When a business has multiple legal designations, which designation should be included in legal citations?

In legal citations, the convention is to include the most formal or relevant designation that a business holds. This is often represented by the first designation in a sequence of legal designations. The rationale is that the first designation is typically the primary form of incorporation recognized by law, denoting the business's legal status and entity type, such as "Incorporated," "Limited," or "LLC."

Using only the first designation avoids confusion and maintains clarity in legal citations, ensuring that the referenced entity is accurately identified. Including all designations may lead to ambiguity, as it could clutter the citation without adding significant legal clarification. Meanwhile, opting for only the last or the most formal designation may not accurately reflect the principal legal identity of the business, which is usually defined by its primary designation. Therefore, citing only the first designation upholds best practices in legal documentation.