Q: How could I find the agent for a law firm for serving court papers?
I need to file a civil lawsuit against a law firm, but I cannot find the agent of the law firm for serving court papers. I also tried to search the law firm on the California Secretary of State website and see if there's an agent assigned to the law firm, but I cannot even find the law firm's name on their website, too. Maybe the law firms don't have agents such as the CSC? Could someone point me to the right direction? Thank you so much!
A: The secretary of state lists agents for corporations, LLC's and LLP's. If the lawfirm isn't an organization of that type, the secretary of state won't have information on it. You can search the country Fictitious Business name datebase to see who owns the name, or the list of business licenses for the city in which the lawfirm practices, to see who the license was issued to, then serve that person. Or, just serve one of the named partners of the firm.
A:
I recommend conducting a thorough search to locate the agent for service of process for the law firm. You can try searching the law firm's website, reaching out to the State Bar of California for assistance, or using a legal database service to find the required information. If you are still unable to locate the agent, consult with a qualified attorney to explore alternative methods for serving court papers in compliance with California law.
James L. Arrasmith
Founder and Chief Legal Counsel of The Law Offices of James L. Arrasmith
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