Partnership Rules Flashcards
Partnership
An association of two or more persons to carry on as co-owners a business for profit (formed immediately) even if subjectively didn’t intend to be partners
Governing law = Revised Uniform Partnership Act (RUPA)
Partnership Requirements
- No formal writing/agreement; just based on parties’ intent implied from their conduct
- Anyone who is capable of entering a binding contract is capable of being a partner
- Partnership cannot have illegal purpose
- No one may become a partner without consent of all partners
Factors to Imply a Partnership
- Intent of the parties
- Sharing of profits = rebuttable presumption of partnership (except if payments for debt, serviced, rent, annuity/retirement benefits, interest on loan, or sale of goodwill of business)
Additional factors (do not create presumption, but evidence of formation):
- title to property held as joint tenant or tenant in common
- parties designate their relationship as partnership
- venture requires extensive activity
- sharing of gross returns
Partnership by Estoppel
When person (words/conduct) represents himself as partner or consents to being represented by another as partner –> liable to third parties that extend credit to actual/apparent partnership in reliance on the representation
When person hold out another as partner –> makes that person his agent to bind him to 3rd parties
Real & Personal Property Belongs to Partnership if:
- Titled in partnership name; OR
- Name of the partnership and instrument transferring title notes titleholders capacity as partner
- Presumed partnership property if purchased with partnership funds
Presumptions of Separate Property If:
- Property held in name of partner
- Instrument does not indicate person’s capacity as partner/mention existence of partnership
- Partnership funds not used
Factors to apply for untitled property to determine whether partnership or separate property:
- Use of partnership funds
- Use of property by partnership
- Listed in partnership books as asset
- Close relationship between property/business
- Improvement with partnership funds
- Maintenance with partnership funds
Partners Rights in Partnership Property
- Partners are not co-owners of partnership property and have no transferable interest in partnership property
- Partners have no right to use partnership property other than for the benefit of the partnership
Rights of Partners; unless Agreement specifies otherwise
- Equal right to participate in management and control of the partnership
- Equal right to share in profits/lossess and receive distributions
- no right to compensation - Partners not entitled to renumeration except for compensation for services in winding up business
- Partnership must indemnify partners for payments reasonably made and obligations reasonably incurred by a partner in carrying on business of the partnership
- If partner must pay more than his fair share –> entitled to contribution from other partners
- All partners have right to inspect partnership books/records
- Partnership can be sued in the partnership name/names of individual partners
Partners Owe These 4 Fiduciary Duties
- Duty of loyalty
- Duty of care
- Duty of obedience
- Duty to provide complete and accurate information (concerning the partnership)
Duty of loyalty
- Partners must acorn for all profits/benefits derived by partner in connection with partnership business
- Partners may not deal with partnership as one with adverse interest
- Partners may not compete with partnership
Duty of Care
- Partners must refrain from engaging in negligent, reckless, or unlawful conduct
- Partners must refrain from engaging in intentional misconduct
Duty of Obedience
- Partners must obey all reasonable directions of the partnership
- Partners must refrain from acting outside the scope of the partner’s actual authority
Contract Liability
Partners liable on contracts made by a partner in the scope of the partnership business and on any other contracts expressly authorized by the partners
(joint/several)
Tort Liability
Partners are liable for any torts committed by a partner or an employee of the partnership in the ordinary course of partnership business
(joint/several)