Whether an accountant or lawyer is considered a company applicant depends on their role in filing the document that establishes or registers a reporting company. Frequently, company applicants may be associated with a business formation service or law firm.
An accountant or lawyer may be designated as a company applicant if they directly submit the document creating or registering the reporting company. If multiple individuals are involved in the filing, an accountant or lawyer may be a company applicant if they are primarily responsible for directing or controlling the filing.
For example, an attorney at a law firm providing business formation services may oversee the preparation and filing of a reporting company’s incorporation documents. If a paralegal directly files the documents at the attorney’s direction, both the attorney and the paralegal are considered company applicants for the reporting company.