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Partnerships Business Divorce

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

When Saying Goodbye Is Not Forever: Ex-Spouses Who Continue as Business Partners After Divorce

When a married couple enters into a divorce proceeding, they generally expect to end things in a final decree that fully divides all of their marital assets. But when they fully own or have a large interest in a closely held,...more

Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

California Business Divorce: Partner Fraud and Personal Liability: Important Lessons from Bartenwerfer v. Buckley

The Story Behind the Case - Kate and David Bartenwerfer started their business with a straightforward plan. The couple decided to renovate and sell a house they jointly owned in San Francisco....more

Nossaman LLP

Corporate Divorce – Preventing and Managing the Break-Up of a Business Partnership

Nossaman LLP on

In this episode, Kimberly Kamkar is joined by corporate law partners Patrick Richard, Anna Tang and Doug Schwartz to explore the complexities of business "break-ups." They discuss essential practices for future planning, the...more

Offit Kurman

How Buy-Sell Agreements Can Help Prevent a Messy Business Divorce

Offit Kurman on

Just like any kind of relationship, not all business partnerships are built to stand the test of time. They can sour just as easily as a romantic partnership or friendship as vision and long-term goals diverge, financial...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

The Risks of 50-50 Owned Business Partnerships: This Marriage of Equals Does Not Guarantee Success

During Valentine’s Day month, we are taking a look at 50-50 owned private businesses. Forming a co-owned company may sound like a good idea on paper because the two partners are close friends or family members who are making...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

I’ll Cry if I Want To – But Taking Steps to Avoid Tears Is a Better Strategy for Private Company Business Partners

In recent years, the headlines have tracked the news of high-profile breakups among business partners in private companies. These business partner fallouts include: - 2023: Sam Altman was ousted as Open AI CEO (for...more

Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

California Business Divorce: The Power of LLC Members to Ratify Past Actions Despite Defective Meeting Notices

Here’s What Happened This dispute arose from the operations of 409 North Camden, LLC, which owns a two-story office building in Beverly Hills. The property's history dates back to 1963, when six friends purchased it as...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Preventing a Crash and Burn: Avoiding Future Business Divorces Through Company Governance That Addresses Minority Partner Concerns

Majority owners of private companies are empowered to exercise control over their businesses, but if they disregard the valid concerns of their minority partners, they may sow the seeds for a divisive business divorce in the...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Recent Appellate Rulings Address Novel Issues in General Partnership Disputes

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The era of the old-fashioned general partnership long ago petered out, largely displaced by subchapter S corporations and, in the last few decades, limited liability companies, both of which allow pass-through taxation...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Gift Horse with Rotten Teeth: When Equity Bequests Violate Transfer Restrictions or Buy-Sell Agreements

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

How often do hopeful beneficiaries of a last will and testament expect to receive what they think will be a valuable bequest of a business interest, only to find their joy turn to despair when they discover the bequest...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

My Partner Just Sued Me: Strategies Majority Owners Should Consider in Defending Claims Filed by Private Company Investors

Conflicts between co-owners in private companies are common, but the vast majority are worked out through dialogue and negotiation. When these internal conflicts cannot be resolved, however, minority investors may file suit...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Special Considerations for Law Firm Breakups

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Just a few weeks ago, I commented on a recent uptick in disputes centered on the breakup of professional services firms. In those disputes, we expect that the demands of the legal, accounting, and medical professions draw...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

I Need to Sue My Longtime Business Partner(s): What Pitfalls Should I Consider Before Filing Suit

As a business trial lawyer representing private company owners and investors in business divorce disputes and civil litigation for many years, my experience teaches that business partners should approach litigation with...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Limo Company Shareholders Can’t Hitch a Ride in Derivative Litigation

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Closely-held business entities come in all shapes and sizes. By definition, under Partnership Law § 10, it takes “two or more” owners to form a general partnership. But corporations and LLCs have no such impediment, ranging...more

Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

California Business Divorce: Understanding IP Ownership in the Context of Operating a California Business

Picture a renowned winery in the heart of Napa Valley that has built its reputation on a trademark that connoisseurs associate with exceptional quality. This trademark, a symbol of years of hard work and dedication,...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Flexible “For Cause” Standard for Director and Officer Removal

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Sections 706 (d) and 716 (c) of the Business Corporation Law (the “BCL”) both contain a “for cause” standard for judicial removal of corporate directors and officers. Complaints with claims for judicial corporate director and...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Lifeline for the Stale “Schedule A”

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

One need not peruse the pages of this blog for long to learn that its authors strongly advise against entering into an owners’ agreement that calls on the members to “annually” (or worse, “regularly”) update a critical aspect...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Til Death Do Us Part? Corporate Divorce Can Be Messy, But Not for the Prepared

DarrowEverett LLP on

While no one enters a partnership expecting it to end in divorce, no one is immune to failure. In the world of business, partnerships can sometimes mirror the complexities of personal relationships. Often, it is the “we’ve...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Clash of Valuation Visions: Appraisal Proceeding Over Manhattan Eyeglass Shop Goes the Distance

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The authors of this blog have a special affinity for fair value appraisal proceedings.  The narrow hearings—where the sole issue before the court is the fair value of an owner’s interest in a business—require attorneys and...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Recent Decisions Enforce LLC Member’s Right of First Refusal, Restrict Partnership Accounting, and Allow Damages Claim for Breach...

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Someday, perhaps, I’ll find the comedic inspiration to come up with a joke that begins, “An LLC, a partnership, and a close corporation walk into a bar . . ..” Until then, I’ll have to satisfy myself with writing about an...more

Robson & Robson, P.C.

PA. Superior Court Channels Spider-Man: Rules That In Business Partnerships, Great Power Comes With Great Responsibility...

Robson & Robson, P.C. on

Business partnerships are built on the trust and loyalty of their participants. Without mutual coordination and honesty among all involved, tensions will inevitably arise that could derail a partnership’s success. The...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Has the Bloom Come Off the Rose? It May Be Time to Pull the Plug on Your Private Equity Investment

Private growth companies have ups and downs – only rocket ships tend to go straight up. Therefore, it can be difficult for an investor holding a minority stake in a private company to know whether a challenging time for the...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Stock Transfer Restrictions and “Annihilation of Property”

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

One of the pleasures of being a litigator is that we constantly learn. The pleasure multiplies as a law blogger, where articles we write inspire litigation arguments, and litigations we fight inspire articles....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Disputes Abound When Law Firms Dissolve

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Some of the most complex and hotly-contested business divorce litigation arises from the dissolution of law firms. Perhaps law firm dissolutions are prone to litigation because many are organized as partnerships or LLPs, and...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

Dealing With Fiduciary Duties to a Business Partner Upon Exit

Lowenstein Sandler LLP on

It is an old saw that partners, co-venturers, and insiders to closely held businesses owe fiduciary duties of loyalty and due care when dealing with one another. Importantly, these fiduciary duties modify the common law of...more

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