Chapter 221

Section 46. No corporation or association shall practice or appear as an attorney for any person other than itself in any court in the commonwealth or before any judicial body or hold itself out to the public or advertise as being entitled to practice law, and no corporation or a…

Section 46A. No individual, other than a member, in good standing, of the bar of this commonwealth shall practice law, or, by word, sign, letter, advertisement or otherwise, hold himself out as authorized, entitled, competent, qualified or able to practice law; provided, that a m…

Section 46B. The supreme judicial court and the superior court shall have concurrent jurisdiction in equity, upon petition of any bar association within the commonwealth, or of three or more members of the bar of the commonwealth, or of the attorney general, or of the district at…

Section 46C. The furnishing of advice or services for and in behalf of a debtor in connection with any debt pooling plan, whereby such debtor deposits any funds for the purposes of making pro rata payments or other distributions to his creditors, shall be deemed to be the practic…

Section 46D. The provisions of sections forty-six, forty-six A, forty-six B and forty-six C shall not apply to a corporation, or its agents, which has been organized under the provisions of chapter one hundred and eighty for the purpose of providing credit counseling.

Section 46E. (a) With respect to real estate closings involving the use of communication technology, as defined in section 1 of chapter 222, the following words, as used in this section, shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Closing'…

Section 48. Parties may manage, prosecute or defend their own suits personally, or by such attorneys as they may engage; but not more than two persons for each party shall, without permission of the court, be allowed to manage any case therein.

Section 5. In addition to the assistant clerks provided for in section four, the clerks of the courts for the following counties may, subject to the approval of the court administrator as to compliance with personnel standards promulgated pursuant to section 8 of chapter 211B, ap…

Section 50. From the authorized commencement of an action, counterclaim or other proceeding in any court, or appearance in any proceeding before any state or federal department, board or commission, the attorney who appears for a client in such proceeding shall have a lien for hi…

Section 50A. Payment by the commonwealth or by any political subdivision thereof to a client in full or in settlement of any claim, counterclaim, cause of action, judgment, execution, order or decree shall discharge the commonwealth or such political subdivision from all liabilit…

Section 50B. The court shall determine all claims in a summary manner, but without abridging the right of trial by jury as guaranteed by the constitution.

Section 51. An attorney at law who unreasonably neglects to pay over money collected by him for and in behalf of a client, when demanded by the client, shall forfeit to such client five times the lawful interest of the money from the time of the demand.

Section 52. No person shall be employed or allowed to appear as attorney before a court in any proceeding, civil or criminal, which shall have been previously determined before him as a judge of any court or as a trial justice.

Section 53. The governor, with the advice and consent of the council, shall, as vacancies occur, appoint masters in chancery, who may act throughout the commonwealth, so that the number thereof in the several counties shall be twelve in Suffolk, eleven in Essex, eleven in Middles…

Section 54. A master may complete any unfinished proceedings and processes pending before him or commenced under his direction notwithstanding the expiration of his commission.

Section 55. The supreme judicial court, the superior court or the probate court shall award reasonable compensation to commissioners, assessors, referees, masters in chancery and special masters, for duties performed under the direction of said court, and to arbitrators appointed…

Section 57. When a civil action is at issue and is not governed by chapter two hundred and twenty-one B or by the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure or by any extensions thereof to domestic relations actions, the justice of the probate and family court division may appoint on…

Section 58. Masters shall give notice to the parties of the time and place appointed for their meeting, and may adjourn from time to time as may be necessary, subject, however, to any general or special order of the court. If there is more than one master, all shall meet and hear…

Section 59. The court may for cause discharge the auditors and appoint others and may recommit the report for revision or further examination to the same or to other auditors.

Section 5A. The assistant clerks appointed under the provisions of sections four and five of this chapter shall devote their entire time during business hours to their respective duties and shall not, directly or indirectly, engage in the practice of law.

