Starting a Colorado LLC, choosing between LLC and Delaware C-Corp, or cleaning up a self-filed entity? These Denver firms handle Secretary of State filings, operating agreements, founder equity, and the day-after compliance that most online incorporation services skip.
Updated 2026-04-18
Colorado is one of the easiest states in the country to start an LLC. The Secretary of State filing fee is $50, the annual periodic report is $25, and the Articles of Organization can be filed entirely online in about fifteen minutes. That low cost masks a more interesting question: the filing itself is the cheapest, most reversible part of starting a business. The operating agreement, the founder equity split, the S-Corp election, the EIN, and the bank account — those are where Denver business lawyers earn their fee.
Pick a firm based on what you are actually building. A side business that will stay small and self-funded is well served by a flat-fee formation lawyer like Lantz Law Group, Downey Law Firm, or Troxel Fitch — they will get you set up properly and step away. A two-or-three-founder operating company needs a custom operating agreement with vesting, buy-sell, and tag-along/drag-along terms; firms like Robinson & Henry, The McGuire Law Firm, and Sequoia Legal write these regularly. A venture-track Denver startup heading toward a Series A round will almost certainly form a Delaware C-Corp instead of a Colorado LLC, because virtually every term sheet requires it — Sequoia Legal and other firms with venture experience handle the Delaware setup, founders' stock issuance with vesting, IP assignment agreements, and the 83(b) elections that founders have exactly 30 days to file.
Colorado-specific things to ask about: the annual periodic report (it is easy to miss, and late fees triple from $25 to $75), single-member-LLC liability protection (Colorado courts have respected it when formalities are followed, but commingling funds breaks the shield), and the S-Corp election analysis for self-employed owners earning above roughly $50,000 in net profit, where the self-employment tax savings often pay for the lawyer in year one.
Practice focus: Business formation and law, contracts, real estate, ongoing corporate counsel. Wide practice that lets you keep one firm for the business plus the family-law or estate-planning matters most Denver founders eventually need.
Practice focus: LLC formation, Delaware C-Corp setup, founder equity, SAFEs and convertible notes, venture financings, ongoing general counsel. Several attorneys with prior BigLaw and operating-business experience. Common pick for Denver startups headed to venture.
Practice focus: Entity selection and structuring for new and growing businesses. Walks owners through LLC vs. S-Corp vs. C-Corp trade-offs and handles the operating-agreement work, not just the SOS filing.
Practice focus: LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp formation, contract drafting, ongoing business counsel. Newer Denver firm that has built a reputation for responsive service to small and mid-sized Colorado businesses.
Practice focus: Entity formation, M&A, commercial contracts, tax structuring on the way in. Tax background is useful when the S-Corp election or the LLC-vs-C-Corp call has real dollars riding on it.
Practice focus: LLC, corporation, and partnership formation, asset-protection structuring, ongoing business advice. Serves Denver metro and statewide Colorado clients with a flat-fee menu for common formations.
Ranges from real Denver firms, current to 2026. Colorado Secretary of State filing fees ($50 LLC, $25 periodic report) pass through at cost.
Name search, Articles of Organization, EIN, basic single-member operating agreement. SOS $50 separate.
Custom operating agreement with member contributions, profit allocations, buy-sell terms.
Delaware filing, bylaws, founders' stock with vesting, 83(b) election, IP assignment.
For an LLC formed without one (the most common Colorado clean-up project).
Death, disability, deadlock, voluntary exit terms. Usually added after formation.
Common for growing Denver businesses with regular contract and HR questions.
Usually a precursor to a venture raise. Statutory conversion plus tax structuring.
Most firms include the periodic report in subscription GC; standalone help is $250 or less.
From signing an engagement letter to having a working LLC, here is what the Denver calendar usually looks like.
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