A limited liability partnership (LLP) has elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP, all partners have a form of limited liability, similar to that of the shareholders of a corporation. However, the partners have the right to manage the business directly, and (in many areas) a different level of tax liability than in a corporation.
Limited liability partnerships are distinct from limited partnerships, in that limited liability is granted to all partners, not to a subset of non-managing “limited partners.” As a result the LLP is more suited for businesses where all investors wish to take an active role in management.
There is considerable confusion between LLPs as constituted in the US and that introduced in the UK in 2001 and adopted elsewhere - see below - since the UK LLP is, despite the name, specifically legislated as a Corporate body rather than a Partnership.
United States
In the United States, each individual state has its own law governing their formation. Limited liability partnerships emerged in the early 1990s: while only two states allowed LLPs in 1992, over forty had adopted LLP statutes by the time LLPs were added to the Uniform Partnership Act in 1996.
Although found in many business fields, the LLP is an especially popular form of organization among professionals, particularly lawyers, accountants and architects. In some U.S. states (including California and New York), LLPs can only be formed for such professional uses.
The liability of the partners varies from state to state. Section 306(c) of the UPA (a standard statute adopted by many states) grants LLPs a form of limited liability similar to that of a corporation:
- An obligation of a partnership incurred while the partnership is a limited liability partnership, whether arising in contract, tort, or otherwise, is solely the obligation of the partnership. A partner is not personally liable, directly or indirectly, by way of contribution or otherwise, for such an obligation solely by reason of being or so acting as a partner.
However, a sizable minority of states only extend such protection against negligence claims, meaning that partners in an LLP can be personally liable for contract and intentional tort claims brought against the LLP.
As in a partnership or limited liability company (LLC), the profits of an LLP are distributed among the partners for tax purposes, avoiding the problem of “double taxation” often found in corporations.
Some US states have combined the LP and LLP forms to create limited liability limited partnerships.
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