8.1 Sale or Encumbrance Prohibited. Except as otherwise permitted in this Agreement, no Member may voluntarily or involuntarily transfer, sell, convey, encumber, pledge, assign, or otherwise dispose of (collectively, "Transfer") an interest in the Company without the prior written consent of a majority of the other nontransferring Members determined on a per capita basis.
8.2 Right of First Refusal. Notwithstanding Section 8.1, a Member may transfer all or any part of the Member's interest in the Company (the "Interest") as follows:
8.2.1 The Member desiring to transfer his or her Interest first must provide written notice (the "Notice") to the other Members, specifying the price and terms on which the Member is prepared to sell the Interest (the "Offer").
8.2.2 For a period of 30 days after receipt of the Notice, the Members may acquire all, but not less than all, of the Interest at the price and under the terms specified in the Offer. If the other Members desiring to acquire the Interest cannot agree among themselves on the allocation of the Interest among them, the allocation will be proportional to the Ownership Interests of those Members desiring to acquire the Interest.
8.2.3 Closing of the sale of the Interest will occur as stated in the Offer; provided, however, that the closing will not be less than 45 days after expiration of the 30-day notice period.
8.2.4 If the other Members fail or refuse to notify the transferring Member of their desire to acquire all of the Interest proposed to be transferred within the 30-day period following receipt of the Notice, then the Members will be deemed to have waived their right to acquire the Interest on the terms described in the Offer, and the transferring Member may sell and convey the Interest consistent with the Offer to any other person or entity; provided, however, that notwithstanding anything in Section 8.2 to the contrary, should the sale to a third person be at a price or on terms that are more favorable to the purchaser than stated in the Offer, then the transferring Member must reoffer the sale of the Interest to the remaining Members at that other price or other terms; provided, further, that if the sale to a third person is not closed within six months after the expiration of the 30-day period describe above, then the provisions of Section 8.2 will again apply to the Interest proposed to be sold or conveyed.
8.2.5 Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of Section 8.2, should the sole remaining Member be entitled to and elect to acquire all the Interests of the other Members of the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 8.2, the acquiring Member may assign the right to acquire the Interests to a spouse, lineal descendent, or an affiliated entity if the assignment is reasonably believed to be necessary to continue the existence of the Company as a limited liability company.
8.3 Substituted Parties. Any transfer in which the Transferee becomes a fully substituted Member is not permitted unless and until:
(1) The transferor and assignee execute and deliver to the Company the documents and instruments of conveyance necessary or appropriate in the opinion of counsel to the Company to effect the transfer and to confirm the agreement of the permitted assignee to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement; and
(2) The transferor furnishes to the Company an opinion of counsel, satisfactory to the Company, that the transfer will not cause the Company to terminate for federal income tax purposes or that any termination is not adverse to the Company or the other Members.
8.4 Death, Incompetency, or Bankruptcy of Member. On the death, adjudicated incompetence, or bankruptcy of a Member, unless the Company exercises its rights under Section 8.5, the successor in interest to the Member (whether an estate, bankruptcy trustee, or otherwise) will receive only the economic right to receive distributions whenever made by the Company and the Member's allocable share of taxable income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit (the "Economic Rights") unless and until a majority of the other Members determined on a per capita basis admit the transferee as a fully substituted Member in accordance with the provisions of Section 8.3.
8.4.1 Any transfer of Economic Rights pursuant to Section 8.4 will not include any right to participate in management of the Company, including any right to vote, consent to, and will not include any right to information on the Company or its operations or financial condition. Following any transfer of only the Economic Rights of a Member's Interest in the Company, the transferring Member's power and right to vote or consent to any matter submitted to the Members will be eliminated, and the Ownership Interests of the remaining Members, for purposes only of such votes, consents, and participation in management, will be proportionately increased until such time, if any, as the transferee of the Economic Rights becomes a fully substituted Member.
8.5 Death Buy Out. Notwithstanding the foregoing provision of Section 8, the Members covenant and agree that on the death of any Member, the Company, at its option, by providing written notice to the estate of the deceased Member within 180 days of the death of the Member, may purchase, acquire, and redeem the Interest of the deceased Member in the Company pursuant to the provision of Section 8.5.
