Buy-Sell Agreement
(Between Partners of General
Partnership)
THIS AGREEMENT is made this the ____ day of _______________, 20____, between ______________, ______________ and ______________ (Partners); and ______________ (Partnership).
The partners are engaged in the business of ______________ under the Partnership name, and the firm's principal
place of business is at ______________.
The
purpose of this agreement is (1) to provide for the sale by a Partner during
lifetime, or by a deceased Partner's estate, of his interest in the
Partnership, and for the purchase of such interest by the Partnership at a
price fairly established; and (2) to provide all or a substantial part of the
funds for the purchase.
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
promises and obligations set forth hereafter, each Partner, for himself, and
the Partnership as an entity, for itself, agree as follows:
I.
At this time, each Partner's interest in the
Partnership is as follows:
______________ owns ______________%
______________ owns ______________%
______________ owns ______________%
While this agreement is in effect, no Partner shall
have any right to assign, encumber or dispose of his interest in the
Partnership except as provided herein.
II.
Upon the death of a Partner his estate shall sell,
and the Partnership shall purchase, his entire interest in the Partnership for
the price and upon the other terms provided herein. The Partners expressly agree that upon the
death of any Partner, the surviving Partners shall continue the Partnership
without interruption.
III.
If a Partner desires to withdraw from the
Partnership or to sell or otherwise dispose of any part of his interest during
his lifetime, he shall give the Partnership and each of the other Partners
written notice of his intention. If
there is a prospective transferee other than the existing Partners, such notice
shall state the name and address of such transferee and the terms and
conditions of the proposed transfer.
Upon receipt of such written notice the
Partnership shall have the right to purchase all of the interest offered for
sale or transfer. The purchase price
shall be the amount established in Article IV below; provided, however, that if
a lower price was stated in the notice to the Partnership, it shall have the
right to purchase at such lower price.
If the Partnership fails to purchase the entire
interest offered for sale within ______________ days after receipt of the notice, the other partners
shall have an additional ______________ within which to purchase the unsold part for the same
price. Each Partner shall individually
have the right to purchase that portion of the available interest which bears
the same ratio to that interest as the interest the purchaser already owns
bears to the combined interests of all the Partners, excluding the interest
offered for sale and any interest retained by the selling Partner.
If a Partner fails to purchase his full
proportion of the interest available within the time allowed, the other
Partner(s) shall have an additional ______________ days within which to purchase the unsold part for the
same price.
The Partnership shall pay for the interest of a
selling Partner in cash on the date of sale, and thereafter, except to the
extent of any interest in the Partnership retained, the selling Partner shall
not participate in the Partnership profits.
The Partners, on the other hand, shall individually have the right to
pay for the interest they purchase upon the following terms (or upon any more
favorable terms offered to a prospective transferee as stated in the written
notice): ______________% of the purchase price in cash upon the date of
exercise of the option to purchase; the balance in equal installments evidenced
by a series of promissory notes, the first note payable ______________ months from the date of exercise of the option and
the remaining notes payable at ______________ intervals thereafter, with interest at the rate of ______________% per annum payable on each note at its maturity. Each promissory note shall include and be
subject to the provisions of Article X hereof.
Unless the Partnership or the other Partners
purchase the entire interest offered for sale within the successive time
periods allowed, upon expiry of the last such period, the interest may be
disposed of to the person and upon the terms and conditions described in the
notice, or to any other person or persons; provided only that (1) the notice
and first offer procedure described above shall be repeated in connection with
every other intended transfer; and (2) the agreement establishing the
Partnership does not further restrict or prevent such sale or other
disposition.
Any change in the respective ownership interest
of the Partners resulting from a lifetime purchase and sale hereunder shall be
recorded in Schedule A attached hereto.
IV.
At this time the fair market value of the
Partnership's capital assets, including goodwill, is $______________; the fair value of unrealized receivables is $______________; and the fair value of inventory items is $______________. Therefore,
the value of each Partner's interest in the Partnership is as follows:
$______________
Partner
$______________
Partner
$______________
Partner
These values shall remain effective for the
purposes herein until there is a redetermination of the values as hereafter
provided.
