When most people start a business, they envision turning a passion or set of skills into a profitable living. What they don’t anticipate is the amount of time they will spend on all the other aspects of beginning and growing their company. Business ownership inevitably requires spending endless hours reviewing contracts, handling disputes, filing paperwork, and dealing with other maintenance tasks that don’t generate revenue but can seriously harm your business if you don’t handle them correctly. While it is possible to take care of these things yourself, for most business owners, having a registered service agent to manage legal matters on their behalf is preferable.
What Is a Registered Service Agent?
A registered service agent is a third-party individual or group that has been designated to officially receive things like service of process notices and correspondence from government agencies, including the Secretary of State. They also handle tax forms, address lawsuits, and take care of many other legal aspects of your business. The agent will typically be an attorney or law firm that is kept on retainer for this purposes. Having a registered service agent on retainer comes with a variety of important benefits, including:
- Accepting Documents – Business-related legal documents will be sent to your registered service agent rather than directly to the place where you conduct business. This can help to avoid potentially difficult or embarrassing situations like getting served with a lawsuit in front of your clients.
- Issues Handled Properly – Business owners typically know their business inside and out, but they do not usually have years of legal training and experience. Having a professional handle your legal issues helps ensure you don’t inadvertently expose yourself to liability, or worse, a lawsuit.
- Stable Legal Business Location – Many businesses have multiple locations, or you may need to relocate your company at some point. By having a registered service agent, important documents will go to one set address that isn’t likely to change.
- Focus on Your Business – Rather than waste your time constantly monitoring the legal health of your organization, you can focus on doing the things that led you to start your own business in the first place. Turning the legal tasks over to a registered service agent means more time that you can spend on revenue-generating activities.
- Security – Registered service agents handle sensitive documents for their clients on a regular basis. They know how to keep this information confidential and secure.
Learn How We Can Help Today
No matter what type of business you are running, having a registered service agent can be a real help. Here at Integrated General Counsel, we customize our services based on the specific needs of your business. Contact us to set up a consultation to discuss how we can help you today.
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