LAURA DENVIR STITH, Judge.
Bonnie Hargis appeals the circuit court's grant of summary judgment to JLB Corporation on her claims that (1) JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by procuring, preparing and assisting in the drawing of legal documents as it negotiated with lenders to obtain mortgages for its clients and that (2) JLB was unjustly enriched by charging her for document preparation services it did not provide. So far as the record shows, JLB assisted Ms. Hargis only in preparing financial documents, which does not constitute the practice of law. The record does not show that
The trial court erred in granting JLB summary judgment on Count III, which alleges unjust enrichment (money had and received). The viability of that count does not depend on a finding that JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, and JLB's summary judgment motion failed to negate any element of Ms. Hargis' unjust enrichment claim. The judgment is affirmed in part and reversed in part, and the case is remanded.
JLB is a Missouri corporation that provides mortgage brokering services. Its main business is matching borrowers who need a mortgage with lenders willing to finance them. To successfully match a borrower with a lender, JLB first must provide the potential lender with financial information about the borrower, including information about credit history, prior mortgages, and current and past employment. JLB then assists the borrower in preparing a loan application and other financial disclosure forms.
Once a lender approves a loan, a note and a mortgage or deed of trust must be prepared. The summary judgment record does not show that JLB plays a role in drawing, filling out or procuring these documents. Rather, so far as the summary judgment record shows, JLB gathers information necessary to prepare these documents and provides that information to title companies, investors and/or a California company called Document Systems Inc. According to the record adduced below, these third parties then prepare the note and a mortgage or deed of trust and send them to JLB, which then completes its "middleman" role in the refinancing process by transferring these documents to the borrower.
In January 2009, Ms. Hargis entered into an agreement with JLB to refinance her home in Barnhart, Missouri. JLB's vice president, Mr. John Paci, testified at his deposition that JLB provided a number of services to obtain refinancing for Ms. Hargis, including matching her with a sponsoring lender, U.S. Bank N.A.; preparing her loan application and other financial disclosure documents; gathering information necessary for title companies, investors and/or Document Systems to prepare her note and deed of trust;
JLB says it charged the processing and administrative fees for helping Ms. Hargis prepare her loan application and disclosure documents, gathering information needed to complete the note and deed of trust, and transferring these documents to Ms. Hargis. JLB says it played no role in drawing the note or deed of trust, which were prepared by title companies, investors and/or Document Systems, and did not charge for their preparation.
Ms. Hargis disagrees. In February 2009, she filed a three-count petition against JLB in St. Louis County circuit court. Count I alleges that JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law in violation of section 484.010
In August 2009, JLB filed a motion for summary judgment in which it asserted that: (1) it did not procure or assist in the drawing of legal documents, that it simply engaged in negotiations with a lender and acted as a middleman in connecting Ms. Hargis to the lender; (2) that acting as a middleman between a borrower and a lender is not the unauthorized practice of law; and (3) that it did not charge Ms. Hargis for the provision of legal services. After an opportunity for discovery by Ms. Hargis and following briefing by both parties, on March 8, 2010, the trial court granted JLB summary judgment on all three counts. Ms. Hargis appealed to the Missouri court of appeals. After opinion by that court, this Court granted transfer. Mo. Const. art. V, § 10.
"The standard of review of appeals from summary judgment is essentially de novo." State ex rel. Koster v. Olive, 282 S.W.3d 842, 846 (Mo. banc 2009). This Court "will review the record in the light most favorable to the party against whom judgment was entered." Id. "Summary judgment shall be entered if `there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and... the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.'" Id., quoting Rule 74.04(c)(6). "A `genuine issue' is a dispute that is real, not merely argumentative, imaginary or frivolous." ITT Commercial Fin. v. Mid-Am. Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 382 (Mo. banc 1993).
The practice of law in Missouri, as in other states, long has been restricted solely to licensed attorneys so as to "protect
Because the judiciary is the "sole arbiter of what constitutes the practice of law," Hulse, 247 S.W.2d at 857-58, such statutes merely act in aid of this Court's regulation of the practice of law and cannot "supersede or detract from, the power of the judiciary to define and control the practice of law." Id. Nonetheless, this Court has used these statutory definitions of the "practice of law" as a reference point for determining the scope of the practice of law. See, e.g., id.; Eisel v. Midwest BankCentre, 230 S.W.3d 335, 338 (Mo. banc 2007).
Section 484.010.1 defines the "practice of law" as:
Id. Section 484.010.2 defines the "law business" as:
Id. Beginning with its decision in Hulse in 1952, this Court repeatedly has utilized these statutory definitions to assist it in determining what constitutes the unauthorized practice of law in regard to real estate transactions. 247 S.W.2d at 856-57.
