A limited liability corporation, also known as an "LLC," is a corporation where the shareholders of the corporation have limited liability for the activities of the corporation. Therefore, the personal assets of the shareholders of the LLC are protected in the event of a lawsuit against the LLC, bankruptcy and/or for the debts of the LLC. In order to form an LLC, it is necessary to register the corporation with the Secretary of State where the LLC is formed. In order to register the LLC, one must make sure that the particular name of the business is not already in use by another LLC. If the name is already in use, the LLC will not be permitted to use the proposed name and will have to submit an alternative name. Thereafter, the LLC must file formal legal documents with the Secretary of State's office. This is known as "registering" the LLC. Once the LLC is filed with the State, there may also be county or local government filings required in connection with the LLC formation such as a business certificate or updated license information; thus, is important to check with the regulations of the local jurisdiction.