New York § 1207 - 1207Membership of professional service limited liability companies

§ 1207. 1207Membership of professional service limited liability companies

§ 1207. Membership of professional service limited liability companies. (a) A member of a professional service limited liability company shall be only: (1) A professional, other than a foreign professional service corporation, foreign professional service limited liability company or foreign limited liability partnership, authorized by law to practice in this state a profession that such limited liability company is authorized to practice and who is or has been engaged in the practice of such profession in such limited liability company or a predecessor entity, or who will engage in the practice of such profession in such limited liability company within thirty days of the date such professional becomes a member; (2) A professional, other than a foreign professional service corporation, foreign professional service limited liability company or foreign limited liability partnership, authorized by law to practice in any foreign jurisdiction a profession that such limited liability company is authorized to practice and who is or has been engaged in the practice of such profession in such limited liability company or a predecessor entity, or who will engage in the practice of such profession in such limited liability company within thirty days of the date such professional becomes a member; or (3) A foreign professional service corporation, foreign professional service limited liability company or foreign limited liability partnership authorized by law to practice in this state or in any foreign jurisdiction a profession that such limited liability company is authorized to practice and who is or has been engaged in the practice of such profession in such limited liability company or a predecessor entity, or who will engage in the practice of such profession in such limited liability company within thirty days of the date such professional becomes a member. (b) With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide medical services as such services are defined in article 131 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 131 of the education law to practice medicine in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide dental services as such services are defined in article 133 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 133 of the education law to practice dentistry in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide veterinary services as such services are defined in article 135 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 135 of the education law to practice veterinary medicine in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide professional engineering, land surveying, architectural, landscape architectural and/or geological services as such services are defined in article 145, article 147 and article 148 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 145, article 147 and/or article 148 of the education law to practice one or more of such professions in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide public accountancy services as such services are defined in article 149 of the education law each member of such limited liability company whose principal place of business is in this state and who provides public accountancy services, must be licensed pursuant to article 149 of the education law to practice public accountancy in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide licensed clinical social work services as such services are defined in article 154 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company shall be licensed pursuant to article 154 of the education law to practice licensed clinical social work in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide creative arts therapy services as such services are defined in article 163 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 163 of the education law to practice creative arts therapy in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide marriage and family therapy services as such services are defined in article 163 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 163 of the education law to practice marriage and family therapy in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide mental health counseling services as such services are defined in article 163 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 163 of the education law to practice mental health counseling in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide psychoanalysis services as such services are defined in article 163 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed pursuant to article 163 of the education law to practice psychoanalysis in this state. With respect to a professional service limited liability company formed to provide applied behavior analysis services as such services are defined in article 167 of the education law, each member of such limited liability company must be licensed or certified pursuant to article 167 of the education law to practice applied behavior analysis in this state. A professional service limited liability company formed to lawfully engage in the practice of public accountancy as a firm, as such practice is defined under article 149 of the education law shall be required to show (1) that a simple majority of the ownership of the firm, in terms of financial interests and voting rights held by the firm's owners, belongs to individuals licensed to practice public accountancy in some state, and (2) that all members of a limited professional service limited liability company, whose principal place of business is in this state, and who are engaged in the practice of public accountancy in this state, hold a valid license issued under section seventy-four hundred four of the education law. For purposes of this subdivision, "financial interest" means capital stock, capital accounts, capital contributions, capital interest, or interest in undistributed earnings of a business entity. Although firms registered with the education department may include non-licensee owners, a registered firm and its owners must comply with rules promulgated by the state board of regents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a firm registered with the education department may not have non-licensee owners if the firm's name includes the words "certified public accountant," or "certified public accountants," or the abbreviations "CPA" or "CPAs". Each non-licensee owner of a firm that is registered under this section shall be (1) a natural person who actively participates in the business of the firm or its affiliated entities, or (2) an entity, including, but not limited to, a partnership or professional corporation, provided each beneficial owner of an equity interest in such entity is a natural person who actively participates in the business conducted by the firm or its affiliated entities. For purposes of this subdivision, "actively participate" means to provide services to clients or to otherwise individually take part in the day-to-day business or management of the firm or an affiliated entity. (c) No member of a professional service limited liability company shall enter into a voting trust agreement, proxy or any other type of agreement vesting in another person, other than another member of such limited liability company or professional who would be eligible to become a member of such limited liability company, the authority to exercise voting power of any or all of the membership interests of such limited liability company. All membership interests or proxies granted or agreements made in violation of this section shall be void.