Legality is usually a pretty low priority when people venture into a startup or begin freelancing. Understandable of course, considering how to pay the mortgage, obtaining food, or clothing seems like a much higher priority. However legal trouble can not only wipe out your new venture, but your entire lively hood if you do not protect yourself. This process doesn’t have to be hard, review the resources below!

Forming a Corporation

The most important thing you can do when you start a new venture is to form a corporation. That will seperate the liability from you and your personal items to the new venture. Failure to do this could result in your personal property being seized as a result! (House, Car, Items, anything…). Someone stops by your office and slips and falls, well you could go to court and your house could be coming with you!

Most people don’t need anything more than an LLC (I think this is simmilar to an LTD over sea’s), however each state is a little different. Below is a link to the LLC registration documents for each state.

While exact procedures very state to state the general process includes filling out an “Articles of Organization” form, reserve your company name, and come up with papers of responsibility for the corporation, then you are all set!

• Alabama
  Filing your LLC
• Alaska
  Articles of Organization
• Arizona
  Articles of Organization
• Arkansas
  Corporate Filing Forms (look for limited liability section)
• California
  Articles of Organization
• Colorado
  Form a limited liability corp. online
• Connecticut
  Articles of Organization
• Delaware
  Limited Liability Formation
• Florida
  Ariticles of Organization (online)
  Articles of Organization (print)
• Georgia
  Procedures for Filing in Georgia
• Hawaii
  Apply Online
  File Forms
• Idaho
  Articles of Organization
• Illinois
  Articles of Organization
• Indiana
  Online Filing
• Iowa
  Articles of Organization, and Name reservation
• Kansas
  Articles of Organization
• Kentucky
  Articles of Organization
• Louisiana
  Articles of Organization
• Maine
  Articles of Organization
• Maryland
  Articles of Organization
• Massachusetts
  Articles of Organization
• Michigan
  Articles of Organization
• Minnesota
  Articles of Organization
• Mississippi
  Forming an LLC
• Missouri
  LLC Instruction Sheet
• Montana
  Articles of Organization
• Nebraska
  Articles of Organization
• Nevada
  LLC Filing Packet
• New Hampshire
  Certificate of Formation
• New Jersey
  Register your Business
• New Mexico
  LLC Forms
• New York
  Articles of Organization
• North Carolina
  Articles of Organization
• North Dakota
  Articles of Organization
• Ohio
  Registration of an LLC
• Oklahoma
  Procedures for filing a LLC
• Oregon
  Articles of Organization Form
• Pennsylvania
  Certificate of Organization
• Rhode Island
  Articles of Organization
• South Carolina
  Articles of Organization
• South Dakota
  Articles of Organization
• Tennessee
  Articles of Organization
• Texas
  Certificate of Organization
• Utah
  Articles of Organization
• Vermont
  Articles of Organization (online)
• Virginia
  Articles of Organization
• Washington
  Articles of Organization
• West Virginia
  Articles of Organization
• Wisconsin
  Print Filing
  Online Filing
• Wyoming
  Articles of Organization

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.