Tag: Operating Agreement

music industry operating agreement

Hall & Oats: Not Together Again (For Lack Of A Good Operating Agreement)

On By crowdfundattnyIn Operating Agreement2 Comments

Does either of my readers remember Hall & Oates? They were among the most successful pop acts of all time, with hits like ‘She’s Gone,’ ‘Sara Smile,’ ‘Turnaround,’ and ‘Back Together Again.’

But they’re not together anymore. In fact, they recently emerged from painful and expensive litigation. Their saga is one more example of what happens for lack of a good Operating Agreement.

They signed a partnership agreement when they were young, successful, and close friends. As they drifted apart musically their interests were no longer as completely aligned. Disagreements crept into their friendship, disagreements that their partnership agreement hadn’t anticipated. John Oates tried to sell his stake in their business; Daryl Hall sued to stop him. The words they used were typical of this situation, words like “betrayal” and “outlandish.”

The litigation was settled but the friendship is finished and the wounds won’t heal. Both declare they will never work together again.

Their partnership agreement failed to address the most important question that any Operating Agreement should address: how we get away from another if things don’t work out, treating one another fairly and inflicting as little emotional and economic damage as possible?  

I’ve seen this play many times, just with different actors. One client didn’t want to spend a few thousand dollars on an Operating Agreement because his partners were close friends. By the time the litigation was finished, he had paid me in the seven figures and both the business and the friendship were destroyed.

A good Operating Agreement should address, among other things:

  • Who puts up how much money, when, and what happens if they don’t.
  • Who makes decisions.
  • How the partners can get away from one another.
  • Ownership percentage.
  • Compensation.
  • How the partners share profits.
  • Time commitment.
  • Whether partners can compete.
  • What happens on death, disability, retirement, etc.

You’ll notice that none of those things is industry specific. Operating Agreements are about people, and people are the same.

Those can be tough issues to discuss at the beginning of a business relationship, like a bride and groom negotiating a pre-nuptial agreement. The good news is that all of them can be dealt with.

Two tech guys come to me asking for documents:  a new corporation, a stock option plan, an inventions agreement, an offer letter, corporate resolutions, a contribution agreement, all the things to start a unicorn. What they never ask for is a good Operating Agreement. Because, you know, they’re friends. 

In every business, the Operating Agreement is the most important document of all, like the foundation of a sturdy house. Put it in the (digital) drawer and know you’ve saved yourself lots of time and money, and possibly your friendship. 

Questions? Let me know.

Markley S. Roderick
Lex Nova Law
10 East Stow Road, Suite 250, Marlton, NJ 08053
P: 856.382.8402 | E: mroderick@lexnovalaw.com

Perks of crowdfunding in Delaware state

Another Reason To Use Delaware for Crowdfunding

On By crowdfundattnyIn Delaware, Delaware Crowdfunding, IDCsLeave a comment

Long ago, I posted about the advantages of using a Delaware entity. If you’re Crowdfunding in the oil and gas industry, there’s another.

The U.S. tax code provides for special treatment of expenses associated with drilling wells, things like labor costs and site preparation, known as “intangible drilling costs,” or “IDCs.” Under general tax principles, a taxpayer would be required to capitalize IDCs and amortize them over time, just as you would depreciate the costs of building an industrial complex. But §263(c) of the code allows taxpayers to deduct IDCs right away, rather than amortize them over time. That’s a significant economic advantage.

Section 469 of the code goes one step farther. In general, §469 prevents investors from deducting losses incurred in a “passive activity,” like investing in an industrial complex, against wages or other income from other sources. But §469(c)(3)(A) provides:

The term “passive activity” shall not include any working interest in any oil or gas property which the taxpayer holds directly or through an entity which does not limit the liability of the taxpayer with respect to such interest.

Thus, §263(c) allows taxpayers to deduct IDCs immediately, and §469(c)(3)(A) allows even passive Crowdfunding investors to deduct their share provided they hold their interest through an entity that does not limit their liability.

This is where Delaware has the advantage.

In Delaware, as in every other state, the general rule is that the members of a limited liability company are not personally liable for obligations of the entity. Section 303(a) of the Delaware statute provides:

Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the debts, obligations and liabilities of a limited liability company, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise, shall be solely the debts, obligations and liabilities of the limited liability company, and no member or manager of a limited liability company shall be obligated personally for any such debt, obligation or liability of the limited liability company solely by reason of being a member or acting as a manager of the limited liability company.

Unlike other states, however, Delaware adds another statute immediately afterward, §303(b):

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, under a limited liability company agreement or under another agreement, a member or manager may agree to be obligated personally for any or all of the debts, obligations and liabilities of the limited liability company.

