How Do I Start a Legal Document Service Business in Florida?
A legal document business helps individuals complete wills, immigration and other legal paperwork. Florida is a state with no state income tax and as such attracts many new businesses every year; legal document businesses are just one type. There are federal and state requirements added to the usual steps in setting up any new business, but the state of Florida does not require a business license for legal document services. Since there is no requirement that one be an attorney to open one of these businesses, the creation of these documents is mainly done with computer software or templates.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- EIN number
- Articles of incorporation or organization
- Business charter
- Working capital
Instructions
-
Preparation
-
1
Choose the form of business you wish to use. The two safest options are the Limited Liability Company and the S-Corporation. Both of these will help protect your personal assets should someone sue your business.
-
2
Choose a name for your business that reflects the service you provide. This step involves a little more than creative thinking. You must ensure that the name you choose is not in use by another business. Visit the Florida Division of Corporations website and search under both corporations and fictitious names to help find a business name.
-
-
3
Go to a legal online service or use packaged software to create your articles of organization or incorporation. Since you are starting a business that deals with this type of service, you may want to do this yourself. If you choose to use an online service, Legal Zoom and Legal Docs both provide the service and file the forms with the state of Florida for you.
Register with the IRS and the State
-
4
Visit the Internal Revenue Service website and enter the phrase "EIN" into the search box located at the top of the screen. You will have to answer a series of questions about what kind of business you are opening so that you can get an EIN number. These answers will concern the form of your business and the type of business you will be conducting.
-
5
Click on the option to get your Employer Identification Number immediately and print the page. When the questions are done you will have two choices as to how to receive your EIN number. The first is by mail, and the second is immediately. You will still receive a letter from the IRS with your EIN on it if you choose the immediate option.
-
6
Visit the Florida Division of Corporations website to register your business with the state. You will need to answer a lot of the same questions asked on the IRS site, and you will have to pay a fee for registering your business with the state. If you choose an LLC, you will need to register the fictitious name. For a corporation, you just need to register the name of the corporation. When you have paid the fee online, you will need to print the confirmation page giving you a document number.
Final Steps
-
7
Gather your articles of organization or incorporation, the printed EIN page and the document number page. Go to your local bank and use these forms to open a business checking account. Ask about minimum balances and fees; you may want to shop around for a bank.
-
8
Deposit enough working capital into the business checking account to pay your expenses for at least three months. Ideally, you should have six months of expenses saved until your business is up and running, so three months is a minimum.
-
9
Find a location for your office. As has been said, the secret to any successful business is "Location, Location, Location." The rent in one strip mall may be cheap, but if there is very light foot traffic, you will need to make up for that with higher fees for your services. The cost of rent does not indicate the amount of business either. The state of Florida has a number of office rental locations that are managed from out of state by companies that charge astronomical rates for poor locations. Do your research carefully, because choosing the wrong location can put you out of business before you start.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Spend a few days observing potential location sites for walk-in traffic and anchor stores located nearby. These anchor stores will bring in people who will have to see your office as they pass by.
