Can a Washington law firm organized as a professional limited liability company call itself an 'LLC,' or must it use 'PLLC' in the firm name?

Plain-English summary

The inquiring attorney was representing an attorney who wanted to form a professional limited liability company as the sole owner and attorney in the company, and noted that other law firms designate themselves as LLCs rather than PLLCs. The committee concluded that a professional limited liability company must include one of these terms in its name: "Professional Limited Liability Company," "Professional Limited Liability Co.," "P.L.L.C.," or "PLLC."

The committee said this requirement is consistent with Title 7 of the Rules of Professional Conduct and RCW 25.15.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2002, before the Washington State Bar Association's adoption of the 2006 revisions to the Rules of Professional Conduct. Washington's rules on firm names were later amended, and RCW 25.15 (the limited liability company act) has since been recodified. Subsequent rule amendments or later opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance. Verify against current rules before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or requirement mentioned here.

In practice

Under the Washington rules as they stood at the time of the opinion, the committee treated a professional-LLC firm name as required to carry one of the "PLLC" designations (or the full term), not just "LLC," tying the requirement to Title 7 of the RPCs and the limited liability company statute (RCW 25.15). The fact that other firms used "LLC" did not change the requirement.

Common questions

Q: Can a professional law firm just use "LLC" in its name like some other firms do?

A: The committee concluded that a professional limited liability company must include "Professional Limited Liability Company," "Professional Limited Liability Co.," "P.L.L.C.," or "PLLC" in its name.

Q: What is the basis for requiring the "PLLC" designation?

A: The committee said the requirement is consistent with Title 7 of the Rules of Professional Conduct and RCW 25.15.

Background and rules framework

The opinion applies Title 7 of the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct (information about legal services, including firm names under RPC 7.5; corresponding to Model Rule 7.5) together with RCW 25.15, Washington's limited liability company statute, to require a professional-LLC law firm to carry a "PLLC" designation in its name. The opinion reflects Washington's pre-2006 rule numbering.

Citations and references

Rules of Professional Conduct:

• Model Rule 7.5 / Washington RPC 7.5 (firm names and letterheads; Title 7)

Statutes:

• RCW 25.15 (Washington Limited Liability Company Act), required designations for a professional limited liability company.

See also

• WSBA Ethics Op. 1980: Middle Name Instead of Last Name in a Firm Name
• WSBA Ethics Op. 1183: Non-Partner Name in a Firm Name Implies Partnership
• WSBA Ethics Op. 1231: Firm Name After a Partnership Buyout

Source

• Landing page: https://ao.wsba.org/print.aspx?ID=1239

Original opinion text

Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.

Advisory Opinion: 1993
Year Issued: 2002
RPC(s): RPC Title 7
Subject: law firm name, professional limited liability company, PLLC, LLC

The inquiring attorney is representing an attorney who has requested formation of a professional limited liability company with the represented attorney as the sole owner and attorney in the company. He noted that other law firms designate their law firms as LLCs rather than PLLCs.

The committee was of the opinion that a professional limited liability company must include one of the following terms in its name: “Professional Limited Liability Company”, “Professional Limited Liability Co.”, “P.L.L.C.”, or “PLLC”, consistent with Title 7 of the RPCs and RCW 25.15.