At the end of each fiscal year of the Partnership,
and whenever there is a change in the percentage interests of the Partners
under Article III hereof, the Partners shall redetermine these values and shall
indicate the new values by entries in Schedule B attached hereto. Each new set of values entered in Schedule B
shall be signed by all the Partners, and the last value for a Partner's
interest in the Partnership entered opposite his name in Schedule B shall be
controlling for the purposes of this agreement; except that if there has been
no redetermination of value within 2 years prior to a Partner's death, the
value of the deceased Partner's interest shall be the last valuation agreed to
by the parties, adjusted to reflect any increases or decreases in the capital
account of such deceased Partner from the date of the last agreed valuation to
the date of death, such increases or decreases to be determined by the
accounting firm regularly retained by the Partnership. In determining the value of a deceased
Partner's interest in the Partnership after his death, the excess of the death
claim proceeds over the cash values of the insurance policies on his life which
are subject to this agreement at the time of his death shall not be taken into
account.
The purchase price for the Partnership interest
of a deceased Partner shall be the last value entered opposite his name in
Schedule B or the value determined as above, except that in no event shall the
purchase price be less than the one-sum death claim proceeds of all the life
insurance policies on his life which are subject to this agreement at the time
of his death.
Unless a lower price becomes effective under
Article III, the purchase price for a Partner's interest upon a sale during his
lifetime to the Partnership or the other Partners shall be the last value
entered opposite his name in Schedule B at the time of sale. The purchase price for a portion of a
Partner's interest, if less than his entire interest is offered for lifetime
sale, shall be a pro-rata part of the last value entered opposite his name in
Schedule B. The above provision for the
one-sum death claim proceeds of the life insurance to be the minimum purchase
price shall not apply to a lifetime sale.
V.
To assure that all or a substantial part of the
purchase price of a deceased Partner's interest will be available in cash upon
his death, the Partnership has purchased insurance on the lives of the Partners
from the ______________ Insurance Company as follows:
|
Applicant
Owner and
Policy No.
|
Amount
|
Insured
|
Beneficiary
|
|
Partnership
|
$___________
|
Partner A
|
___________
|
|
Partnership
|
$___________
|
Partner B
|
___________
|
|
Partnership
|
$___________
|
Partner C
|
___________
|
The Partnership may, from time to time, procure
additional policies on the Partners' lives to effectuate this agreement. It may also release policies from the
agreement; increase, decrease or make other changes in existing policies; or
substitute other life insurance policies on the same life or lives for any
policies subject to this agreement. The
Partners hereby agree to do all things necessary to enable the Partnership to
obtain additional insurance on their lives or make changes in existing
policies.
The Partnership shall apply for and be the owner and
one-sum primary beneficiary of all life insurance policies subject to this
agreement and shall pay the premiums on all such policies as they fall
due. The Partnership may apply policy
dividends to the payment of premiums.
Proof of premium payments shall be furnished by the Partnership whenever
a Partner requests such proof. If the
Partnership fails to pay a premium within ______________ days after it falls due, the insured shall have the
right to pay such premium and to be reimbursed therefor by the Partnership.
So long as this agreement remains in effect it
is expressly agreed that the Partnership shall exercise none of the rights or
privileges granted to it as owner by the terms of the policies (such as the
right to borrow upon, surrender for cash, change the beneficiary, or assign a
policy) except with the written consent of all the Partners.
Any additional policies or other changes
affecting the insurance under this agreement shall be recorded in Schedule C
attached hereto and at all times the provisions of this agreement shall extend
to all policies recorded in said Schedule C.
VI.
The ______________ Insurance Company is not a party to this
agreement. Notwithstanding any
provisions herein to the contrary, said Insurance Company is expressly
authorized to act in accordance with the terms of its polices as though this
agreement did not exist, and the payment or other performance of its
contractual obligations in accordance with the policy terms shall completely
discharge said Company from all claims, suits and demands of all persons
whatsoever.
VII.
The Procedure upon the death of a Partner shall be
as follows:
(A) The
Partnership as beneficiary, shall promptly file claims to collect in cash the
one-sum death proceeds of all the policies on the deceased Partner's life which
are subject to this agreement.
(B) Upon the collection of such proceeds and
the qualification of a personal representative for the deceased Partner, the
Partnership shall pay over to the personal representative an amount equal to
the full proceeds collected, in part or in full payment for the deceased
Partner's interest in the Partnership.
