SECTION 46. Practice of law by corporations; prohibition; exception

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 association shall draw agreements, or other legal documents not relating to its lawful business, or draw wills, or give legal advice in matters not relating to its lawful business, or practice law, or hold itself out in any manner as being entitled to do any of the foregoing acts, by or through any person orally or by advertisement, letter or circular; provided, that nothing herein shall prohibit a corporation or association from employing an attorney in regard to its own affairs or in any litigation to which it is or may be a party or the insurer of a party. Any corporation or association violating this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars; and every officer, agent or employee of any such corporation or association who, on behalf of the same, directly or indirectly, engages in any of the acts herein prohibited, or assists such corporation or association to do such prohibited acts, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to a professional corporation organized to practice law under chapter one hundred and fifty-six A or to a limited liability company, whether domestic or foreign, or a general partnership, including a registered limited liability partnership registered pursuant to the laws of any state, the partners or professional employees of which company or partnership who practice law in the commonwealth do so in accordance with the requirements of the supreme judicial court.