can a lawyer be a registered agent when starting a business

by Cora Macejkovic 6 min read

Most businesses hire a legal service or an attorney to serve as registered agent. Your registered agent will receive legal, tax and other official mail for you, forward the documents to your business address and notify you of any deadlines or actions that you need to take.

Why do you need a business lawyer as a registered agent?

With a good business lawyer serving as your company's registered agent, you should receive the legal advice you need to maintain your corporate shield and protect your personal assets.

Can I Be my Own registered agent for my business?

Once you have a good understanding of the role of a registered agent, you can begin to look at all of the different registered agent options available to your business. Can I Be My Own Registered Agent? It is possible to be your own registered agent.

Who can be the registered agent for my LLC?

In most states, there are three options for who can be the Registered Agent for your LLC: Some states also allow the LLC to be its own Registered Agent: Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. And things are really different in New York and West Virginia: Registered Agents aren’t required.

How much does it cost to hire a registered agent?

A registered agent service can cost anywhere from $50 to $300, but hiring a registered agent service will save you time and money in the long-run. How much does it cost to change my registered agent?

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What is a Registered Agent?

A registered agent is a person or business who receives and sends legal documents on your LLC’s behalf. In some states, a registered agent is calle...

How much does an LLC registered agent cost?

A registered agent service can cost anywhere from $50 to $300, but hiring a registered agent service will save you time and money in the long-run.

How much does it cost to change my registered agent?

Changing your registered agent can cost from $0 to $50 per state depending on the number of states you’re registered in to do business with your LLC.

What is a statutory agent?

A statutory agent is another name for a registered agent, a process of service agent, or a resident agent. Although most states use the name regist...

What is a resident agent?

A resident agent is another name for a registered agent, a process of service agent, or a statutory agent. Although most states use the name regist...

What is a service of process agent?

A service of process agent is another name for a registered agent, a resident agent, or a statutory agent. Although most states use the name regist...

What does “service of process” mean?

Service of process means receiving legal documents, such as a summons. A summons is an order to appear before a judge due to a pending lawsuit.

What is a commercial vs. non-commercial registered agent?

Most states require LLC owners to provide their LLC’s registered agent’s name and address when forming your LLC. In some states, you will be asked...

What is a Registered Agent?

When you form an LLC or Corporation in the state of Florida you are required to designate an individual or legal entity that will accept legal documents and notifications, such as an appropriate notice of a lawsuit, on behalf of your business. This designated individual or legal entity is the registered agent for your business.

Who Can be a Registered Agent?

Registered agents can be part of the organization they represent, or an individual/entity separate from your business. However, while an individual from your own business may be designated as it’s registered agent, the entity itself cannot be its own registered agent.

Requirements of a Registered Agent

In order for an entity or individual to be a registered agent for a business in Florida, they must first meet some requirements.

Why a Lawyer Should be Your Registered Agent

With these requirements in mind, we can now examine why lawyers are preferred to be registered agents. Lawyers will have physical offices within the state of Florida and often operate within normal business hours, meaning 9-5 office hours. This also means that lawyers can be easily reached by any party looking to take legal action.

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What happens if you use yourself as a registered agent?

If you choose to use yourself as the registered agent, then your name will be directly associated with the business you are registered with. Since the third-party registered agent is the official point of correspondence for the business, all legal documents will be delivered to them.

What is a registered agent?

A registered agent (or statutory agent in some states) is a third-party person or business designated by a corporation or LLC to receive legal and official correspondence on behalf of the company. These correspondences include service of process, state paperwork, tax information, and court summons. Registered agents are ...

Why use a third party registered agent?

Using a third-party registered agent can give you and your company peace of mind as a responsible and established entity. As such they can alleviate the worry of missing important delivery of correspondence or save you the hassle of paperwork required if you have a change of address.

Where do registered agents reside?

The registered agent must reside in the state in which the corporation or LLC is located or doing business in, and have a physical address (not a P.O. Box) in those states. Registered agents can be a member of your company or a third-party such as a law firm.

Is a registered agent the same as a company?

A registered agent’s address is not the same as a companies address. Your business must also have its own address which can be a physical address, a P.O. box or, virtual mailbox. If you need a company address or wish to further your privacy, you should look at our Virtual Mail Box Service as well.

Why is it important to have a registered agent?

A registered agent service will maintain your privacy by: Preventing you from being served with a lawsuit in person. You don’t want to get served in front of your family, employees, or worse, your customers.

What is a registered agent service?

A registered agent service gives you the flexibility to focus on your business instead of keeping track of deadlines and being available during business hours. With a registered agent service, you can: Maintain flexible business hours. A registered agent must be available from 8-5 every weekday.

What are the disadvantages of using a registered agent?

Another option would be to hire a professional registered agent service. One of the disadvantages is that it is more expensive than acting as your own. Using a service helps you avoid fees or further legal trouble caused by missing or misplacing an important document or notice.

How old do you have to be to be an LLC member?

You could also choose to elect a member of your LLC, or even a friend you trust, as long as the person meets these requirements: is 18 years or older. has a physical address in the state where the business is conducted. is available during normal business hours. Another option would be to hire a professional registered agent service.

Does Northwest have a registered agent?

Northwest offers high-quality registered agent services. There are no hidden fees or gimmicks. Plus, they'll include a full year of registered agent services for free. Northwest's online document management system and regular compliance alerts make working with them completely worry-free.

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