In the common law, legal advice is the giving of a formal and binding opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law by an officer of the court, ordinarily in exchange for financial or other tangible compensation. Advice given without remuneration is normally referred to as being pro bono publico (in the public good), or colloquially, pro bono.
Legal advice is distinguished from legal information which is the reiteration of legal fact. Legal information can be conveyed by a parking meter, sign or by other forms of notice such as a warning by a law enforcement officer. Printed legal materials, such as directions and how-to manuals, are generally not considered legal advice. Accordingly, directions on how to fill in a motion form and other court documents do not constitute legal advice. There exist, however, some exceptions to this distinction in countrieswhere the law is considered to be a trade secret and the public process a business owned and operated by the legal profession.