It’s not just judges and lawyers. Big banks, too, are apparently not committed to clear and accurate language when it comes to LLCs (limited liability companies).  A recent antitrust case provides an excerpt from a Barclays Settlement Agreement that states:

Paragraph 2(cc) of the Barclays Settlement Agreement defines “Person” as: “An individual, corporation, limited liability corporation, professional corporation, limited liability partnership, partnership, limited partnership, association, joint stock company, estate, legal representative, trust, unincorporated association, municipality, state, state agency, any entity that is a creature of any state, any government or any political subdivision, authority, office, bureau or agency of any government, and any business or legal entity, and any spouses, heirs, predecessors, successors, representatives, or assignees of the foregoing.” Barclays Settlement Agreement ¶ 2(cc).

In re LIBOR-Based Fin. Instruments Antitrust Litig., No. 11 CIV. 5450, 2018 WL 3677875, at *20 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 1, 2018) (emphasis added). 
 
I checked to see if this was the court’s error, but I found a link to what appears to be the settlement agreement, and it, too, includes “limited liability corporation” in paragraph (cc)’s definition.  Given that it is an error in the original, the judge, or at least the judge’s clerks, missed an opportunity for an appropriately placed “[sic],” which more than a few lawyers in my experience have relished the opportunity to insert. 
 
I did a little poking around and found that some Barclays’ divisions know and honor the distinction.  For example, a 2014 settlement agreement between  Federal Housing Finance Agency and “Barclays Bank PLC, Barclays Capital Inc. (‘Barclays Capital’), and Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC (collectively, the Barclays Corporate Defendants’)” (as well as some other defendants) provides (emphasis added): 

(h) “Person” means an individual, corporate entity, partnership, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, estate, trust, government entity (or any political subdivision or agency thereof) and any other type of business or legal entity . . . .

I guess beyond judges and lawyers, I should extend my An LLC Checklist Proposal to bankers, as well.  We can get this right, I swear.  It’s just going to take some work.