Business Setup

Gain peace of mind by setting up your business the legal way. We help you set up your company, collaborate better, and grow faster.

The Basics

Choosing the right business entity is the foundation of any successful creative venture. That decision affects everything from the ownership structure, the decisionmaking, hirings, and financing to the tax implications of the business. We’ll help you choose the right business structure for you, create and implement the best approach to formation, and advise you every step of the way.

How We Help

As your creative business grows, let Counsel for Creators LLP help you choose the right type of business entity. We offer services in business formation, entity selection, business operation, and business maintenance.

LLC Formation Services
A limited-liability company can help you protect your personal assets from business losses. We offer flat rate services to help you establish and operate a California LLC, whether it is with one member or multiple people.
Corporate Formation Services

We help creative business owners setup a corporation that they can use to conduct business and grow their venture.

A California corporation can be the right choice for your business. We can help you establish your California corporation, issue shares to members, create by-laws and help you understand how best to operate your corporation. We can even help you understand how to file for an S-Corp election, where appropriate.

Partnerships
Whether you are forming a general partnership or a limited-liability partnership in California, we can help. We can advise you on how running your partnership and we can draft your partnership agreement.
Professional Corporations
We help licensed professionals such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, dentists and engineers form professional corporations. We also advise on how to comply with any regulations involved with these professions.

Got Questions?

Like what you’re seeing but don’t know where or how to start? That’s where we come in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of forming a business entity?

There are a number of reasons to form a business entity such as an LLC or a corporation. Chief among them are:

  • Liability protection. Liability protection means that if something goes wrong in your business, your personal assets stay protected. This provides peace of mind so that you can focus on growing your venture without worrying about fallout.
  • Tax benefits. Depending upon how you structure your company, you may receive tax benefits. Also, keeping your company income and expenses separate from your personal income and expenses makes things easier at tax time.
  • Enhanced credibility for your business. When you form a business entity, it tells the world that you have invested your company. This enhances credibility and often pays immediate dividends via higher-quality opportunities.
  • Better founder relationships. Forming a company forces founders to address critical issues such as ownership, decision-making, and responsibilities. Often, these issues are addressed in founding documents such as LLC operating agreements. By going through the business setup process, founders are less likely to engage in conflict that sinks the company.

How long does it take?

Generally, it will take 2-3 weeks from the filing date for an LLC to become active, and 3-4 weeks for a C-corporation. S corporations may take an additional 1-2 months, depending on the IRS processing time. Expedited filing (1-2 day turnaround) is available for an additional filing fee.

What should I name my business entity?

Choosing the right name for your business depends on a number of practical considerations (such as the business owner’s marketing and personal goals) as well as legal considerations (such as the naming guidelines for the state where your business is located, or the existence of competitors with similar names). We wrote a blog post that discusses the main considerations in choosing the right name for your business.  

Where can I get answers to legal questions that I have before I begin the business setup process?

We created the Creators’ Legal Program as an easy way for creative people to access legal services. This means that for a reasonable monthly fee, you can schedule unlimited calls with an attorney. During those calls you will have a chance to ask anything you want and get tailored and strategic legal advice.

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes, we offer payment plans.

We have partnered with Affirm to offer easy-to-use payment options that let you take up to a year to pay.

Should I setup a corporation? Should I setup an LLC?

People ask whether they should setup a corporation or whether they should setup an LLC (or something specialized like a professional corporation). The answer varies from business to business. However, business owners should base their choice of business entity upon the number of owners, what type of funding they seek, the complexity of the business and a number of other factors, including tax issues.

How does Counsel for Creators charge for business setup?

We provide business setup services on a flat-fee basis. We strongly believe in offering predictable fees to our clients; that means no weird hourly billing and no hidden fees later on.

Our flat fees cover everything that our clients need to get their business up and running.

How does your business setup process work?

We developed proprietary systems that allow clients to easily work with our attorneys from anywhere in the world.

Once you have chosen to do your business setup with Counsel for Creators, we send a short and easy-to-navigate intake form that you use to tell us about your business. After you have completed that form, we use the information to begin the process of setting up your company.

That means that we file all paperwork with the Secretary of State, secure your EIN, prepare any founding documents (e.g. the LLC operating agreement), and set ourselves up as agent for service of process.

During the entire business setup process, our clients are free to set up phone consultations with attorneys to discuss anything that comes up.

 

Should I use LegalZoom or another online filing service to do my business setup?

If you are serious about building a business, you should not use LegalZoom or other online filing services to do your business setup.

Since these services cannot provide legal advice, business owners risk making the wrong choices when creating their companies. In many cases, business owners must redo work that they initially hired an online service to do. In fact, that’s a key reason for many of the dismal reviews that online legal services receive from their customers.

If you are starting a business, it’s always better to invest a little more to make sure that the job is done correctly, the first time.

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Contract Creation

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Trademark Registration

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Building a creative business?

Learn about other services that you may need.

  • contract creation

  • creator’s legal program

  • Trademark Registration

service 02

Trademark Registration

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service 03

Contract Creation

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Why Us?

When we say that we are an innovative law firm, we mean it.

We have reengineered and redesigned the law firm experience for the 21st century. By leveraging cutting-edge technology we are able to make legal services more cost-effective and accessible. That means that we are able to take a holistic approach to our legal practice and offer exactly the right legal services that any creative business needs

As a result, we work with some of the most innovative people in the world.

Whether our clients work in technology, media or the arts, they value our proactive attitude and the fact that we understand their world. From iconic brands to established artists to in-demand software development shops to lauded indie filmmakers, our clients have trusted us to help them protect and grow what they have built or will build.

We hope that you will join them.

Take the Next Step

If you made it this far, you’re our type of person. Let’s talk.