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<section article="gin" article_name="Insurance" number="10-125" title_number="10" title_name="Regulation of Insurance Professions" subtitle_number="1" subtitle_name="Insurance Producers">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Attorney” means an individual admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of Maryland of the State.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Law firm” means an association of attorneys in a law partnership, professional corporation, sole proprietorship, or other business entity who:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>are primarily engaged in the practice of law; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>solicit, procure, or negotiate title insurance contracts only as an incident to the practice of law.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Law firm” includes a sole practitioner.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>“Law firm” does not include:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>an attorney or an association of attorneys who own, operate, or share an interest in a title agency; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>an attorney who is employed by a title agency as a title insurance producer.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Title agency” means a business entity, other than a law firm, formed for the primary purpose of soliciting, procuring, or negotiating title insurance contracts and providing settlement services.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Title agency” includes a sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Subject to this section, the Commissioner may issue a limited lines license to an attorney who solicits, procures, or negotiates title insurance contracts to act as a title insurance producer.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>All licensing provisions of this subtitle apply to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>an attorney who solicits, procures, or negotiates title insurance contracts; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>title agencies even if the title agency is established or owned by an attorney or an association of attorneys.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>Notwithstanding any other provision of this subtitle:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>the licensing, bonding, and examination requirements of this subtitle relating to title insurance producers do not apply to law firms; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the bonding and examination requirements of this subtitle relating to title insurance producers do not apply to attorneys.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The bonding requirements of this subtitle are applicable to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>an attorney or an association of attorneys who own, operate, or share an interest in a title agency; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>an attorney who is employed by a title agency as a title insurance producer.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
