Can an attorney form an LLC in California?

No. California is the one state that does not let a licensed professional practise through an LLC. California's LLC Act does not permit an LLC to render professional services as California law defines them, and the Secretary of State rejects an LLC-1 whose stated purpose is a licensed professional service. Filing anyway does not create a lawful practice vehicle: the Secretary of State rejects the filing, and practising a licensed profession through an entity the statute does not allow is a matter for your board. This is a California peculiarity. Most states offer a professional limited liability company (PLLC) for exactly this purpose. California never enacted one. Next step: speak to a California business lawyer about a law corporation registered with the State Bar, a registered limited liability partnership, a sole practice, or a general partnership.

What should an attorney form in California instead?

The available vehicles are a law corporation registered with the State Bar, a registered limited liability partnership, a sole practice, or a general partnership. The professional corporation is the closest substitute for what an LLC would have done. It separates business debts, leases and payroll from your personal assets, its shares are restricted to licensees, and it can elect S corporation treatment. Formation is Form ARTS-PC with the Secretary of State ($100), followed by registration with the State Bar of California. Staying a sole proprietor is also a genuine option for a solo practice with no employees and adequate malpractice cover.

Does a professional corporation protect me from a malpractice claim?

No, and neither would an LLC. California law expressly keeps a licensee personally liable for their own professional negligence, and every state takes the same position. What an entity does protect against is business liability that is not your own professional act: an unpaid lease, a trade creditor, a slip on the premises, a claim against an employee where you were not personally negligent. Professional liability insurance is what answers a malpractice claim. Carry it at limits that match your exposure, whatever entity you use.

I already formed a California LLC for my practice. What now?

Do not keep rendering licensed services through it. Talk to a California business lawyer promptly: the usual routes are to form the professional corporation and move the practice into it, or to convert, and the right one depends on your contracts, payer enrolments and lease. An LLC that only holds non-professional assets, a building or equipment leased to the practice, for example, is a different question and may be perfectly lawful. The bar is on the entity rendering the professional service. Tell the State Bar of California about the change if your registration names an entity, and tell your malpractice carrier and your payers.

Do out-of-state PLLC rules help me if I practise in California?

No. A PLLC formed in another state has to register as a foreign LLC to transact business in California, and the same bar in California's LLC Act applies to a foreign LLC rendering professional services here. Forming in Nevada, Wyoming or Delaware does not change this. The rule that binds you is California's professional licensing law, which follows where the service is rendered rather than where the entity was organised. If you practise across state lines, ask a lawyer in each state what that state allows; the answers genuinely differ.

LLC Guide

California Attorneys Cannot Practise Through an LLC

The LLC act excludes licensed professional services, so a California law practice is a law corporation, a registered LLP, a sole practice, or a partnership.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

No. California does not allow an attorney to render professional services through an LLC. See the full breakdown below.

Read this guide for another state:

Step diagram for forming a professional corporation for California Attorneys, showing each formation step and the California Law License (Bar Admission) the state requires first. — The formation steps for California Attorneys, plus whether California requires a professional licence first. Source: California Secretary of State.

No. California does not allow an attorney to render professional services through an LLC.

California is the one state that does not let a licensed professional practise through an LLC. California's LLC Act does not permit an LLC to render professional services as California law defines them, and the Secretary of State rejects an LLC-1 whose stated purpose is a licensed professional service. The vehicle for a California law practice is a law corporation registered with the State Bar, a registered limited liability partnership, a sole practice, or a general partnership. Everything an LLC would have done for you here, separating business debts from personal assets, holding the lease and the payroll, and opening the door to an S corporation election, the professional corporation does as well. What no entity does in any state is shield you from your own professional negligence, which is what your malpractice cover is for.

No LLC: What to Use Instead and What Stays the Same

Why the LLC is unavailable, in one line

What a law corporation does instead

It is a corporation whose shares may be held only by licensees of the profession (with limited cross-licence allowances under California law). It carries the same separation of business debts from personal assets an LLC would have given you, and it can elect S corporation treatment with the IRS on Form 2553.

Your own malpractice exposure does not move

No California entity shields a licensee from liability for their own professional negligence. California law expressly keeps that personal liability in place. Professional liability insurance, not the entity, is what answers a malpractice claim.

The State Bar of California still licenses you personally

The entity does not hold your licence. You need admission to the State Bar of California whatever entity you trade through, and the entity itself may have its own registration duty with the board.

Staying a sole proprietor is a real option

California does not force any entity on a solo licensee. A sole proprietorship costs nothing to form, and for a practice with no employees, no lease and adequate malpractice cover, the professional corporation's franchise tax, payroll and annual filings can outweigh what it adds.

