The Articles of an LLC
All Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) are based around a series of legal documents known as “articles”. These articles are mandatory, and detail what a company does along with the individuals involved in its ownership and management.
The Articles of an LLC: What Businesses Need to Know
Before businesses in the United States of America can be registered as an LLC, they need to complete a series of documents known as their ‘Articles of Organization’. When these documents are completed and approved by the relevant Company Registrar, the business becomes an LLC and can enjoy the benefits of possessing limited liability for losses or debts. The articles themselves may vary slightly depending on the state the company is based in. However, they tend to consist of similar documents and have a similar purpose: to establish who owns specific companies and the primary purpose of said companies.
What Specific Information is Included in the Articles of an LLC?
Typically, the Articles of an LLC will include the following information:
- Basic information regarding the address of the company and its name
- Information about the primary purpose of the company
- The name and address of the company’s “registered agent” – who may be the Secretary of State’s Office or the company’s lawyer
- A record of the names of the members of the LLC, which will usually include the LLC’s senior manager.
The name chosen must be unique, and there are search tools on the web that can detect matches with currently existing names, saving applicants time (and possible problems in the filing process).
Filing the Articles of an LLC is a vital step on the path to achieving limited liability status. As with all legal processes, the documents that companies file must be completed in a way that meets the statutory requirements of their home state. Fees are also levied for filing, and misfiling can incur additional costs. For all of these reasons, it makes sense to enlist legal assistance to file LLC documents properly.