Health Law

Check the Mailbox

By Richard Shea

Fill in the blank legal documents are a growing trend. You have probably seen them at Staples or Office Max or seen advertisements from “We the People” or Legalzoom.com. Some people get these generic forms, fill them out as best they can, and think that’s it - nothing else has to be done.

Well, if you attempt to complete a legal transaction or act without the advice of an attorney who knows if you have done everything you need to do? A common example is formation of LLCs and other business entities. Many people filled out their generic forms to create their entity and thought that was all they needed to do.

Those people are going to find a surprise in their mailbox soon.

You see, LLCs and other entities have to pay a “Business Entity Tax” in Connecticut. The generic forms sold at Staples and office stores might not tell you that, but I hope a competent attorney would. The Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) is catching up with everyone that created a business entity but neglected to pay their business tax the last few years. The DRS is sending out 23,000 letters to notify people of their non-compliance.

The lesson for today is: if your goal is to achieve a certain legal result or status it is generally a good idea to obtain the opinion of someone licensed to practice law. Sometimes a fill in the blank form just doesn’t tell you everything you should know before signing it.

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Full post as published by Connecticut Medicaid & Estate Planning on March 13, 2008 (boomark / email).