Lincoln, NE (CNN) In an unprecedented action, the Nebraska Supreme Court announced on Saturday that it has sanctioned a seven-year-old Omaha girl for the unlicensed practice of law. The Supreme Court concluded that this past summer Greta Taylor, a third-grade student at St. Margaret Mary, had repeatedly represented herself as an attorney to her client (eight-year-old Jack Taylor), to representatives of the Omaha Police Department and the Douglas County Health Department, and to the media.
Greta’s legal work was on full display in Jack and Noah’s Big Day, when her brother Jack and his best friend Noah Patton repeatedly were in need of legal advice. Omaha attorney John Dooley, a friend of the Taylor family, had told media outlets that he was representing Jack Taylor, but insiders have said Greta was far more effective than Mr. Dooley.
“While no harm resulted from Ms. Taylor’s actions – indeed, her legal skills appear to be among the best in Nebraska –the fact remains that Nebraska law requires individuals to be licensed by the State in order to hold themselves out as attorneys,” the court’s statement read. “Consequently, we have no leeway in this ruling. If we did have leeway, we would give an award to Ms. Taylor for her brilliant legal work, and we would sanction John Dooley, a licensed attorney who is half as bright as Greta.”
The Supreme Court has never sanctioned a child for the unlicensed practice of law, so it was clear that the justices struggled with how to discipline her. Ultimately they decided to take away her iPod for one week and ban her from sleepovers for one month. They stopped short of confiscating her American Girl dolls.
When reached for comment, Greta indicated that she didn’t care “what a bunch of old fuddy-duds think about me. I’m busy running an Internet company and a clothing line that I started with my best friends Delaney and Mary Kate – I really don’t have time to be a lawyer this month anyway.”
Jack and Noah’s Big Day by Jay Slagle is available for $9.99 at the Bookworm bookstore at 8702 Pacific in Omaha or on-line at Amazon. Learn more about the book at www.jayslagle.com. Follow his ‘20 Days of Stupid’ project from November 23rd thru December 12th on Twitter (JaySlagleWrites), Instagram (JaySlagleWrites), Facebook (JackAndNoahsBigDay) and his website (www.jayslagle.com). The book is available for reservations at the Omaha Public Library.