Articles Posted in Partnerships

|

AdobeStock_292580187-e1576014509781-300x183A partnership is like a marriage. It takes effective communication to meet mutual goals. You can avoid many partnership disputes by creating a clear operating agreement before the partnership starts doing business. The experienced San Jose business attorneys at Structure Law Group can help you avoid unnecessary partnership disputes. By executing a clear, binding, and specific partnership agreement, you can save time and expense that ultimately hurts your business. Call (408) 441-7500 to schedule a consultation with one of our skilled San Jose business lawyers. We have helped many Northern California businesses create effective operating agreements.

How to Create an Effective Operating Agreement

There are several important steps to follow in order to create an agreement that will effectively resolve disputes in future business transactions:

Continue reading ›

|

partnerships-vs-llcs-300x200When starting a new business, it is important to know what type of business entity will best protect you and your investors. The wrong entity selection could expose your business to unnecessary legal liability and tax liability. Let an experienced business formation attorney advise you on the best way to protect your new business. Call Structure Law Group at (408) 441-7500. Our experienced Silicon Valley business lawyers can help you mitigate your liability and risks to keep your new business profitable.

What to Consider When Deciding Between a Partnership and an LLC

There are many factors that can affect your choice of business entity. Here are just a few of the many important things to consider:

Continue reading ›

|

Fotolia_189107114_Subscription_Monthly_M-300x200Perhaps more so than any other kind of business structure, a partnership is heavily reliant upon the personal relationships among the partners. If those relationships are good, the partnership has a much better chance to function smoothly. If not, the personal nature of partnerships generally means that rocky personal relationships will lead to a rocky business relationship. All too often, partners join up based on prior personal relationships that were good, only to find they did not consider business philosophies before forming the partnership. Business differences can lead to personal differences, making it that much more unlikely that the partnership’s problems can be worked out.

Start Early to Avoid Partnership Disputes

Partnerships often are formed by people working in the same industry or friends who develop an idea together. They are common in the practice of law, as well as in a number of different small businesses. Partnerships are frequently a few individuals joining together to start a business. There are steps they should take to minimize the possibility of disputes. These steps include:

Continue reading ›

|

Fotolia_69411638_Subscription_Monthly_M-300x200Contracts are essential to any business deal. No matter how close the parties and no matter how clearly the terms are spelled out, there is always a possibility of the other party breaching the contract. Whether a contract is with a vendor, another business, an employee, or any other party, a breach can cause financial harm to your company.

Fortunately, a contract should also dictate your rights and options to seek legal remedies in the event of a breach. Our experienced business and contract attorneys can help you through each step of this process to ensure the matter is resolved as efficiently and favorably as possible.

  1. Talk to the other party. Sometimes, a party to a contract may not even realize they are in breach of the agreement. If the breach involves non-payment, there may be ways to agree on a payment plan or another arrangement to fulfill the contract without taking legal action. It is always a good idea to speak with a party – or have your lawyer do so – to explore options to resolve the issue.
Continue reading ›

|

Fotolia_141011072_Subscription_Monthly_M-300x170
Starting a business partnership can be very exciting. You are ready to hit the ground running with your new venture. However, you will want to pause and make sure you have your legal interests well documented and in order before you jump into starting the business. The corporate attorneys at Structure Law Group understand the intricacies of forming a partnership and putting safeguards in place should a problem later arise.

California Partnership Legal Classifications

General Partnership

Continue reading ›

|

Fotolia_194134312_Subscription_Monthly_M-300x200It may seem simple to try and put together a shareholder agreement on your own. However, a carefully drafted shareholder agreement is imperative to how your business functions in the present, but more importantly how you might need to handle things in the future. You will want your shareholder agreement to be carefully drafted to match your business’ specific needs. Even though every shareholder agreement will be different, there are some common components that most shareholder agreements include.

Governance Procedures

The shareholder agreement can outline how often meetings should be held. It can also describe the process for general or special meetings, quorum needed for specific types of matters, and how notices for the meetings should be sent. The addition of theses details not only spells out the procedural process, but also notifies members of their duties and rights as a shareholder.

