Hiring a Business Lawyer in Minnesota
How to form an LLC in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Contingent fees are allowed except where Rule 1.5(d) or other law prohibits them. A contingent fee agreement must be in a writing signed by the client and state how the fee is figured, including the percentage(s) the lawyer gets on settlement, trial or appeal, the litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery, and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. It must clearly tell the client about any expenses the client must pay whether or not the client wins. At the end, the lawyer must give the client a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, the client's share and how it was figured. Lawyers may not charge domestic relations fees contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of alimony, support or property settlement, or a contingent fee to represent a criminal defendant. |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | OLPR says most routine fee disputes are best resolved outside the discipline system, and that fee arbitration is a relatively fast and simple way to resolve them; call the Minnesota State Bar Association at (612) 333-1183 for your local fee arbitration committee. A clearly illegal or grossly excessive fee can lead to discipline. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | The Minnesota Client Security Board's fund can reimburse losses of money or property caused by a Minnesota lawyer's dishonesty (such as theft) in an attorney-client or related fiduciary relationship for a Minnesota matter; negligence, malpractice and fee disputes are not covered. The maximum the Board may pay on a claim is $150,000. File within five years of when you knew or should have known of the dishonest conduct. There is no charge to make a claim. |
Minnesota rules to know first
| How to form an LLC | One or more organizers form a Minnesota LLC by signing and filing Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. The articles must state the LLC's name, the street address of its initial registered office (and the name of its registered agent, if it has one), and the name and street address of each organizer. A filed record is effective when filed unless it specifies a later effective time or date (no more than 90 days after filing). Source: Minn. Stat. 322C.0201, 322C.0205 |
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| LLC filing fee | Minnesota law states that a limited liability company is formed when Articles of Organization are filed with the Secretary of State accompanied by a payment of $135. Source: Minn. Stat. 322C.0201, subd. 4 |
| Registered agent | A business entity must continuously maintain a registered office in Minnesota; if the registered office on record is not an actual office location or is solely a post office box, a new address with an actual office location must be provided. A Minnesota LLC may designate a registered agent in its formation document (a foreign LLC must designate one when registering). The agent may be a natural person residing in Minnesota, a domestic corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or LLC authorized to do business in Minnesota, and must keep a business office identical with the registered office. The office or agent is changed by filing a statement with the Secretary of State. |
| Annual report | Beginning the calendar year after it files its Articles of Organization, a Minnesota LLC (and a foreign LLC) must file an annual renewal with the Secretary of State by December 31 of each calendar year. No fee is required to file the annual renewal. A domestic LLC that does not file its renewal is administratively terminated (a foreign LLC has its authority revoked); it may reinstate retroactively by filing a single annual renewal and paying a $25 fee. |
| Operating agreement | Minnesota law defines an LLC's operating agreement as the agreement of all the members, including a sole member, whether or not called an operating agreement, and whether oral, in a record, implied, or any combination of these. The statute sections read do not say that an operating agreement must be filed with the state. |
| Closing an LLC | A dissolved Minnesota LLC must wind up its activities. In winding up, it may file with the Secretary of State a statement of dissolution stating its name and that it is dissolved, and a statement of termination stating its name and that it is terminated. A dissolved LLC may also publish notice of its dissolution in a newspaper to set a deadline for claims. Source: Minn. Stat. 322C.0702, 322C.0704 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Minnesota State Bar Association offers MN Find a Lawyer, a free online directory of attorneys searchable by practice area and location, and points people to Minnesota Lawyer Referral, "a non-profit public service of the Hennepin and Ramsey County Bar Associations." Minnesota Lawyer Referral offers guided assistance from referral counselors by phone or online self-referral to vetted attorneys (mainly in the Twin Cities metro area) in more than 40 practice areas: "Get a 30-minute consultation for $30 or less." Phone 612-752-6699; hours Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. MN Unbundled connects people statewide with attorneys for brief tasks. MSBA public page: https://mnbars.org/?pg=Public |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR) Lawyer Search shows whether a Minnesota-licensed lawyer has received public discipline, has been placed on disability inactive status in lieu of discipline, or has a public discipline petition pending; court actions appear the next business day. Private discipline, dismissed and pending complaints are not public. For general licensing information (registration status), OLPR directs users to the Minnesota Lawyer Registration Database Search (MARS). |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Minnesota lawyers go to the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility. File with the online form or mail a printed form to OLPR, Minnesota Judicial Center, Suite 105, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. Describe events in order with dates and send photocopies, not originals (documents are scanned and shredded). The lawyer will receive your complaint, and if it becomes a public discipline case your complaint becomes part of the public record. Phone: 651-296-3952 or 1-800-657-3601. Disciplinary history request: https://olpr.mncourts.gov/lawyer-resources/disciplinary-history-request/ |
All legal help in Minnesota · 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.