Section 61. The court shall award reasonable compensation and allow actual expenses of travel in attending hearings, if said expenses be approved by the court as reasonable, to masters, and the same shall be paid by the commonwealth if they are appointed by the supreme judicial c…

Section 62. Masters appointed by the probate and family court department shall file their final report in the office of the register of the court by which they are appointed within ninety days after the hearing before them has been closed or within such time as the court may allo…

Section 62A. If a master appointed by the probate and family court department becomes incapacitated or dies without having filed his final report the court may award him or his estate reasonable compensation, payable by the commonwealth, upon a finding that he actually performed …

Section 62B. Clerks of court for the several counties, the clerk of the superior court for criminal business in Suffolk county, the clerk of the superior court for civil business in Suffolk county, clerks of the housing courts, registers of the probate courts, clerks of district …

Section 62C. A magistrate designated under the previous section, in addition to his powers and duties as clerk, may: (a) grant such continuances as are agreed upon by all parties to any proceeding and as may be allowed by rule of court; (b) hear and rule on any uncontested non-ev…

Section 63. There shall be a reporter of decisions of the supreme judicial court. He shall be appointed by the justices of the supreme judicial court, and hold office at their pleasure.

Section 64. He shall attend the law sittings of the court unless excused therefrom by the chief justice, make true reports of decisions upon all questions of law argued by counsel, prepare them for publication with suitable head notes, tables of cases and indexes, furnish them to…

Section 64A. The reporter shall from time to time advertise for bids for the execution of the printing and binding or for the execution of the publication in electronic format, and provide for the sale to the public at such price as he may fix, of the reports of decisions of the …

Section 65. The volumes of reports shall be styled ''Massachusetts Reports'', and the name of the reporter shall not be added thereto.

Section 66. The commonwealth shall provide a safe and convenient place in Boston where the reporter shall keep the written opinions of the court in all law cases argued in the several counties until their publication in the reports, and his dockets and copies of papers in such ca…

Section 67. If the reporter is prevented from attending at a sitting, he shall depute a suitable person to attend for him and take notes of the decisions; or the court may appoint a person to act for him until he resumes the performance of his duties, or until another is appointe…

Section 68. The reporter shall receive from the commonwealth a salary to be fixed by the chief justice of the supreme judicial court, with the approval of the governor and council, and shall be allowed by the commonwealth for clerical and incidental expenses of his office such su…

Section 69. Not more than 4 deputy sheriffs or court officers shall receive compensation for attendance upon a sitting of the superior court for civil business or for both civil and criminal business unless the presiding justice or the district attorney requests, in writing, that…

Section 69A. (a) The chief justice of the supreme judicial court shall appoint, and may remove for cause, the chief court officer, the assistant chief court officer and the court officers of the supreme judicial court, who shall be responsible for security in all areas of the Joh…

Section 6A. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Middlesex, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the cou…

Section 6B. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Essex, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the county …

Section 6C. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Essex, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the county …

Section 6D. The clerk of the courts for the county of Norfolk may designate, subject to removal by the court or by the clerk, one of the assistant clerks for said county, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of said clerk, the duties of clerk pertaining t…

Section 6E. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Worcester, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the cou…

Section 6F. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Worcester, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the cou…

Section 6G. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Middlesex, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the cou…

Section 6I. The justices of the superior court may designate for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Plymouth, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of courts for the county of Plymouth, the duties of clerk…

Section 6J. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Plymouth, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of the courts for the coun…

Section 6K. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Hampden, appointed under section five, to perform under the direction of the clerk of courts for the county of …

Section 6L. The justices of the superior court may designate, for a term of three years from the date of such designation, one of the assistant clerks for the county of Hampden, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of the clerk of courts for the county of…

Section 6M. The clerk of the courts for the county of Bristol may designate, subject to removal by the court or by the clerk, one of the assistant clerks for said county, appointed under section five, to perform, under the direction of said clerk, the duties of clerk pertaining t…

Section 6N. The clerk of the courts for the county of Bristol may designate, subject to removal by the court or by the clerk, one of the assistant clerks for said county to perform, under the direction of said clerk, the duties of clerk pertaining to the civil proceedings in said…

Section 6O. The clerk of the courts for the county of Bristol may designate, subject to removal by the court or by the clerk, one of the assistant clerks for said county to perform, under the direction of the clerk, the duties of clerk pertaining to the equity proceedings in said…

Section 7. The clerks of the courts may designate such employees in their offices, as in their judgment may be necessary for the convenience of the public, as deputy assistant clerks of the courts, who shall have the same authority to administer oaths as the assistant clerks of t…

Section 70. Subject to appropriation, the court administrator may appoint for attendance upon the several sessions of the trial court such officers as he deems necessary for the efficient operation of said court. If a trial court department shall locate to the John Adams courthou…