Avoiding costly mistakes when forming your LLC is essential. Your decisions during the initial formation process can either set you up for success or create costly complications. For example, hiring a Florida LLC attorney is often the most expensive start-up option. Why? Many lawyers charge an hourly rate (upwards of $200 an hour), creating a significant financial burden.
At Sunshine Corporate Filings®, we’re focused on making the Florida LLC formation process simple and cost-effective. Whether you opt to keep it simple or go with a fancy LLC attorney, we break down tips to help you avoid costly mistakes when starting your LLC.
Keep LLC Formation Simple—And Cheap
Forming a Florida LLC is typically very simple and straightforward—meaning most business owners won’t need to seek legal advice during the initial formation process. Let us explain.
To form a Florida LLC, you must file Articles of Organization with the Department of State, Division of Corporations, and pay the $125 filing fee. That’s it. Once the state approves your paperwork, you’re ready to hit the ground running.
In addition, you only need to include basic information (such as the name of your LLC, business address, and registered agent details) on your Articles of Organization. So, hiring an attorney may be overkill.
Pro Tip: While filing yourself is the cheapest way to form an LLC, any information you put—including your name and home address—becomes a permanent part of the public record, even if filing amendments to update information. By spending just a little more, you can avoid using your own name as the organizer and your own address as the registered and principal offices by hiring a registered agent service like ours to form your LLC for you.
Some business owners might seek legal advice when drafting their LLC operating agreement. However, keep in mind that your operating agreement is an internal document–meaning it’s not filed with the state. Plus, we offer a FREE attorney-drafted operating agreement you can easily customize to fit your specific needs.
If You Opt for a Florida LLC
If you do decide to blow some serious cash on an attorney, hidden or extra fees can snowball quickly. At minimum, you’ll want to ensure you do the following:
- Review your retainer agreement. If you decide hiring a lawyer is right for you, carefully review the retainer agreement. Make sure it’s clear how often you will be billed and what (if any) services will cost you additional fees. For example, do you need to pay extra for phone calls, postage, or research time?Reading the fine print will save you time, money, and potential headaches down the road.
- Limit the role of your Florida LLC attorney. Part of owning a Florida LLC means filing an annual report with Department of State, Division of Corporations and appointing a Florida registered agent. Thankfully, neither of these tasks requires legal support. Submitting your annual report is simple and can easily be completed yourself or through a more cost-effective filing service (like ours).Although your LLC is required to have and maintain a Florida registered agent, you do not need to hire an attorney to fulfill this role. In fact, hiring a lawyer to act as your registered agent could create more problems than good. How?
Per state law, your registered agent must be available during regular business hours to accept service of process on behalf of your LLC. Between court appearances, depositions, and the occasional vacation, your attorney may not be the most dependable option. Thankfully, you can hire local experts like us (for just $35 a year!) without sacrificing quality and professionalism. Plus, serving as your registered agent is our only focus. You’ll never have to worry about missing important mail.
- Have an exit strategy. Terminating an attorney-client relationship can sometimes be tricky, so knowing your options before beginning formal processes is a good idea. Most retainer agreements will outline a series of steps you should take to end the relationship.In addition to paying the agreed-upon fee, you’ll likely need to write a formal letter notifying your attorney you wish to terminate services.
Save Time & Money: Hire Sunshine Corporate Filings®
When you hire us to form your Florida LLC, you get more than just professional filing and local registered agent service. You get a company that offers affordable, transparent pricing and expert business support, always prioritizing you and your business.
For just $70 plus state fees, our local team will file your Articles of Organization and provide a year of Florida registered agent service. The best part? You’ll also get free services, including:
- A Florida business address you can list on state forms to protect your privacy
- Free LLC operating agreement
- Secure online account to manage your important documents
- Real-time annual report reminders
- A 90-day trial of our web & phone services
Ready to get started? Hire us to form your Florida LLC today!