You have probably heard of companies that can help you set up your business at a price. Additionally, you may have come across people telling you that you need to understand the laws before you get into the murky fields of business registration. With all these inputs, you might have a hard time deciding which you should get first- the legal advice or the business startup. Well, with LegalZoom, you do not have to choose as it offers you both options. Today, we look at why this company ranks so high in the industry and if it could be the right choice for your business:
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Experience is often a seller when it comes to choosing companies as people often side with the brand that has been around the longest. For a company that has been around since 1999, this one offers 20+ years of experience! Imagine that! It is quite easy to tell that it has done well for itself by looking at the numerous positive reviews left on various platforms regarding its services. Plus, given that it has millions of customers in its database, one cannot help but wonder what it is about this company that has put it in the forefront. It might have something to do with their ability to provide business-related and legal help under one roof!
LegalZoom Pricing Packages
How much does LegalZoom cost?
The cost is not constant for all services, but rather, it depends on the tier chosen by the client as follows:
Formation Prices
ECONOMY
This LegalZoom Economy package costs $99 (not inclusive of the state fees) and comes with the following features:
- A name check
- Prepping and filing of registration documents
- Customer support- you can reach the agents seven days a week. On weekdays, the agents are available till ten in the night and on weekends, they are available till seven.
- Resolution to open an account- if you would like to start operating a separate account, the company can prepare this on your behalf, enabling you to have it easy with your finance institution.
STANDARD
For $329, you can get this LegalZoom Standard package. Please note that this cost does not cover the state filing fee. Under this tier, you get what is in the economy package, alongside the following add-ons:
- An organizer that comes bearing the name of your company
- Personalized membership certificates as well as a seal
- Speedy processing such that you get your documents prepared much faster than those of people in the previous tier.
EXPRESS GOLD
The last tier features premium services and costs $349, exclusive of the state fees. Clients with this LegalZoom Express package get everything in the last two packages, as well as:
- Fast processing: instead of waiting weeks to get a response, the approval takes place within days. This option works for people who would prefer to get their registration done sooner rather than later.
- Fast shipping: once the documents are ready, you can expect the company to ship them to you using express mail.
For more information on the packages, please have a look at these pricing plans.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Experience: working with a company that has been in the industry for more than 20 years gives customers assurance that they are working with one of the best options. This LegalZoom Texas LLC company has not disappointed and continues to serve its clientele with professionalism, exuding knowledge and experience at every step. With millions of customers behind it, one can easily understand why many people would prefer to deal with this giant.
- Guarantee: where else will you get a 100% money-back guarantee? It gets even better. Customers can cash in on this refund within 60 days of their purchase. That gives them a good two months to think through their decisions and see if they are satisfied with the results. If they feel off, they can as well decide to get their money back. Now, that’s a deal!
- Name Search: for most business formation services, a name search comes as part of the package. You sign up, pay and then get access to the database. But in this case, you can decide to check if a name is available even without signing up for their services. How generous is that!
- Customer Service: issues can come up at any time and LegalZoom LLC Texas strives to help its clients when the need strikes. The lines are open up to ten in the night during weekdays. By this time, most people are heading to bed and will tackle what awaits them the next day.
- Additional Services: LegalZoom in Texas goes beyond the basics by offering other services that are crucial to running a business. For example, they can take care of your report filings on your behalf, enabling you to focus on other matters.
Cons
- Pricing: compared to other service providers, LegalZoom LLC Texas’ cost tends to be on the steeper side. Their basic package is almost twice what other companies charge yet the services are pretty much the same.
- Upsells: at almost every stage of the ordering process, the site tries to sell another service to the clients, which can be annoying.
Should You Start an LLC With Legal Zoom?
You must choose LegalZoom if you want:
- To work with a company with lots of experience
- To get legal help now and then
- To have a chance to get your money back if the purchase does not work out as planned
Do not choose LegalZoom or find an alternative to it if you want:
- To save money on the formation service. Many other companies charge less than it does.
- To enjoy basic services and have no need for legal help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone who wants to create a Texas LLC with LegalZoom in the state must file with the state. To do this, you must file form 205 which you can do online, by mail or by fax. This form must include important details about the proposed business. These include its name, where it will be located, who will be the primary point of contact, how the business will be managed, what the business will do, how long it will operate and when it will terminate (optional).
The process starts with choosing of a name to filing the said form. After approval, the owners must also get an EIN, open a bank account, draft an agreement with rules by which members will abide and understand what licenses will be necessary. The work does not end here but rather continues with annual filings coupled with other state requirements.
Using a business formation service enables you to get all of these tasks done under one roof by professionals who can guide you each step of the way. The service also acts as an intermediary between you and the state as needed to help you stay up to date with any upcoming compliance issues.
There are two main warranty deeds in the state: general and special. The first option is the most common. It does not feature liens and other title problems and it assures the buyer that they will thus not face such hurdles with the title. The seller thus can assure the buyer that they have the rights to transfer the title and this gives the buyer a great deal of protection. A special deed is not quite so common and is used when the seller cannot guarantee that the title is free of defects for all time. Instead, they can only assure the buyer that the title has been okay from the time the seller got the title to the point of disposal. That means that the seller only gives information as relates to their activities regarding the title, but not what other people may have done to affect it. This deed offers the buyer reduced protection.
To file the form, one needs to complete it and have it authorized with the grantor(s) in front of either two witnesses or a notary public. Recording can then take place after the filing fee has been paid.
For more information, you can get some guidance from LegalZoom Austin Texas.
A will drawn up by the company will be valid as long as it meets the statutory requirements. The person making the will, also known as the testator, must have testamentary capacity and intent as well as legal capacity to draft the legal document. LegalZoom ensures that testators meet all these qualifications before taking them through the processes, ensuring that the likelihood of errors that cannot hold up in a court of law reduces. It helps to note that the company does not take the place of an attorney and is thus in place to guide you. For complex issues, it is best to engage an attorney one on one to get a more detailed explanation.
The company does not have a standard fee as the cost depends on the services rendered. For the basic economy package, LegalZoom LLC cost Texas is $79, which does not include the fees paid to the state. The mid-tier package costs $329 while the topmost tier costs $349. It helps to note that state fees do not apply to any of these packages as these are paid separately. Thus, the overall cost depends on which services one would like to procure.
I was put on chat with Pietro, concerning my interest in trademarking a name of a product concept, and he spent a lot of time with me explaining the options, as well as the costs. This was followed up by a phone call in which he explained a lot of things. Obviously an attorney himself. It was like getting a private lesson in trademark law and process. I felt a little bad that I was not ready to place an order, but wanted to make sure I gave him and the company a good review, at least as part of their customer support.
I had some questions about copyrighting my artwork. I spoke with a very knowledgeable attorney who gave me some important information not mentioned on the .gov website. I am very grateful that he answered all my questions, so now I can proceed the correct way to publish my art online.
Economical compared to hiring an attorney. Their website could stand some improvements…..at times confusing. Need a foolproof way to track revisions. I called in for help and their service was outstanding. Overall I’m happy with the results.
When I signed up 2 years ago the reviews were 4+ stars, 2 years later is 2.9! Their customer service has significantly dropped the quality and the caring for the costumers. A lot of unhappy staff there. It seems that they don’t love what they do. Bad business model for customers. Simple issues they complicate and make it difficult to resolve. They either improve their staff training or I will definitely cut relationship with LZ for good!
Get what you pay for. Polite customer service but their lawyers give you wrong information or just say ,,, “hmmm I dont know”. Even if they had the questions days before your phone meeting. Lots of glitches on system. Theyre accessible just not as knowlegable as one would hope/expect