In Hulse, real estate brokers obtained standardized form documents, including notes and deeds of trust, and then filled in blanks on these documents based on the specific information provided by their clients. Id. Hulse held that although notes and deeds of trust are legal documents, mortgage brokers are not engaging in the unauthorized practice of law if they merely fill in blanks in standardized Missouri document forms so long as a Missouri attorney created the legal documents and filling in the blanks on the documents was ancillary to the broker's main business. Id. at 862.
By contrast, the broker would be engaging in the unauthorized practice of law if it charged a separate fee or increased its customary charges for helping fill in the blanks, if it gave advice as to the legal effect of the documents or if the documents were not drawn by a Missouri attorney. Id.
This Court addressed the unauthorized practice of law again in In re First Escrow, 840 S.W.2d at 841. There, non-lawyer
In re First Escrow held that non-lawyer employees of escrow companies could "fill in the blanks of certain standardized form documents required to close real estate transactions only if they do so under the supervision of, and as agents for ... [a party] who has a direct financial interest in the transaction." Id. at 846-47. Further, these companies "may not prepare or complete nonstandard or specialized documents" and "may not charge a separate fee for document preparation, or vary their customary charges ... based upon whether documents are to be prepared in the transaction." Id. at 848-49.
Similarly, addressing the unauthorized practice of law by trust companies, this Court held in In re Mid-America, 927 S.W.2d at 856-58, that although "merely gathering information for use in a legal document does not necessarily constitute the unauthorized practice of law," the trust companies' actions there did because the non-lawyer trust officers "were not merely collecting information to fill in standardized forms as otherwise might have been approved by Hulse and In re First Escrow. Instead, they also were giving legal advice to their clients about choices to be made and the legal effects of those choices." Id. at 865 (citations omitted). This Court further distinguished the facts of In re Mid-America from Hulse and In re First Escrow by stating:
Id. at 864-65 (emphasis in original) (citations omitted). Mid-America's employees could not charge for counseling or recommending trusts or for drawing, procuring or assisting in drawing trust documents. Id. at 871.
In 2007, this Court handed down Eisel, its most recent case addressing the unauthorized practice of law in the real estate context and explaining the importance of not charging or varying fees for filling in blanks on legal forms. In Eisel, Midwest Bankcentre charged its clients a fee for having its non-attorney employees fill out pre-printed forms related to processing mortgage loans including promissory notes and deeds of trust. 230 S.W.3d at 337. This Court found that promissory notes and deeds of trust were legal documents and that Midwest engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by having non-attorneys prepare such documents for a fee. Id. at 339 (finding charging a separate fee puts the emphasis on "legal drafting as a business rather than on the business of being a real estate broker.").
The principles set out in these cases guide this Court in deciding whether JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by: (1) gathering copies of pre-existing legal documents; (2) assisting Ms. Hargis in filling out her loan application and other financial disclosures; or (3) helping her obtain her note and deed of trust by providing financial information to third parties who then prepared these documents.
In relevant part, section 484.010.2 defines the "law business" as "the drawing or the procuring of or assisting in the drawing for a valuable consideration of any paper, document or instrument affecting or relating to secular rights." § 484.010.2 (emphasis added). This definition is consistent with this Court's recognition in In re First Escrow that the practice of law involves not only "the preparation of closing documents" but "also encompasses `the procuring of or assisting in the drawing' of [legal] documents." 840 S.W.2d at 843, quoting § 484.010.2.
Ms. Hargis does not claim that JLB drew legal documents but does claim that JLB procured or assisted in drawing legal documents for valuable consideration. To determine whether the record supports this claim, the Court first must determine what constitutes "procuring" a legal document. Section 484.010.2 does not define it. Ms. Hargis says it means the same thing as gathered or obtained, while JLB says that it means taking part in the drafting of legal documents.
In Giles v. California, 554 U.S. 353, 360, 128 S.Ct. 2678, 171 L.Ed.2d 488 (2008), the United States Supreme Court addressed the meaning of "procure" in the context of a rule that required a witness to have been "kept back" or "detained" by "means or procurement" of the defendant. The Supreme Court said in relevant part:
Id. (emphasis in original).
