(a) It is a violation of subdivision (a) of Section 6126 for any person who is not an attorney to literally translate from English into another language, in any document, including an advertisement, stationery, letterhead, business card, or other comparable written material, any words or titles, including, but not limited to, “notary public,” “notary,” “licensed,” “attorney,” or “lawyer,” that imply that the person is an attorney. As provided in this subdivision, the literal translation of the phrase “notary public” into Spanish as “notario publico” or “notario,” is expressly prohibited.
(b) For purposes of this section, “literal translation of” or “to literally translate” a word, title, or phrase from one language means the translation of a word, title, or phrase without regard to the true meaning of the word or phrase in the language that is being translated.
(c) (1) In addition to any other remedies and penalties prescribed in this article, a person who violates this section shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) per day for each violation, to be assessed and collected in a civil action brought by the State Bar.
(2) In assessing the amount of the civil penalty, the court may consider relevant circumstances presented by the parties to the case, including, but not limited to, the following:
(A) The nature and severity of the misconduct.
(B) The number of violations.
(C) The length of time over which the misconduct occurred, and the persistence of the misconduct.
(D) The wilfulness of the misconduct.
(E) The defendant’s assets, liabilities, and net worth.
(3) The court shall grant a prevailing plaintiff reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
(4) A civil action brought under this section shall be commenced within four years after the cause of action accrues.
(5) In a civil action brought by the State Bar under this section, the civil penalty collected shall be paid to the State Bar and allocated to the fund established pursuant to Section 6033 to provide free legal services related to immigration reform act services to clients of limited means or to a fund for the purposes of mitigating unpaid claims of injured immigrant clients under Section 22447, as directed by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar. The board shall annually report any collection and expenditure of funds for the preceding calendar year, as authorized by this section, to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary. The report required by this section may be included in the report described in Section 6086.15.
(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 574, Sec. 1. (AB 1159) Effective October 5, 2013.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018