What is an LLC?

Find the right LLC attorney in Portland, OR

The Limited Liability Company, or LLC, is a legal business structure that seeks to combine advantages from across several other traditional business forms. A LLC has the advantages of a corporation's limited liability, but avoids double taxation like a partnership or sole proprietorship. Like a corporation, the LLC can also have an endless amount of shareholders, called members. Unlike a corporation however, if a member dies, files for bankruptcy, or otherwise leaves the LLC, the company is dissolved. For hundreds of years, limited liability has been a main goal of some business forms, but since the Oregon legislature enacted laws authorizing its formation, the modern LLC has become more and more popular.

Can My Business Be Formed as an LLC?

In Oregon, a business can be formed using the form that it chooses. Opening an LLC just requires that the business founders file a form with the Secretary of State. There can be a fee required for opening your LLC, however. Applicable Oregon laws govern the formation of LLC's and their actions. When deciding whether to form a LLC, you should consider which laws would apply to your company. Although it might take some time to find, choosing the right business structure for your company will lead to increased profitability.

Can I Change the Form of My Business to an LLC?

Under specific conditions, a business in Portland may change its form. Eligibility for conversion to a LLC is determined by Oregon law.

How Can an Attorney Help?

A lawyer versed in Oregon business law will be able to advise you of the advantages and costs for forming and maintaining a LLC.

Talk to a Business Law Attorney now!

Life in Portland

Portland may be the 3rd most populous city in the Pacific Northwest but it's one of the most popular. Known as one of the greenest cities in the world, Portland has used city planning and public transportation to lessen residents' impact on their surrounding environment. In fact, Portland has been named the second most eco-friendly place behind Reykjavik, Iceland by Grist Magazine, and in top 10 greenest cities by Move, Inc.

P-town residents live among some of the most innovative microbreweries and distilleries. Widmer Brothers, Henry Weinhard, and Michael "Beerhunter" Jackson even dubbed Portland beer capital of the world. Portland Mayor Tom Potter nicknamed the city "Beertown."

Most people probably know Portland as the location of the Nike Headquarters (known as the Nike Campus) but the city also plays host to KEEN, Adidas, Columbia Sportsware, U.S. Bank, Oregon Steel Mills, Willamette Industries, and Louisiana-Pacific. Since the city is known as a "green city" you won't be too surprised to find there are a number of alternative energy companies there like Vestas Wind Systems.

Portland is unique in that the city hosts the worlds largest, and even legally sanctioned in Portland court, naked bike ride. The annual World Naked Bike Ride began in 1999 with less than seven participants but has grown to over 13,000. Another legal oddity you may not know is that there are very strong speech protections in the Oregon constitution that extend to full nudity and lap dances in strip clubs. Not by coincidence, Portland has more strip clubs per capita than Las Vegas or San Francisco.

If you need some help navigating these sometimes confusing courts, consult a local Portland lawyer today.

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