8.5.1 The value of each Member's Interest in the Company will be determined on the date this Agreement is signed, and the value will be endorsed on Schedule 3 attached and made a part of this Agreement. The value of each Member's Interest will be redetermined unanimously by the Members annually, unless the Members unanimously decide to redetermine those values more frequently. The Members will use their best efforts to endorse those values on Schedule 3. The purchase price for a decedent Member's interest conclusively is the value last determined before the death of such Member; provided, however, that if the latest valuation is more than two years before the death of the deceased Member, the provisions of Section 8.5.2 will apply in determining the value of the Member's Interest in the Company.
8.5.2 If the Members have failed to value the deceased Member's Interest within the prior two-year period, the value of each Member's Interest in the Company on the date of death, in the first instance, will be determined by mutual agreement of the surviving Members and the personal representative of the estate of the deceased Member. If the parties cannot reach an agreement on the value within 30 days after the appointment of the personal representative of the deceased Member, then the surviving Members and the personal representative each must select a qualified appraiser within the next succeeding 30 days. The appraisers so selected must attempt to determine the value of the Company Interest owned by the decedent at the time of death based solely on their appraisal of the total value of the Company's assets and the amount the decedent would have received had the assets of the Company been sold at that time for an amount equal to their fair market value and the proceeds (after payment of all Company obligations) were distributed in the manner contemplated in Section 8. The appraisal may not consider and discount for the sale of a minority Interest in the Company. In the event the appraisers cannot agree on the value within 30 days after being selected, the two appraisers must, within 30 days, select a third appraiser. The value of the Interest of the decedent in the Company and the purchase price of it will be the average of the two appraisals nearest in amount to one another. That amount will be final and binding on all parties and their respective successors, assigns, and representatives. The costs and expenses of the third appraiser and any costs and expenses of the appraiser retained but not paid for by the estate of the deceased Member will be offset against the purchase price paid for the deceased Member's Interest in the Company.
8.5.3 Closing of the sale of the deceased Member's Interest in the Company will be held at the office of the Company on a date designated by the Company, not be later than 90 days after agreement with the personal representative of the deceased Member's estate on the fair market value of the deceased Member's Interest in the Company; provided, however, that if the purchase price are determined by appraisals as set forth in Section 8.5.2, the closing will be 30 days after the final appraisal and purchase price are determined. If no personal representative has been appointed within 60 days after the deceased Member's death, the surviving Members have the right to apply for and have a personal representative appointed.
8.5.4 At closing, the Company will pay the purchase price for the deceased Member's Interest in the Company. If the purchase price is less than $1,000.00, the purchase price will be paid in cash; if the purchase price is $1,000.00 or more, the purchase price will be paid as follows:
(1) $1,000.00 in cash, bank cashier's check, or certified funds;
(2) The balance of the purchase price by the Company executing and delivering its promissory note for the balance, with interest at the prime interest rate stated by primary banking institution utilized by the Company, its successors and assigns, at the time of the deceased Member's death. Interest will be payable monthly, with the principal sum being due and payable in three equal annual installments. The promissory note will be unsecured and will contain provisions that the principal sum may be paid in whole or in part at any time, without penalty.
8.5.5 At the closing, the deceased Member's estate or personal representative must assign to the Company all of the deceased Member's Interest in the Company free and clear of all liens, claims, and encumbrances, and, at the request of the Company, the estate or personal representative must execute all other instruments as may reasonably be necessary to vest in the Company all of the deceased Member's right, title, and interest in the Company and its assets. If either the Company or the deceased Member's estate or personal representative fails or refuses to execute any instrument required by this Agreement, the other party is hereby granted the irrevocable power of attorney which, it is agreed, is coupled with an interest, to execute and deliver on behalf of the failing or refusing party all instruments required to be executed and delivered by the failing or refusing party.
8.5.6 On completion of the purchase of the deceased Member's Interest in the Company, the Ownership Interests of the remaining Members will increase proportionately to their then existing Ownership Interests.
There are a lot of trade offs. I missed the regular paycheck, but liked getting to keep all the reward for what I did (minus taxes, but that's another story). I liked the freedom, even though the hours were longer and the boss was a slave driver. Having your own business isn't for everyone, that's for sure, but if you do it, I'd do it alone and NOT with a partner.
