Opinion
Civil Action No. 07-cv-1092-JLK.
June 14, 2007
ORDER
The court has received the answer is this matter, filed by defendant's Chief Financial Officer, Keith Jones. As an individual, Mr. Jones is not permitted to represent the corporation. As stated in Rowland v. California Men's Colony, 506 U.S. 194, 201-202 (1993):
It has been the law for the better part of two centuries . . . that a corporation may appear in the federal courts only through licensed counsel. Osborn v. President of Bank of United States, 9 Wheat. 738, 829, 6 L.Ed. 204 (1824); see Turner v. American Bar Assn., 407 F.Supp. 451, 476 (N.D. Tex. 1975) (citing the "long line of cases" from 1824 to the present holding that a corporation may only be represented by licensed counsel), aff'd sub nom. Pilla v. American Bar Assn., 542 F.2d 56 (8th Cir. 1976). As the courts have recognized, the rationale for that rule applies equally to all artificial entities. Thus, save in a few aberrant cases, [footnote omitted], the lower courts have uniformly held that § 28 U.S.C. 1654, providing that "parties may plead and conduct their own cases personally or by counsel," does not allow corporations, partnerships, or associations to appear in federal court otherwise than through a licensed attorney. See, e.g., Eagle Associates v. Bank of Montreal, 926 F.2d 1305 (2d Cir. 1991) (partnership); Taylor v. Knapp, 871 F.2d 803, 806 (9th Cir.) (nonprofit corporation formed by prison inmates), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 868, 110 S.Ct. 192, 107 L.Ed.2d 146 (1989); Jones v. Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, 722 F.2d 20, 22 (2d Cir. 1983) (corporation); Richdel, Inc. v. Sunspool Corp., 699 F.2d 1366 (Fed. Cir. 1983) (per curiam) (corporation); Southwest Express Co. v. ICC, 670 F.2d 53, 55 (5th Cir. 1982) (per curiam) (corporation); In re Victor Publishers, Inc., 545 F.2d 285, 286 (1st Cir. 1976) (per curiam) (corporation); Strong Delivery Ministry Assn. v. Board of Appeals of Cook County, 543 F.2d 32, 34 (7th Cir. 1976) (per curiam) (corporation); United States v. 9.19 Acres of Land, 416 F.2d 1244, 1245 (6th Cir. 1969) (per curiam) (corporation); Simbraw, Inc. v. United States, 367 F.2d 373, 374 (CA3 1966) (per curiam) (corporation).
Against the background of this tradition, the provisions of law authorizing litigants to represent themselves applies to natural persons only. Corporations, because they are not natural persons, cannot represent themselves and Defendant StaFab may appear only through licensed counsel. StaFab shall obtain counsel no later than June 29, 2007.