Legal Question in Business Law in California

Do you realy think an attorney will tell you for free with this limited space. You need to list all officers, issue shares, file the articles of incorporation, file the by -laws, pay the fees, list the agent for service of process, etc. See, simple enough. Why do you think attorneys charge several thousand dollars.

The attorney's main role is educating the client. We can do the incorporation itself for under a thousand, but most clients need a lot more assistance with related aspects of starting a new corporate enterprise.

By properly complying with all the application requirements, creating and submitting all the paperwork and disclosure documents, paying the fees and taxes, drafting all the by-laws and other documents needed to form, staff, issue stock and run the company in compliance with the corporate runes, tax code, a good business standards. There are 'how to' books in the bookstores, or you can hire an attorney at reasonable cost to do the work and educate you on how to stay 'legal' without problems and penalties. If serious about doing so, feel free to contact me.

As a Franchise Attorney I agree with the other attorney answers. Forming a corporation in California is very simple - file the Articles of Incorporation and pay the correct filing fee. But there's more to incorporating that just formation. There are bylaws, minutes, election of officers and directors, issue of stock, securities compliance, employer tax i.d., etc., etc. That's why it's always a good idea to have an attorney involved right from the beginning - unless you want to deal with costly headaches down the road. Consult with a good business or franchise attorney in your area for specific advice.

Mr. Franchise - Kevin B. Murphy, B.S., M.B.A., J.D.

Franchise Foundations, a Professional Corporation

Your question is the title of a very good book by Nolo Press that may answer your underlying questions. If not, we do a flat rate simple incorporation for $1,800.