Business Formation in Los Angeles

Thinking about starting a new company in Los Angeles or throughout California? Do you want to grow an existing business by forming a new legal entity?

If so, you need an attorney with the knowledge, skills, and experience to take your business to the next level. Protecting your interests involves a careful examination of your entire business to recommend the best legal entity to accomplish your objectives.

Let the business formation lawyers at Stone & Sallus help you select the correct legal structure to meet your business goals while exceeding profit targets.

Our Business Formation Attorneys in Los Angeles and California 

Stone & Sallus LLP business formation attorneys understand that the foundation of any successful business begins with its legal structure. Your choice of the appropriate legal entity from day one determines success even when facing future difficulties. 

 Our Company Formation Attorneys can Create 12 Different Legal Structures 

California laws allow 12 legal structures to conduct business in Los Angeles or any other city. These include:

  • C corporations
  • S corporations
  • Professional corporations (PC)
  • Limited Liability Companies (LLC)
  • Partnerships
  • Family Limited Partnerships (FLP)
  • Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP)
  • Limited Partnerships (LP)
  • Sole proprietorships
  • Merger and Acquisitions
  • Joint ventures
  • Business succession

It looks complicated, but our attorneys will help you choose the suitable legal entity based on your business goals. Issues like taxation, corporate formation, financing, and liability get resolved by our experienced and knowledgeable California business formation lawyers. 

We’ll teach you the benefits and disadvantages of these legal structures so you make an informed decision about the correct one for your business.

How We Help You Start Your Business in California

We help aspiring business people to turn visions into realities. We achieve this by establishing a long relationship with our clients. We begin by advising our clients about the many available legal structures. Then, we routinely help our clients during their business. This involves offering preventive steps to protect your business interests.

After we help you choose the best legal structure for tax purposes and your business goals we help you with creating it. This includes legal entity formation, registration, plus drafting and reviewing legal documents. 

What Documents Our Lawyers will Draft to Protect Your Entity

Our Los Angeles business formation lawyers get involved with the organization and structure of your new business entity. These include preparing the following documents:

  • Articles of Incorporation or Organization;
  • Bylaws;
  • Operating agreements;
  • Shareholder or partnership agreements; and
  • Employment contracts and policies.

Our Process for Helping Business Clients in Los Angeles and throughout California

We explained the ways we can help you with choosing the right legal structure and the types of documents we prepare to protect your business. Let’s sum it up for you.

Selecting the Best Entity – We help you decide which legal structure works best with your business purpose and goals. These include corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and other business structures. 

Registration – We help you with each step of filing and registering your legal entity with the California Secretary of State.

Documentation – California legal entities require many legal documents. We will help you with every legal document. These include:

Corporations

  • Articles of Incorporation;
  • Bylaws;
  • Opening Minutes;
  • EIN number (the identity of the corporation for tax purposes);
  • First Organizational Meeting;
  • Explanations for stockholders;
  • Employee contracts and policies; 
  • Business license registration with local city or county; and
  • Statement of Information filed with the Secretary of State.

LLC

  • Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) to create an LLC in California;
  • Application to Register (Form LLC-5) for non-California LLCs;
  • Statement of Information within 90 days after filing Form LLC-1 or 5; 
  • Certificate of Amendment (Form LLC-2) to make changes to the LLC-1; 
  • Certificate of Correction (Form LLC-11) to make corrections to the LLC-1; and
  • Business license registration with local city or county (if conducting business with the public).

Partnerships

  • Drafting a Partnership Agreement;
  • Filing a fictitious business name with the county clerk;
  • Obtain business licenses, permits, and zoning clearance (for property development);
  • Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for paying federal taxes; and
  • The option to file a “Statement of Partnership Authority” (Form GP-1), or “Application to Register a Limited Partnership” (Form LLP-1) with the Secretary of State. 

Joint Ventures

  • Memorandum of Understanding;
  • Joint Venture Agreement;
  • Ancillary agreements; and
  • Obtaining regulatory approval (if required).

Sole Proprietorship

  • File a fictitious business name with the county clerk (if using one);
  • Business license registration with local city or county;
  • Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS;
  • Obtain necessary zoning clearance, licenses, and permits; and
  • Publish an announcement of your new business entity in a generally circulated publication (if using a fictitious name).

Confused by Business Formation in California or Los Angeles?

Speak to one of our Stone & Sallus business formation attorneys to get all your questions answered and with help to form a new business in Los Angeles and other parts of California.

Consultation – Call today to speak with a business formation attorney. 

Emily Micelli
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I deeply appreciate attorney Jason Stone for his sharp, excellent advice. From the first conversation, his voice gave me confidence. He listened. He gave me very firm, informative, very sharp, and excellent approach to the situation. The next conversation with him, again with the same tough, firm tone, he gave me very good directions for my situation. He was very generous, thoughtful and very professional. Thank you so much attorney Jason Stone. Another plus for his firm was the initial feeling when i talked to his assistant Karen. She was so wonder and so thoughtful and so professional. Going forward, i will always come back for more business with Mr. Jason Stone. I started a business without a proper legal advice. So the journey was rough. From this point forward, Mr. Stone will always be my choice of legal council.