Hiring a Business Lawyer in Georgia
How to form an LLC in Georgia, the state fees and yearly filings, how to check a lawyer's license, and the state bar's fee rules. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Georgia: fee rules
| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The State Bar of Georgia's Fee Arbitration Program handles fee disputes between lawyers and clients (and between lawyers). It is free to clients and lawyers in attorney/client disputes. Participation is a choice, but the program offers only binding arbitration, so both sides agree to be bound by the award. Most hearings use a panel of two lawyers and one non-lawyer. Start with a Petition for Fee Arbitration. Phone: 404-527-8750. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The State Bar of Georgia Clients' Security Fund, created in 1968, can reimburse eligible clients who lost money through a Georgia lawyer's dishonest conduct in a lawyer-client relationship. The lawyer must have been disbarred, indefinitely suspended or voluntarily surrendered the license (unless deceased). Malpractice and insured or bonded losses are excluded. There is no fixed cap on the page: the Board of Trustees sets amounts based on available funds, number of claims and work the lawyer actually did, and claims are typically not paid in full. Apply no later than two years after the Supreme Court of Georgia's final disciplinary action; no filing fee is listed. |
Georgia rules to know first
| How to form an LLC | File Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State's Corporations Division online (choose "create or register a business" and a domestic limited liability company), or by mail or in person using the Articles of Organization form (CD 030) or your own articles plus the Transmittal Form for LLCs (231), sent to Office of Secretary of State, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE, Atlanta. You need the LLC name or a name reservation number, the filer's name and address, the principal office mailing address, the registered agent's name and address, and each organizer's name and address. Standard processing is listed as 7 business days online and 15 business days by mail. |
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| LLC filing fee | Filing Articles of Organization costs $100 online (paid by credit card) or $110 by mail or in person (check or money order). Faster processing costs extra: $100 for 2 business days, $250 for same business day (if submitted before noon on a weekday), and, for mail or in-person filings, $1,000 for one hour. |
| Registered agent | An LLC must designate a registered agent, the person or entity that receives service of process and official communications for the business. The registered agent must be located in Georgia. |
| Annual report | Georgia LLCs file an annual registration with the Secretary of State every year between January 1 and April 1. It can be filed online (including "One Click" registration if nothing has changed) or by mail, and can cover the current year or 2 or 3 consecutive years. Mailed registrations carry an additional $10 service charge and must be postmarked by April 1 to avoid a $25 late fee. An LLC that does not file will be administratively dissolved. The base annual registration fee was not stated on the Georgia.gov pages reviewed. |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The State Bar of Georgia says it "is not able to directly refer clients to lawyers." It offers the ReliaGuide Enhanced Directory to search for lawyers by type of law, and points people to the referral services run by many local and voluntary bar associations (it links a list of referral services that comply with Bar Rule 7.3(c)(2)). |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The State Bar of Georgia offers an online Member Directory with basic and advanced search for looking up Georgia lawyers. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Grievances about Georgia lawyers are filed online with the State Bar of Georgia's Office of the General Counsel (OGC). An OGC attorney reviews each grievance to see whether it shows a possible violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct; grievances outside its jurisdiction or without sufficient evidence or merit are dismissed. If a possible violation appears, the grievance is sent to the lawyer for a response, and those that appear to involve a violation go to the State Disciplinary Board for investigation. The lawyer will likely see what you submit. State Bar: 104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30303; 404-527-8700 or 800-334-6865. Online grievance portal: https://portals.georgiabar.org/ogc/grievance |
All legal help in Georgia · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.