Missouri courts utilized a similar definition in Tabb v. Burt, 296 S.W. 820 (Mo. App.1927), stating that the word "`procure' means "[t]o bring about by care and pains; effect; contrive and effect; induce; cause; as, he procured a law to be passed." Id. at 821. These definitions are consistent with more recent dictionary definitions of "procure." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 1399 (4th ed.2009) defines "procure" as "(1) to get by special effort; obtain or acquire; ... (2) To bring about, effect...." Black's Law Dictionary 1327 (9th ed.2009) says "procurement of breach of contract" is a form of tortious interference with contractual relations, which Black's defines as "[a] third party's intentional inducement of a contracting party to break a contract." Id. at 1627.
What these definitions have in common is that procurement requires active involvement in the obtaining of some object,
Here, there are three types of documents that JLB acquired for Ms. Hargis. If any of these are legal documents, and if the record shows that JLB procured or assisted in drawing them, then it was error to grant summary judgment to JLB on Ms. Hargis' claims of the unauthorized practice of law.
In considering this issue, this Court is limited to the record presented on summary judgment. Here, JLB moved for summary judgment under Rule 74.04. It was required to set out a statement of uncontroverted facts that entitled it to summary judgment. Rule 74.04(c)(1). Ms. Hargis then had the opportunity to respond by admitting or denying each of these statements. Rule 74.04(c)(2). In denying any statements, she could not rest on the allegations of her pleadings but was required to "support each denial with specific references to the discovery, exhibits or affidavits that demonstrate specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial." Rule 74.04(c)(2); Renaissance Leasing, LLC v. Vermeer Mfg. Co., 322 S.W.3d 112, 120 (Mo. banc 2010). Summary judgment will be granted only if the summary judgment motion and responses "show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Rule 74.04(c)(6); Olive, 282 S.W.3d at 846.
Initially, after JLB filed its motion for summary judgment, the trial court granted Ms. Hargis time to conduct discovery before responding. Her response noted that JLB had failed to include a statement of uncontroverted facts, as required by Rule 74.04(c)(1). The trial court granted JLB leave to amend its motion to include this statement of uncontroverted facts.
According to the record, JLB sent the information it gathered about Ms. Hargis' financial situation to investors, title companies and/or Document Systems that prepared
Here, JLB is the only defendant. The record shows that it did not draw the note or deed of trust itself. Whether its conduct is the unauthorized practice of law depends on whether it procured or assisted in the drawing of these documents. While Ms. Hargis says that the record shows that this occurred, her argument is based principally on her contention that gathering documents is legally equivalent to procuring them. As set out above, however, procuring documents requires proof of more than merely obtaining or passively gathering documents. It requires active involvement in obtaining some object, person or purpose, acting to bring about or contriving to cause an effect.
This the record does not show. As noted, the record consists principally of the deposition and affidavit of Mr. Paci. Mr. Paci explained that JLB acted as a conduit in transmitting necessary factual information between Ms. Hargis and title companies, investors and/or Document Systems, who then prepared the note and deed of trust and sent them back to JLB. For example, in response to a question about who prepares "all the documents related to a mortgage that you guys process," Mr. Paci testified:
Mr. Paci's affidavit stated that "the `processing fee' and `administrative fee' were charged for tasks associated with processing the loan, which include gathering forms and documents, communication with the underwriter, and obtaining additional information when required by the underwriter." When asked in his deposition whether JLB charges for the preparation of legal documents, Mr. Paci again stated, "I can tell you none of [our charges have] to do with preparing legal documents." He explained JLB's role as that of a middleman or clearinghouse, taking various financial documents from Ms. Hargis, her prior lenders and employers, and others and giving them to title companies, investors or Document Systems, which then prepared Ms. Hargis' note and deed of trust.
These statements show only that JLB gathered documents about Ms. Hargis' finances and transferred them to title companies, investors or Document Systems, which used the documents to prepare her note and deed of trust. The statements provided no basis for the trial court to find that JLB was involved in procuring or assisting in drawing the documents or that title companies, investors and/or Document Systems acted as its agent in so doing. So far as the record shows, JLB neither charged a separate document preparation fee
Ms. Hargis raises the specter that a finding by this Court that JLB did not procure these documents on these facts will encourage banks, lenders, brokers and others to "outsource" the drawing of legal documents to third parties who will act as
The problem with Ms. Hargis' argument is that this is not what the record shows happened here. She is correct that, under the facts she hypothesizes, a mortgage broker such as JLB would fall within the definition of "procuring" or "assisting" in drawing legal documents, for it would be undertaking an active role or contrivance in the drawing of the documents and, further, because it would be doing so for consideration. So far as this record shows, however, the third parties did not act as agents of JLB and JLB received no consideration for the drawing of the note and deed of trust. Instead, JLB simply obtained the documents from title companies, investors and/or Document Systems and transferred them to Ms. Hargis. This Court can review only the grant of summary judgment on the record before it, and that record does not show that JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law in gathering information and documents and acting as a middleman in the use of such information and documents by unrelated third parties to prepare Ms. Hargis' note and deed of trust.
