Don Beason long used the name The Capitol Group for his business.

It shows up on archives of his Web site, on lobbying forms he filed, in news articles about him and as an alias on the property records of his office in Bishops Ridge.

But he never registered the name with the state or Wake County.

Technically, it is a misdemeanor in North Carolina to engage in business under an assumed name without filing with either the Secretary of State or the local Register of Deeds, though the archaic law is almost never enforced.

Corporate attorneys say the main reasons to register a business are to protect your right to the name, set up a business checking account and notify potential clients who you are.

In fact, another lobbyist registered the name in 2000.

Attorney Jack Nichols, who helped Lisa Piercy file the paperwork with Wake County, said it was "an unfortunate coincidence" that she chose the rather obvious name.

"We did a check at that point in time, and the name was not being used," he said.