Rule 17B-001 Jurisdiction.

Here's a plain-English summary of this rule.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has the power to decide what counts as "practicing law" and to stop people from practicing law if they're not licensed to do it. This rule is the court using that power. It sets up the ground rules that will apply whenever someone is accused of practicing law without a license.

In simple terms, this rule doesn't deal with a specific case or situation. Instead, it explains where the authority behind all the other unauthorized practice of law rules comes from. Any time the court needs to look into whether someone acted like a lawyer without being one, this rule confirms the court has the legal right to handle that.