78 - LAWS OF MARYLAND.

that has or may hereafter be commenced for any violation of the
section hereby repealed, happening previous to the passage
of this Act.

Approved April 6, 1908.

CHAPTER 413.

AN ACT to add an additional section to Article 27 of the Code
of Public General Laws, title "Crimes and Punishments, "
sub-title "Barratry, " to be known as Section 17A.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That the following additional section be added to Article
27 of the Code of Public General Laws of Maryland, title
"Crimes and Punishments, " sub-title "Barratry, " to be known
as Section 17A, and to read as follows:

17A. Whoever, for his own gain, and having no existing re-
lationship or interest in the issue, directly or indirectly, solicits
another to sue at law or in equity, or to make a litigious claim,
or to retain his own or another's services in so suing or making
a litigious claim; or whoever knowingly prosecutes a case in
which his services have been retained as a result of such
solicitation; or causes any case to be instituted without author-
ity; or whoever, being an attorney at law, directly or indirectly,
agrees to procure another to be employed as an expert witness,
or otherwise, or procures another to be so employed in con-
sideration of his so soliciting litigious business or undertaking
to solicit it, or in any other way compensates or agrees to
compensate another for so doing shall, upon conviction thereof,
be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment
in jail for not more than three months, or by both. Any solici-
tation as aforesaid shall be prima facie evidence that the
person so soliciting is doing so for gain. The term attorney
at law shall include counsellor at law; provided that nothing
herein contained shall impair or affect the disciplinary powers
of the courts of this State over attorneys and counsellors at
law appearing and practicing in the same.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take
effect from the date of its passage.
Approved April 8, 1908.

CHAPTER 45.

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact with amendments Chapter 476
of the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, passed at