How to Form a Professional Corporation

1
Confirm your licence status with the board
A California law corporation may be formed only by licensees. Confirm with the State Bar of California that your licence is active and that you hold admission to the State Bar of California before you file anything.
2
File Articles of Incorporation of a Professional Corporation
Form ARTS-PC goes to the California Secretary of State with a $100 filing fee. The stated purpose must be the single profession you are licensed for, and the name must comply with the naming rule your board applies. Do not file Form LLC-1: the Secretary of State rejects an LLC whose purpose is a licensed professional service.
3
Register the corporation with your licensing board
A professional corporation is separately registered or certified by the State Bar of California, on its own form and with its own fee, and that registration is renewed on the board's cycle rather than the Secretary of State's.
4
Adopt bylaws, issue shares to licensees only, and get an EIN
Shares may be held only by licensees of the profession, subject to limited cross-licence allowances under California law, and the share certificates should carry the transfer restriction. Get the EIN free from the IRS at irs.gov.
5
Calendar the recurring filings
A California corporation files a Statement of Information (Form SI-550) within 90 days of incorporating and then every year, $25, and owes the $800 minimum franchise tax to the Franchise Tax Board. Your board registration renews separately.

Tax Considerations

Self-Employment Tax

A professional corporation is a corporation, so you are its employee and take a W-2 salary; the corporation pays the employer half of FICA and you pay the employee half through withholding. Electing S corporation treatment on IRS Form 2553 lets profit above a reasonable salary come out as a distribution that is not subject to employment tax. The election is due no later than two months and fifteen days after the start of the tax year it is to cover, which is March 15 for a calendar-year taxpayer, or at any time during the preceding tax year.

Deductions

The deductible expenses do not change with the entity: professional liability premiums, board and licence fees, continuing education, practice software, rent and equipment are all ordinary and necessary business expenses. What changes is where they are reported, on Form 1120-S or Form 1120 rather than on Schedule C.

State Taxes

California charges every corporation an $800 minimum franchise tax, due by the 15th day of the 4th month of the tax year, and an S corporation pays the greater of $800 or 1.5% of net income. This is a different charge from the $800 minimum franchise tax an LLC would have paid plus the gross-receipts LLC fee, so run the numbers for your own revenue rather than assuming the corporation costs more.

California Licensing Requirements for Attorneys

In California, Attorneys are regulated by the State Bar of California, and you need admission to the State Bar of California to practise. California is the one state that does not let a licensed professional practise through an LLC. California's LLC Act does not permit an LLC to render professional services as California law defines them, and the Secretary of State rejects an LLC-1 whose stated purpose is a licensed professional service. The practice vehicle is therefore a law corporation registered with the State Bar, a registered limited liability partnership, a sole practice, or a general partnership. California has no PLLC.

Regulated by: State Bar of CaliforniaLicense: California Law License (Bar Admission)

Do you need business insurance?

A professional corporation separates your personal assets from the business’s debts, but it does not protect the business itself, client injuries, property damage, and lawsuits against the company can still put its income and assets at risk.

Read the full Attorneys in Private Practice insurance guide →

Business insurance providers for attorneys in private practice

Typical cost for attorneys in private practice: general liability $29/mo median · limits $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate (GL), as of September 2026, per Insureon - Lawyer Insurance Cost. These are industry-wide medians, not quotes from the providers below. No figure in this paragraph describes a policy offered by any provider below, and the limits shown are the basis of that median rather than terms offered by any of them.

Disclosure: NEXT Insurance (ERGO NEXT), Hiscox and Thimble pay us when you request a quote through our link, whether or not you buy a policy. Embroker does not pay us. This does not affect our editorial comparisons, and coverage details always come from the insurer's own documents.

Provider	Stated focus	AM Best rating	Insurer’s site
NEXT Insurance (ERGO NEXT)	online small business insurance for the self-employed, freelancers, contractors, sole proprietors, and micro-businesses across 1,300+ professions	A+	Visit NEXT Insurance (ERGO NEXT)
Hiscox	small-business and professional liability (errors & omissions) coverage for professional-services freelancers, consultants, and specialty professions across 180+ occupations	A	Visit Hiscox
Embroker	digital commercial insurance (D&O, cyber, tech E&O, EPLI, professional liability) for venture-funded startups, tech companies, law firms, VC/PE firms, and other professional-services businesses	N/A	Visit Embroker
Thimble	on-demand, short-term (hourly/daily/monthly) general liability and professional liability insurance for freelancers, gig workers, and small businesses across 129+ industries	N/A	Visit Thimble

Stated focus reproduces how each insurer describes its own business on its own website. It is not our recommendation, and we do not rank these providers.

