A Document Preparation Service must be bonded and licensed in order to be a legal representative for the public in the State of Nevada. The Nevada Document Preparation Bond guarantees the privacy of the information that the document assistant has access to. The bond also ensures the protection of the public and the government from any harm caused by the principal. However, if a legal assistant harms a party within their business, the bond will cover any financial loss.
The Nevada Document Preparation Bond bond consists of three parties: the state, the legal document assistant, and the surety company. The Nevada Secretary of State requires a bond from all legal document assistants and tax preparers, in order to be licensed in the State of Nevada. As the principal, if the legal assistant acts unlawfully, a party affected by the crime can file a claim against the bond. If the state approves the claim, the surety company will pay out the claim. The legal assistant must then repay the surety company for the paid claim.
The bond amount is the maximum amount of compensation that can cover damages incurred by a harmed party. The Nevada Secretary of State set the Nevada Document Preparation Bond amount at $50,000.
The bond premium, or cost, generally runs 1% or less bond amount. The premium covers the cost of issuing the bond itself and keeping the bond active. The state may issue additional costs to file the bond.
If paid annually, the bond remains in force until cancelled. If the principle cancels the bond, they must notify the state before the cancellation date.