.020 Practice of law defined / The practice of law is any service rendered involving legal knowledge or legal advice, whether of representation, counsel or advocacy in or out of court, rendered in respect to the rights, duties, obligations, liabilities, or business relations of one requiring the services. But nothing herein shall prevent any natural person not holding himself out as a practicing attorney from drawing any instrument to which he is a party without consideration unto himself therefor. An appearance in the small claims division of the district court by a person who is an officer of or who is regularly employed in a managerial capacity by a corporation or partnership which is a party to the litigation in which the appearance is made shall not be considered as unauthorized practice of law.
Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are ReputationDefender, Inc., a company dedicated to helping our clients preserve their good name on the Internet. Our founders and employees are all regular Internet users. Like our clients, and perhaps like you, we think the Internet is sometimes unnecessarily hurtful to the privacy and reputations of everyday people. Even content that is meant to be informative can sometimes have a significant and negative impact on someone's job prospects, student applications, and personal life. We invite you to learn more about who we are, at www.reputationdefender.com.
When our clients sign up with our service, we undertake deep research about them on the Internet to see what the Web is saying about them. We find sites where they are discussed, and we ask our clients how they feel about those sites. Sometimes our clients express strong reservations about the content on particular websites. They may feel hurt, ashamed, or "invaded" by the content about them on those sites.
As you may know, more and more prospective employers, universities, and newfound friends and romantic interests undertake Internet research, and the material they find can strongly impact their impressions of the people they are getting to know. When people apply for jobs, apply for college or graduate school, apply for loans, begin dating, or seek to do any number of other things with their lives, hurtful content about them on the Internet can have a negative impact on their opportunities. At some point or another, most of us say things about ourselves or our friends and acquaintances we later regret. We're all human, and we all do it!
We are writing to you today because our client, Ronnie Segev, has told us that he would like the content about him on your website to be removed as it is outdated and disturbing to him. Would you be willing to remove or alter the content? It would mean so much to Mr. Segev, and to us. Considerate actions such as these will go a long way to help make the Internet a more civil place.
Thank you very much for your consideration. We are mindful that matters like these can be sensitive. We appreciate your time.
Please let us know if you have removed or changed the content on this site by sending an e-mail to: daves@reputationdefender.com.
You'd think so. But he hasn't been. He's sending cease-and-desist letters, threatening legal action on behalf of third parties, talking about his law degree and noting it prominently on his promotional website.
His website even says that most of the things they to do destroy content are non-legal; implying that some legal services are provided.
Date: April 5th, 2007 10:26 PM Author: crimson resort
Does ReputationDefender simply send cease-and-desist letters or sue everybody when it seeks to "Destroy" content?
No. Most of our approaches to effecting correction or removal of content are non-legal. We will only pursue legal options with the express consent of our clients, and these techniques are strictly optional and usually the last resort. They may incur additional cost.
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Seems to imply that RD provides both legal and non-legal services.
this is ridiculous. this is not even near the line. I dont know about you guys, but my state bar association fucking shits a brick if you even put JD on your business card if you aren't admitted.
he has gone WAY over the line here. We need to file a complaint.
Date: April 24th, 2007 1:06 PM Author: Magenta trip market
"Clearly cease-and-desist letters are legal."
I don't think that's true. Just asking someone to stop doing something isn't necessarily providing legal services if, as apparently they do, you refrain from stating legal opinions in the letters.
He has repeatedly threatened legal action on behalf of a third party. And he has persistently implied that he is a lawyer. The prominence he gives his Harvard Law degree in interviews and his promise to 'destroy' content on the internet would lead an ordinary person to assume that he was legal counsel for his clients.
When this story first broke a bunch of posters were even confused as to whether or not he was a lawyer, because he was threatening law suits and talking about his harvard law degree in interviews.
Date: February 6th, 2008 12:12 AM Author: Orchid Jap
this is #7 when you google "michael fertik". not very impressive at all. Maybe Reputation Defender has won? I will keep watching, but am starting to think that Fertik might be good at this!