MyStateLLC is not an insurance agency, producer, or broker, and is not licensed in any state. We do not sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance, we take no applications, and we do not quote, bind, or place coverage. Every quote is requested on the insurer’s own website. This guide is general information, not insurance, legal, or financial advice. Coverage needs, requirements, and pricing vary by business, location, and carrier underwriting. Confirm policy details directly with a licensed insurance carrier or agent before making a purchasing decision.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Read the asset-protection claims on this page narrowly. A company such as a professional corporation separates the company’s own obligations from what you own personally, so a trade creditor, a commercial lease, a business loan without a personal guarantee, or a judgment against the company normally reaches the company rather than your home or savings. It does not put a wall around what you personally do: you remain personally answerable for your own professional negligence, and forming one does not shield a licensed practitioner from a malpractice or negligence claim arising from their own work. Professional liability cover (errors and omissions, or malpractice cover in some trades) is what answers a claim like that, not the entity. You are also personally exposed on anything you sign a personal guarantee for, and on the payroll and sales taxes most states collect from responsible individuals. Whether the shield holds at all turns on facts this page cannot see, including how the company was capitalised, whether its money is kept separate from yours, and what your state’s courts have done with veil-piercing claims. Confirm your own position with an attorney licensed in your state and with the board that licenses your trade, and confirm your cover with a licensed insurance agent, before you rely on anything here.

Frequently Asked Questions

: No. California is the one state that does not let a licensed professional practise through an LLC. California's LLC Act does not permit an LLC to render professional services as California law defines them, and the Secretary of State rejects an LLC-1 whose stated purpose is a licensed professional service. Filing anyway does not create a lawful practice vehicle: the Secretary of State rejects the filing, and practising a licensed profession through an entity the statute does not allow is a matter for your board. This is a California peculiarity. Most states offer a professional limited liability company (PLLC) for exactly this purpose. California never enacted one. Next step: speak to a California business lawyer about a law corporation registered with the State Bar, a registered limited liability partnership, a sole practice, or a general partnership.
: The available vehicles are a law corporation registered with the State Bar, a registered limited liability partnership, a sole practice, or a general partnership. The professional corporation is the closest substitute for what an LLC would have done. It separates business debts, leases and payroll from your personal assets, its shares are restricted to licensees, and it can elect S corporation treatment. Formation is Form ARTS-PC with the Secretary of State ($100), followed by registration with the State Bar of California. Staying a sole proprietor is also a genuine option for a solo practice with no employees and adequate malpractice cover.
: No, and neither would an LLC. California law expressly keeps a licensee personally liable for their own professional negligence, and every state takes the same position. What an entity does protect against is business liability that is not your own professional act: an unpaid lease, a trade creditor, a slip on the premises, a claim against an employee where you were not personally negligent. Professional liability insurance is what answers a malpractice claim. Carry it at limits that match your exposure, whatever entity you use.
: Do not keep rendering licensed services through it. Talk to a California business lawyer promptly: the usual routes are to form the professional corporation and move the practice into it, or to convert, and the right one depends on your contracts, payer enrolments and lease. An LLC that only holds non-professional assets, a building or equipment leased to the practice, for example, is a different question and may be perfectly lawful. The bar is on the entity rendering the professional service. Tell the State Bar of California about the change if your registration names an entity, and tell your malpractice carrier and your payers.
: Form ARTS-PC is $100 with the Secretary of State. A Statement of Information (Form SI-550) is due within 90 days of incorporating and then every year, $25 each time. The Franchise Tax Board charges an $800 minimum franchise tax every year, and an S corporation pays the greater of $800 or 1.5% of net income. Your State Bar of California registration carries its own fee and renewal cycle. On top of that, a corporation means payroll: a W-2 salary, quarterly employment tax deposits, and a corporate return. Budget for a bookkeeper or a payroll service.
: No. A PLLC formed in another state has to register as a foreign LLC to transact business in California, and the same bar in California's LLC Act applies to a foreign LLC rendering professional services here. Forming in Nevada, Wyoming or Delaware does not change this. The rule that binds you is California's professional licensing law, which follows where the service is rendered rather than where the entity was organised. If you practise across state lines, ask a lawyer in each state what that state allows; the answers genuinely differ.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified California sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.

California statute: Corporations Code section 17701.04(e) (no professional services by LLCs)
California statute: Corporations Code sections 13401(a)(2) and 13401.3 (professional services defined)
California statute: Business and Professions Code section 6160 et seq. (law corporations)
California statute: Corporations Code section 16951 (registered LLPs)
California statute: Corporations Code section 13401.5 (cross-licence shareholders)
California statute: Corporations Code section 13401 (professional negligence liability preserved)

More for California LLCs

Start and set up

Taxes, money and growth

Stay compliant

Operate in other states

Compare structures

By owner type

By profession

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.