Woman Practiced Law Without License, Burlington Co. Police Charge

EVESHAM, NJ — A Burlington County woman defrauded legal clients and stole more than $100,000 from her employer while practicing law under a fake name and without a license, police charged.

Evesham Police allege that 34-year-old Rebecca Cronin had been practicing law under the name Rebecca Shugars, and that people paid her to provide legal services on their behalf. Police ask anyone who may have been defrauded by Cronin to call 856-983-1116.

Police said Cronin never attended law school, let alone obtained a license. A LinkedIn page for her says she is a senior paralegal.

The Southampton woman faces third-degree charges of practicing law without a license and theft by deception, and fourth-degree forgery.

Evesham Police began investigating a suspect "who was practicing law without a license and was defrauding victims" in September 2022, said police. The investigation led them to Cronin, officials said.

Officials seized evidence after obtaining a search warrant for her New Road home, and arrested her Tuesday. She is lodged in Burlington County Jail, police said.

Evesham Police say anyone who has possibly been victimized by Cronin (aka Shugars), or who has information that can help their investigation, to call the department at 856-983-1116 or email Detective Halpern at HalpernJ@eveshampd.org.