Finally, Ms. Hargis argues that JLB engaged in the practice of law by charging to assist her in preparing a loan application and other financial disclosure documents required to obtain a loan. In support, she notes that Hulse stated:
Id. at 863. She further notes that bankruptcy laws require the bankrupt party to file a list of assets and liabilities with the court and that only an attorney can make such a filing. Therefore, Ms. Hargis argues, helping her prepare a financial document that requires consideration of what to include as assets, what to include as liabilities, how to list them and so forth is the practice of law.
This argument goes too far. Determining whether a document is legal in nature requires this Court to "balance the protection of the public against a desire to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and expense." See In re First Escrow, 840 S.W.2d at 843. As Hulse noted, the key factor in making this determination is whether preparing the document requires legal judgment or discretion. 247 S.W.2d at 861. Legal and financial knowledge often overlap, and documents regarding finances often have legal effect, such as the filing of a tax return or the filling out of a retail credit card application.
Although legal knowledge certainly would be helpful in determining how to fill out these and other financial documents, every financial document cannot for that reason alone be considered a legal document that must be prepared by an attorney. Were it otherwise, every accountant, banker, car dealer or retail clerk who helps someone pay taxes or fill out a credit application would have to be a lawyer or fill out the document under the supervision of a lawyer. This outcome would be patently unreasonable.
This does not mean that financial documents related to the mortgage process never can be legal documents, the preparation of which will constitute the unauthorized practice of law. As noted in In re First Escrow, if preparation of a particular document requires the exercise of legal judgment or discretion, then a lawyer must prepare it or supervise its preparation to avoid the unauthorized practice of law. 840 S.W.2d at 848-49 (escrow companies may not prepare or complete "nonstandard or specialized document ... or any other document that requires the exercise of judgment or discretion.").
But, so far as this record shows, that was not the case here. Although the documents in question—loan applications and other disclosure documents—require extensive disclosure of financial information, including employment history, monthly income and expenses, and a comprehensive list of assets and liabilities, they are standardized forms. The forms state what information is required to be filled in or provided; accuracy, rather than discretion—legal or otherwise—is what is required. JLB did not engage in the unauthorized practice of law in assisting Ms. Hargis in filling out these financial forms.
In addition to granting summary judgment against Ms. Hargis on her claims in Counts I and II that JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, the trial court granted summary judgment against her on her claims of unjust enrichment (money had and received) in Count III.
Rule 74.04(c)(1) states in part that "[a] motion for summary judgment shall summarily state the legal basis for the
In the present case, JLB's motion for summary judgment did not contain a legal basis explaining why JLB was entitled to summary judgment on Ms. Hargis' third count, alleging unjust enrichment, nor did it set out uncontroverted facts that negated this claim. Instead, JLB merely set out facts supporting its argument that it did not engage in the unauthorized practice of law. Nevertheless, JLB asked generally for summary judgment in its favor, and the judgment granted JLB summary judgment on all three counts. Although the trial court did not explain why it granted summary judgment on Count III, JLB suggests on appeal that the trial court so ruled because no additional facts were set out in Count III in support of Ms. Hargis' unjust enrichment claim. Therefore, if the facts set out in support of Counts I and II were insufficient to prevent summary judgment for JLB on those counts, JLB argues, they also were insufficient to prevent summary judgment on Count III.
JLB's reasoning does not support the trial court's grant of summary judgment on Count III. Although the factual basis for Ms. Hargis' third count was the same as that for her first and second counts, the legal basis for her third count, unjust enrichment, or "money had and received," differed. The elements of an unjust enrichment claim are entirely different than those of an unauthorized practice of law claim. Unjust enrichment requires a showing that: "(1) [the plaintiff] conferred a benefit on the defendant; (2) the defendant appreciated the benefit; and (3) the defendant accepted and retained the benefit under inequitable and/or unjust circumstances." Howard v. Turnbull, 316 S.W.3d 431, 436 (Mo.App.2010).
Here, the basis of Mr. Hargis' unjust enrichment claim is that JLB charged her fees for services it did not perform. This claim does not stand or fall on whether she also has a claim for the unauthorized practice of law on the facts alleged. Indeed, Ms. Hargis' motion to amend Count III makes it evident that Count III largely is an alternative basis for recovery to Counts I and II; she argues that if, as JLB claims, it did not procure or assist in drawing the legal documents in this case, then it was unjustly enriched by charging her for services it did not perform.