Continue reading ›

|

When multiple individuals begin conducting business together, they may have effectively created a partnership, even if they didn’t intend to do so.  Thus, even though partnerships can be formed without the partners actually signing a partnership agreement, the partnership and its partners become subject to state laws governing partnerships.  The California business attorneys at Structure Law Group, LLP understand the laws and mechanics required to build a strong foundation for a partnership.  Being careful and meticulous about the partnership formation process can also help to prevent litigation if and when a dispute arises between and among business partners.

 Fotolia_71517132_Subscription_Monthly_M-300x200
Partnership Agreements

 Although not required under California law, as discussed above, entering into a partnership agreement when forming a partnership is highly recommended.  A partnership agreement is a legally binding contract that, among other things, dictates the roles of the partners and establishes guidelines for management of the partnership.  In addition, partnership agreements set out how potential legal disputes will be resolved.

Continue reading ›

|

Many partnerships begin among friends or individuals with similar interests who have a business idea together. However, having a good business idea and being able to cooperate to actually run a successful partnership are two very different things. In many cases, you may realize that your partner is not pulling his or her own weight or is even bringing the business down through his or her actions, or lack thereof. In such situations, you may naturally wonder what you have to do to remove that partner from the partnership and continue running the company without them.

fired-300x208
Unfortunately, simply removing a partner and continuing with business as usual is often much harder than it seems. Your options should be closely evaluated depending on your specific circumstances.  Having the assistance from a San Jose partnership attorney will help your business establish a binding partnership agreement that will allow the business to run smoothly and efficiently even if a situation arises between partners.

Do You have a Partnership Agreement?

Continue reading ›

|

The exchange of cash for payment for a goods or services is rare these days. We have certainly become a digital society. Business make advances daily to make transactions more efficient and convenient. However, businesses engaging in e-commerce must not compromise security for expediency. Additionally, businesses store infinite amounts of personal data about their customers. These businesses, such as health care providers and health insurance companies, not only must safeguard their electronic transactions but must also secure sensitive information and proactively combat data breaches. Failure to do so can lead to a huge economic loss for the customers and the company. The savvy business attorneys at Structure Law Group, LLP advise businesses on the best practices to prevent data breaches and counsel them on the necessary steps to take if such an unfortunate event occurs.

Fotolia_81204705_Subscription_Monthly_M-300x194
In California, people have a constitutional right to the safety and integrity of their personal information. California’s information security act defines personal information as any information that could identify or describe a person. Personal information is also an individual’s name, address, social security number, license number, medical information, and the like. A business in possession of such information must take reasonable steps to prevent disclosure of private information. California law obligates businesses to implement security measures reasonably designed to protect the integrity of the private information. Every business entity, from a sole proprietorship to a multi-national corporation is subject to the information security act.

California law broadly defines “data breach.” Data breach includes any “unauthorized acquisition of computerized data that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal information maintained by the person or business.” The information may be used in good faith for the benefit of the person whose information is disclosed, provided that such disclosure is authorized.

Continue reading ›

|

A “fraudulent,” or more accurately “voidable” transfer, is a transfer by a party (the “debtor”) of some interest in property with the goal or effect of preventing a creditor or creditors from reaching the transferred interest to satisfy their claim or claims.

Signing contract
What Law Governs “Fraudulent” or “Voidable” Conveyances/Transfers?

Fraudulent conveyances are governed primarily by the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (UVTA), which replaced the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA) in California as of January 1, 2016.  The UVTA applies to transfers made or obligations incurred after January 1, 2016.  The UFTA will continue to apply to transfers made or obligations incurred prior to January 1, 2016.  One of the most noticeable changes made in the UVTA is the removal of the word “fraudulent” from the title and body of the act. This change emphasizes that a transfer may be, and often is, voidable even in the absence of any sort of improper intent by the debtor or the transferees.

Continue reading ›