Law Firm Name – The Nuts and Bolts of Changing Names

With far more states permitting regulation corporations to use trade names in its place of retaining the out-of-date necessity that corporations be named after existing or former partners, you could be thinking of rebranding your organization. I’m in the approach of rebranding my company (far more on that in a foreseeable future put up), and I want to share the 10 techniques I went by to change my legislation agency identify in Arizona.

1. Verify the USPTO Databases

Really do not slide in enjoy with a legislation agency trade title right until you’ve verified that someone else hasn’t currently registered it as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Business office. Ditto for any tag strains or slogans you want to use.

You can stake your declare to your trade name by submitting an “intent to use trademark” application, but it’s not a requirement. The moment my firm’s new web page goes dwell, I’m submitting a trademark software with the USPTO.

2. Declare Your URL

I have been sitting down on my new website domain for yrs. If you have not purchased your new URL, that needs to be a top rated priority.

Making a web page is like reworking a house. It normally normally takes lengthier than you anticipate. Get your website group doing the job on your new internet site months just before you prepare to announce your new identify.

3. Simply call Your Financial institution to Increase Your New Identify to Your Accounts

Updating the identify of your legislation firm’s enterprise entity is quick. All you have to do is file an amendment with your state. I could update my organization title in significantly less than 10 minutes. But prior to you do that, get in touch with your financial institution to update your accounts.

I referred to as my lender, advised them I intended to transform my company’s name with an amendment, and questioned what I essential to show them to update my accounts. They claimed I couldn’t!

If I change the name of my small business entity, I have to shut my organization accounts and open new accounts with the company’s new name.

Feel about that: It indicates I’d have to have to near out my company’s QuickBooks and retain the services of a bookkeeper to set up QuickBooks for my new lender accounts. (This could be a nightmare if you’re ready for payments from clientele.)

Screw that. I’m as a substitute of an amendment, I’m submitting a “doing business as,” or DBA.

4. File a Trade Title Application With the Condition

In Arizona, you do not require to file a trade identify to have a dba, but it may possibly be required to display to your bank that you’re using a new title. I (which means my enterprise entity) submitted the software with my ideal trade title and description of what I’ll be providing with this trade identify (lawful services).

5. Hold out for the Point out to Approve Your Regulation Firm Trade Title

I had to wait around about two months for the Arizona Secretary of Point out to approve my trade title software. Once I gained the approval, I could fork out the submitting rate and get my trade identify.

6. Get in touch with the Lender Yet again

In Arizona, trade names and business enterprise entity facts are publicly readily available on the online. I referred to as my bank once more employing the selection on the again of my corporation debit card, verified my and my company’s data, and explained to them I essential to incorporate my dba to my account.

The client company agent claimed I necessary to consider a printout of my legislation firm trade name, my enterprise debit card, and my ID to the neighborhood department of my bank and have an affiliate there update my account.

What? Why? What are they apprehensive about that I have to go down there in human being?

7. Go to the Lender to Increase the Trade Identify DBA to the Accounts

Ok, fine. I scooped up my pet dog and headed to the bank.

I fulfilled with an associate (not a teller) and gave them the printout of my trade name from the Secretary of State’s web site along with my debit card and driver’s license. The associate claimed they would open up a “case” to increase the trade name to my accounts.

That is proper. They just can’t update my account at my local bank department. The affiliate experienced to submit a scenario for anyone in the “back office” to assessment my files and make a decision if they’d make the asked for update. I went to my lender on a Wednesday morning, and they stated I’d have a reaction by close of organization on Friday.

Why is this needlessly difficult?

8. Acquire the Response From the Lender

Just immediately after 4 a.m. the adhering to morning, I been given an e-mail from my lender that reported it was “unable to comprehensive request” and to simply call them between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. neighborhood time if I wanted more data.

Sure, I have to have a lot more facts!

9. Simply call the Financial institution a Third Time

I named them a several hours later on and a consumer services representative claimed including a dba had to be finished at the department and not with a case. The banker I fulfilled with the prior working day did it mistaken! The consultant claimed to go again to the lender.

Come on, this need to not be this difficult!

10. Go Back again to the Lender One particular Very last Time

The subsequent working day, I walked into the financial institution at 9:20 a.m. The lender supervisor in the lobby regarded me from right before and certain me they’d consider treatment of items thoroughly this time.

Just after waiting around 30 minutes, I achieved with a lender affiliate — a various one particular than Wednesday. He did not know how to insert a dba to an account, so he identified as the representative line. We waited on hold for above 20 minutes just before a human picked up the simply call.

The issue he kept functioning into was that it appears the bank simply cannot insert a dba to the firm’s believe in account.

I said I was great with only adding the dba to the functioning account. It would be nice to have the new regulation firm identify on the firm’s credit rating card, but it wasn’t required. The consultant on the cell phone sounded aggravated and disappointed.

The associate keeps stepping out to chat with one more banker. The representative hung up. 

At 10:40 a.m., the affiliate took my debit card, driver’s license and trade name more than to the organization banker onsite. Why didn’t we do this faster?

I lastly walked out of the financial institution at 11:03 a.m., assured my dba experienced been appropriately added to my account.

It Will take Tolerance and Perseverance to Alter Your Law Agency Name

So there you have it — the 10 ways to transform your legislation business identify. Your bank might deal with factors in a different way, but it will probable consider patience and perseverance, and I advise bringing some thing to do although you are waiting for persons to figure out how to enable you.

Some days working the business enterprise of the legislation firm is far more complicated than practicing legislation, and it pretty much generally appears to be to be extra tough and just take more time than you’d expect.

Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com

Subscribe to Legal professional at Get the job done

Get genuinely superior concepts each working day for your regulation apply: Subscribe to the Day by day Dispatch (it is no cost). Stick to us on Twitter @attnyatwork.