(C) If the one-sum death proceeds of all the
policies on the deceased Partner's life is less than the total purchase price
for his interest as provided herein, the Partnership shall either pay the
balance forthwith in cash, or in lieu of such cash payment shall execute and
deliver to the personal representative a series of ______________ promissory notes of equal amount (except that the
note last falling due may be for a lesser remaining balance), payable to his
order. This first note shall be payable ______________ months after its execution date, and the remaining
notes shall be payable at ______________ intervals thereafter, with interest at the rate of ______________% per annum, the interest of each note payable at its
maturity. Each promissory note shall
include and be subject to the provisions of Article X hereof.
(D) The
personal representative of the deceased Partner shall promptly execute (and
shall cause any other party or parties whose signatures may be necessary to
transfer a complete title to the deceased Partner's interest to execute) and,
concurrently with receipt of the full purchase price for the deceased Partner's
interest (either in cash, or in cash and notes, as provided above), shall
deliver all instruments necessary to effectuate the transfer of the deceased
Partner's interest to the Partnership, as of the date of the deceased Partner's
death. Transfer of such interest shall
be made free and clear of all taxes, debts, claims, or other encumbrances
whatsoever, except for the represented by any promissory notes given under
paragraph (C).
(E) Concurrently with the transfer to the
Partnership of the deceased Partner's interest, the surviving Partners shall
execute and deliver to the personal representative of the deceased Partner, an
instrument or instruments by which the surviving Partners assure all the debts
and obligations of the Partnership and indemnify the deceased Partner's estate
against all Partnership liabilities and any and all claims by the surviving
Partners or by Partnership creditors.
VIII.
Each Partner shall have the right to purchase from
the Partnership any policy or policies on his life which are subject to this
agreement (A) upon withdrawing from the Partnership during his lifetime as
provided in Article III above; or (B) upon the termination of this agreement
during his lifetime, under any of the circumstances enumerated in Article IX
below. This right of purchase shall be
exercised as to each policy by paying to the Partnership, in cash, an amount
equal to the cash surrender value as defined in the policy, adjusted to the
date of transfer of ownership of the policy to the purchaser. The right of purchase shall lapse if it is
not exercised within ______________ days after occurrence of the event giving rise to the
right of purchase.
IX.
This agreement may be amended at any time in any particular
by a writing signed by the Partnership and all the Partners.
This agreement shall terminate upon:
(A) The written agreement of the Partnership
and all the Partners;
(B) The dissolution of the Partnership other
than by the death of a Partner;
(C) The death of
all partners simultaneously, or within a period of ______________ days; or
upon the death of the last surviving Partner or Partners at any time before the
purchase and sale under this agreement of the interest of any other Partner to
die; or
(D) The withdrawal of a Partner from the
Partnership during his lifetime by a sale or other disposition of his entire
interest to any party or parties except the Partnership or any other Partner or
Partners.
X.
Each promissory note given under Articles III and
VII above shall include and be subject to the following provisions.
1. Each
note shall provide that in the vent of default of principal or interest for a
period of ten (10) days, at the election of the holder all notes of the series
shall without further notice immediately become due and payable.
2. Each note shall provide that its maker
agrees to pay the reasonable expenses of collection in the event of a default,
including reasonable attorney's fees.
3. Each note shall provide for prepayment
in whole or in part at any time without penalty, but only with the consent of
the holder. Such right of prepayment
shall apply to those notes last due in the series in inverse order.
4. Each note shall be secured in a manner
acceptable to all parties at the time the notes are given.
XI.
This agreement shall be binding upon the Partners,
their heirs, legal representatives, successors and assignees; and upon the
Partnership, its successors and assigns.
XII.
Unless otherwise provided in this agreement, any
controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, or breach
thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Rules of the
American Arbitration Association, and judgment upon the award rendered by the
Arbitrator(s) may be entered in any Court having jurisdiction thereof.
XIII.
The Partnership, the Partners, the personal
representative of any deceased Partner, and all other parties bound by this
agreement shall promptly execute and deliver any and all papers or instruments
necessary or desirable to carry out the provisions of this agreement.
XIV.
Any notice provided for under this agreement shall
be deemed duly given if delivered or mailed by certified or registered mail to
the party entitled to receive such notice at the address of the office of the
Partnership.
XV.
This agreement shall be construed according to the
law of the State of ______________.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed
this agreement the day and year first above written.
Witness Partnership
By:
Witness Partner
Witness Partner
Witness Partner