The trial court erred in granting JLB summary judgment on Count III because JLB did not show it is entitled to judgment on that count as a matter of law. The judgment is reversed as to Count III. In all other respects, the judgment is affirmed. The case is remanded.
RUSSELL, FISCHER and PRICE, JJ., and PRITCHETT, Sp.J., concur; TEITELMAN, C.J., concurs in part and dissents in part in separate opinion filed; BRECKENRIDGE, J., concurs in opinion of TEITELMAN, C.J. DRAPER, J., not participating.
RICHARD B. TEITELMAN, Chief Justice.
The principal opinion holds that there are no genuine issues of material fact or law precluding summary judgment on Ms. Hargis' claim that JLB engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. Viewing the record in the light most favorable to Ms. Hargis, and providing her with the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record, I would hold that summary judgment is not appropriate. Therefore, I respectfully dissent from the principal opinion to the extent it holds that summary judgment was appropriate with respect to Counts I and II. I concur in the principal opinion's reversal of summary judgment with respect to Count III.
"This Court's primary rule of statutory interpretation is to give effect to legislative intent as reflected in the plain language of the statute at issue." Parktown Imports, Inc. v. Audi of America, Inc., 278 S.W.3d 670, 672 (Mo. banc 2009). Each word, clause, sentence and provision of a statute is presumed to have meaning and effect. Neske v. City of St. Louis, 218 S.W.3d 417, 424 (Mo. banc 2007). Further, it is "presumed that the legislature did not insert idle verbiage or superfluous language in a statute." Civil Serv. Comm'n v. Bd. of Aldermen, 92 S.W.3d 785, 788 (Mo. banc 2003) (quoting Hyde Park Housing Partnership v. Director of Revenue, 850 S.W.2d 82, 84 (Mo. banc 1993)).
Section 484.010.2, RSMO 2000, defines the "law business" as "the drawing or the procuring of or assisting in the drawing for a valuable consideration" any legal document. To give each word in the statute meaning and effect, the independent statutory concepts of "drawing," "procuring" and "assisting in the drawing" must be practically distinguishable. The term "procuring" must mean something different than the terms "drawing" and "assisting in the drawing." This means that one can procure a legal document without any participation in drawing the document. Therefore, as the principal opinion notes, while "merely gathering information for
The principal opinion concludes that the record establishes conclusively that JLB did not "procure" legal documents because it did nothing more than passively gather information that Document Systems then used to prepare legal documents. The characterization of JLB's role as passive is not compelled by the record, particularly when Ms. Hargis is afforded the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record as required by the standard of review. See ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-America Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993).
JLB's business is acquiring or "procuring" mortgages on behalf of its customers. Creating a mortgage loan requires a number of necessary legal documents. A plausible reading of the facts so far developed in this case indicates that JLB procures these documents for its customers by specifically requesting the information necessary to create the legal documents underlying the mortgage. JLB does not gather passively whatever information its customers see fit to offer. Instead, JLB guides the process for the sole purpose of ensuring that Document Systems has the necessary information to draw the required legal documents. Document Systems then relays those documents to JLB so that JLB can facilitate closing the loan and finalizing the legal obligations of the borrower and lender. JLB was actively involved in obtaining or "procuring" for Ms. Hargis the legal documents necessary to finalize her mortgage loan. While JLB may not be the party "drawing" the legal documents, the record does not establish conclusively that JLB does not participate in "procuring" those documents for Ms. Hargis.
The principal opinion further concludes that the record shows that JLB did not charge any fee relating to the preparation of any legal document. All the record shows is JLB's vice president, John Paci, testified that none of JLB's fees relates to the preparation of legal documents. While Mr. Paci and JLB may choose not to attribute any of the fees charged to the preparation of legal documents, commercial reality suggests otherwise. It is highly unlikely that JLB simply absorbs the costs of Document Systems' preparation of the legal documents. It is almost certain that JLB wisely elects to pass these costs on to its customers in the form of various processing and administrative fees. Because JLB is a business and not a public interest organization or charity, it is also virtually certain that the various fees include a profit margin to compensate JLB for the time and effort spent procuring legal documents for and from Document Systems.
Viewing the record in the light most favorable to Ms. Hargis, the record at this stage of the litigation supports her theory that JLB charges its customers a variety of fees totaling thousands of dollars for the express purpose of procuring for and from Document Systems all of the legal documents necessary to close the mortgage loan. Therefore, I would reverse the summary judgment on Counts I and II.
By contrast, in this case the documents are created to apply for a loan, and the type of legal discretion needed to list assets and liabilities properly for a bankruptcy proceeding is not required.