What Is a Registered Agent?
A registered agent is someone who represents another person in legal matters. The term “registered” means that the government has approved this person to represent others before courts of law. For example, if you’re forming a corporation limited liability company, you will need to select a registered agent for your company and provide that person’s name and address on the documents that you file with the state.
To learn more about registered agents, please read our previous articles published on our websites. In these articles, we explain what they are, what they do, why you need them, and whether you should be your own business’s registered agent.
Who Can Act as Registered Agent?
Since agents are registered with the state and act as representatives for companies, they may include individuals such as lawyers, accountants, bankers, real estate brokers, insurance companies, and others. In addition, corporations and LLCs often use their own employees as registered agents because they already work closely with them.
While the agent can be any of these individuals listed above, it may be best to designate a separate entity to serve in this role. By delegating to a professional, you’ll ensure that the person acting on your behalf is proficient in the rules and regulations and is available and ready during normal business hours. This ensures that document delivery and legal notices are handled efficiently and timely on your behalf.
Tips for Selecting and Hiring a Registered Agent
When hiring a registered agent service, it is important to understand the significance of their role and choose a company that can do the job well. Ultimately, they will be responsible for receiving notifications of legal paperwork, tax notices and tax documents, lawsuits, and subpoenas and relay this critical correspondence in time for you to meet court deadlines and avoid unnecessary fines or penalties.
Here are a few tips on how to find someone that delivers reliable and professional service.
- Find a knowledgeable agent.
It is important that the person you hire understands the rules and procedures in your particular state and jurisdiction. These regulations may vary from state to state, so it is imperative that they know what they can and cannot do on your behalf.
- Find someone that has industry experience.
When choosing a registered agent service provider, consider how much experience they have working with companies like yours. If they aren’t experienced in this line of work, they may not understand what is required of them to perform the job properly.
- Find a registered agent service that has a good reputation and positive customer reviews.
In researching businesses in your area, find out if they have a solid customer satisfaction record and positive online reviews. Then, when you speak with them, ask if they have worked with similar types of clients before and whether those clients can provide a recommendation on their behalf.
- Find someone that maintains client confidentiality.
Whoever you hire must be experienced in and capable of handling sensitive information appropriately and keeping your business’s details confidential.
Hire a Registered Agent Provides Effective, Professional Service
If you need a registered agent or professional process server with a high level of personal service, then Lafayette is your answer! Contact us at 1-866-237-2853 or send us an email inquiry at [email protected].
At Lafayette Process Servers LLC, our list of services include:
- Process Agent and Registered Agent Services
- Process Serving
- Legal Document Delivery
- Court Filings
- Same-Day Legal Courier Service
- Document Retrieval
- Witness Locating and Skip Tracing
- Criminal and Civil Background Checks
- Legal and Courthouse Research
- Court Paper “Walk-Throughs”
The foregoing blog post has simply been presented for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. He or those at Lafayette Process Servers LLC are not attorneys. If you seek further information about this topic or any other legal issues, please contact a legal professional in your local area.
