Registered Agent Service – California

Corporations and LLCs are required by law to maintain a Registered Agent in every state they do business. The question often arises, “What exactly does a Registered Agent do?”

Receipt of Service of Process:

registered agent in CaliforniaIf someone were to call you and ask, “Where should we send a lawsuit that we are filing against you?” you’d probably want to give a wrong address. Knowing this, most states require corporations and LLCs to have what is called a “Registered Agent,” which is a person and a location in that particular state where lawsuits can be sent. Because you could lose a lawsuit by default if you are unable to be served or the paperwork isn’t properly passed on to you, having a Registered Agent watching your back is your first line of defense against aggressive lawyers.

While you are allowed to serve as your own registered agent, we highly recommend against such. Even if you have an office that is available to accept service of process during business hours, do you really want the awkwardness associated with being served in front of your employees or customers? Furthermore, a legitimate Registered Agent can help protect certain personal information from appearing on the internet (e.g., the Secretary of State database).

Help to Maintain Your Corporation’s Good Standing:

A business loses its entity status and authority to conduct business in a state should it fail to make required filings such as annual reports, statements of information or franchise tax filings. When the business is no longer authorized to conduct business, the restrictions are serious – these include losing the ability to initiate lawsuits, to enforce contracts and to secure financial loans in that jurisdiction.

Mail Forwarding:

For the most part, all of your legal or governmental paperwork associated with your business will be sent to your registered agent’s address. This includes correspondence from the Federal and State government as well as tax documents from the Internal Revenue Service. We make sure that you are forwarded all such important mail that is sent to our office.

Let LIGHTHOUSE LEGAL SERVICES serve as your registered agent in the state of California by choosing the plan below that fits your needs: