James W. Martin is a Florida Bar Board Certified Real Estate Lawyer and Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law who, for over forty years, has practiced Florida real estate, wills, trusts, probate, corporations, nonprofits, and business law. The author has seen limited liability companies (LLCs) improperly formed and maintained in Florida. Sometimes the LLC failed to document membership; other times the members failed to create an operating agreement; and other times they failed to hold meetings, file annual reports, and maintain records. Failure to comply with the basics of Florida limited liability company law has resulted in real estate title problems, litigation, and potential personal liability. This book provides a step-by-step process with forms and checklists for forming and maintaining Florida LLCs to avoid these problems. It is primarily directed to lawyers because Florida LLCs are legal entities created under the Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act, so having a law degree really should be a prerequisite to forming and maintaining an LLC. However, the author realizes that we live in an age where nonlawyers freely access these materials on the Internet, so he has written this book in plain language that does not require a law degree to understand. But his message for nonlawyers reading this book is to be sure to engage a Florida-licensed lawyer on their behalf to review any document before it is signed or filed.
