Am I breaking the law by giving a friend advice?

Question

My Friend had some questions about copyright laws, I told him that he was breaking said copyright laws and should do a few things different with his business.

Is this considered breaking the law? I'm not a lawyer and I'm not trying to represent him in court anyway. Also, if it makes a different, we're in the State of Ohio.

Not sure what this part of this article means: http://hirealawyer.findlaw.com/do-you-need-a-lawyer/what-is-legal-advice.html

"Advice from FRIENDS or family does not constitute legal advice. True legal advice forms an agreement between an attorney and his or her client based on a particular legal matter the client is experiencing."

Answer 1

The relevant law for you is ORC 4705.07.

(A) No person who is not licensed to practice law in this state shall do any of the following:

(1) Hold that person out in any manner as an attorney at law;

(2) Represent that person orally or in writing, directly or indirectly, as being authorized to practice law;

(3) Commit any act that is prohibited by the supreme court as being the unauthorized practice of law.

(This is a prime example of legal language that cannot be interpreted on the basis of rules of English -- the issue is the meaning of "that person"). This does not prohibit you from giving an opinion as to what the law is, which is a right protected under the First Amendment. You would be in trouble if you said "This is my advice as a lawyer". Section 2 b.t.w. says that only the Supreme Court (of Ohio) can determine if a person has committed an act on their don't-do-it list. Rule 7 pertaining to their procedure is here. Section 2 therein enumerates the relevant categories, which fall under the categories "rendering of legal services for another" and "Holding out to the public or otherwise representing oneself as authorized to practice law in Ohio", which is what the statute says.