By contrast, Texas (where many oil and gas firms operate) includes a statute providing for the limited liability of members (§114) but does not explicitly allow that rule to be changed by an Operating Agreement. 

In my opinion, Delaware §303(b) makes it much easier to conclude that, with the right provisions in the Operating Agreement, a Delaware LLC can be “an entity which does not limit the liability of the taxpayer.” Under the Texas statute, it is probably possible to provide for personal liability, but the absence of an explicit statutory exception makes the argument under §469(c)(3)(A) much more difficult.

Let me know if you’d like to see the appropriate Operating Agreement provisions.

Questions? Let me know.

chess board raising capital

Improving Legal Documents In Crowdfunding: Give Yourself The Right To Raise More Money

On By crowdfundattnyIn Crowdfunding, Crowdfunding LawsLeave a comment

Interest rates have gone up, real estate valuations have gone down, banks have disappeared, and investors have become more cautious. Many real estate sponsors, faced with looming loan repayments, wonder how they’re going to raise more equity.

They might be surprised when they check the Operating Agreement. Too often, Operating Agreements prohibit the sponsor from raising more equity without the consent of a majority of the LPs or even a single large investor. And getting that consent might not be easy or even possible, for several reasons:

  • Existing investors might not agree that new money is needed.
  • Existing investors might be unrealistic about market conditions, thinking the new equity can have the same terms as the existing equity.
  • Existing investors hate being diluted.
  • Existing investors might prefer to contribute the new money themselves on terms the sponsor believes are exorbitant.
  • A large investor might be angling to buy the property for itself at a fire sale price.

When times are good and the Operating Agreement is signed those possibilities seem far-fetched. Then you get to an April 2023.

Knowing that an April 2023 is always on the horizon, sponsors should negotiate hard at the outset for the right to raise more equity. They won’t always get it because people who write very large checks usually get what they want (that’s why we call it “capitalism”). But in my experience, too many sponsors give away the right too easily or don’t even think about it.

If the sponsor has the right to raise more equity, how do we protect the original investors? What’s to stop the sponsor from raising equity from her own family or friends on terms very favorable to them and very unfavorable to existing investors, even if the equity isn’t needed? 

The answer is “preemptive rights.” If the sponsor wants to raise more equity, she must offer the new equity to existing investors first. Only if they don’t buy it may she offer it to anyone else.

Preemptive rights aren’t perfect. The main flaw is that Investor Jordan, who had money to invest when the deal was launched, has fallen on harder times and doesn’t have money to participate in the new round. Or Mr. Jordan does have the money to participate but is no longer accredited and therefore can’t participate. 

Even with the flaws, preemptive rights generally allow for the equitable resolution of a difficult situation, much better than the alternatives most of the time.

You can see my form here. Let me know if you think it can be improved.

NOTE:  Sponsors might also consider “capital call” provisions, i.e., provisions allowing them to demand more money from investors if needed. In my opinion, however, they typically do more harm than good, driving away investors at the outset while not providing enough cash when it’s needed. And in practical terms, a large investor who would balk at allowing the sponsor to raise more equity certainly won’t agree to an unlimited capital call.

Questions? Let me know. 

What A Tokenized Security Could Do

On By crowdfundattnyIn Tokenized Securities, TokensLeave a comment

What A Tokenized Security Could Do

Here are some things a tokenized security could do:

  • Keep track of the owner (and by extension, the whole cap table)
  • Eliminate paper certificates
  • Facilitate transfers
  • Provide a history of transfers
  • Drastically reduce cost of transfer agent services
  • Provide for distributions with the click of a button
  • Make capital calls with the click of a button
  • Allow conversions (e.g., Convertible Note to equity) with the click of a button
  • Provide reinvestment options
  • Provide the K-1 or 1099
  • Allow digital voting
  • Carry up-to-date and historical information about the company, including financial statements and SEC filings
  • Track the tax basis of the security
  • Carry relevant documents, like an up-to-date Operating Agreement
  • Provide an automatic listing on an exchange
  • Integrate with all of the owner’s other securities, private and public, to provide a personal portfolio
  • Provide a communication channel, including video conference calls and chat rooms, with management and other investors
  • Provide information about the market and/or industry generally
  • Provide instant analytics on standard metrics like ROI, IRR, and P/E ratio, and allow exports to Excel and other tools
  • Compare returns to existing or new indices
  • Provide links to other issuers with similar characteristics, with the opportunity to trade, buy, or sell
  • Provide information about trading in the security by other owners, with alerts about trading by insiders

The way capitalism works, I suspect the first tokenized securities will include just a few features – those with the most sizzle and/or the easiest to implement – with more to come later.

Questions? Let me know.