limited liability partnership -an emerging concept in india - kartik dawar

8/8/2019 Limited Liability Partnership -An Emerging Concept in India - Kartik Dawar

1/4

LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP:

AN EMERGING CONCEPT IN INDIA

By: Kartik Dawar Associate Advocate,Kaden Boriss Legal LLP

Partnership is one of the oldest forms of business relationships that continues to be relevant

in the present era as well. In India, even though limited liability companies have substituted

partnership firms in large businesses, partnership continues to be the dominant business

model for professionals and small business enterprises, often due to legal necessity and

implications rather than choice.

The Indian Partnership Act, 1932 provides for a traditional form of partnership which is

simple to form and easily dissolved and requires very little regulatory compliance. An

important feature of this kind of partnership is the unlimited liability of the partners for the

acts of the firm; in fact the firm does not have a separate legal identity from the partners

and for this very reason it is also difficult to induct and retire partners as any change in theconstitution of firm gives rise to a new firm. To overcome the shortfalls of this kind of

traditional partnership, a need was felt by both the legislators and the business community

to create an alternate business structure that would combine the positive points of

traditional partnership and the limited liability company; and such a structure has come to

be known as the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). A Limited Liability Partnership is a

hybrid between a company and a partnership that, as the name suggests, provides the

benefits of limited liability and allows its members the flexibility of organizing their internal

structure as a partnership based on a mutually arrived agreement.

LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Limited Liability Partnership has already been accepted as a business structure in many

countries like US, UK, Japan, Singapore etc. In US, 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. Each state of

US has its own law governing the formation of LLPs. The liability of the partners varies from

state to state. In UK, LLPs are governed by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act, 2000 (in

England and Wales and Scotland) and the Limited Liability Partnerships Act (Northern

Ireland) 2002 in Northern Ireland. A UK Limited Liability Partnership is a Corporate body

that is, it has a perpetual succession. The feature of LLP in UK is that it combines the

organizational flexibility and tax status of a partnership with limited liability for its members.

In Japan, LLP is not a corporation, but rather exists as a contractual relationship between

the partners. In Singapore, LLPs are formed under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act,

2005. This legislation draws on both the US and UK models of LLP and establishes LLP as a

body corporate. However for tax purposes it is treated like a general partnership.

THE LLP LAW IN INDIA


2/4

The Indian Legislature, keeping in view, the international business trends where a range of

services is being offered by professionals and businesses in the form of Limited Liability

Partnerships, has enacted the much awaited Limited Liability Partnership Act. The Limited

Liability Partnership Bill, 2006, was approved by the Cabinet on Dec 7, 2006 and was

introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 15th Dec, 2006. It was later referred to the Department

Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for examination. The Committeesubmitted its report to both Houses of Parliament on 27 th Nov, 2007, recommending some

changes along with some suggestions regarding the LLP Bill, 2006.1 On 12th Dec 2008, the

Parliament passed the Limited Liability Partnership Bill, 2008. The Limited Liability

Partnership Bill, 2008 received the assent of the Honble President on 7th January, 2009 and

has now become a legislation to be called as 'Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008.

The Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008

An LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 is a body corporate having a

distinct legal entity separate from that of its partners and has perpetual succession i.e. any

change in the partners will not affect the existence, rights or liabilities of the LLP.

The Limited Liability Partnership shall be required to have at least two partners but there

will be no limit on the maximum number of partners. If at any time the number of partners

of an LLP is reduced below two and such LLP carries on business for more than six months,

the person who is the only partner of the LLP during the time it carries on business after

those six months shall be liable personally for the obligations of the LLP incurred during that

period.2 Any individual or body corporate may be a partner in an LLP.3 Further, the

provisions of the Indian Partnership Act, 1932 shall not be applicable to an LLP. 4 Further, an

LLP, will by its name has the power to sue and being sued, hold and dispose property, have

a common seal and to do and suffer such other acts as bodies corporate may lawfully do

and suffer. Every LLP is required to have either the words limited liability partnership or theacronym LLP as the last words of its name.

Incorporation of an LLP

An LLP is formed pursuant to a limited liability partnership agreement which means any

written agreement between the partners of the limited liability partnership or between the

limited liability partnership and its partners, which determines the mutual rights, and duties

of the partners and their rights and duties in relation to that limited liability partnership.5

For an LLP to be incorporated, at least two persons must subscribe their name to a

document called an incorporation document, which must then be submitted to the Registrarof companies. There is also a requirement of fling a statement in the prescribed form, made

by either an Advocate, or a Company Secretary, or a Chartered Accountant or a Cost

1Public Information Bureau Press Release dated 1st May 2008

2Section 6(2) of the Act

3Section 5 of the Act

4Section 4 of the Act

5Section 2(o) of the Act


3/4

Accountant in whole time practice in India or by anyone who subscribed his name to the

incorporation document that all the requirements under the Act and the rules made

thereunder are complied with in respect of the incorporation, along with the incorporation

document. The incorporation document must contain information such as the name of the

LLP, its proposed business, address of its registered office, the name, address and

photographs of the persons who are to be its partners on incorporation.

Upon receiving the incorporation document the Registrar will retain and register it. Once the

documents have been registered, the Registrar will issue a certificate that the LLP is

incorporated by the name specified in the incorporation document. The certificate issued by

the Registrar is evidence that all the requirements have been complied with.

Extent and Limitation of Liability

An LLP being a separate legal entity is liable for an obligation arising in contract or

otherwise and the liabilities of the LLP will be met out of its property. A partner will not be

held personally liable, directly or indirectly for an obligation of the LLP, solely by reason ofbeing a partner of the LLP. However, such liability shall not affect the personal liability of a

partner for his own wrongful act or omissions and in the event of an act carried out by the

LLP or any of its partners, with intent to defraud creditors of the LLP or any other person, or

for any fraudulent purpose, the liability of the LLP and partners who acted with intent to

defraud creditors or for any fraudulent purpose shall be unlimited for all or any of the debts

or other liabilities of the LLP. Therefore, a partner will be held personally liable for his own

wrongful act or omission, but not for the wrongful act or omission of any other partner of

the LLP.

Safeguards to Prevent Misuse

Since there would be limitation on the liability of the partners and the LLP shall be a

separate legal entity contracting with third parties in its own right, the Act has certain built-

in features which shall lead to greater control over LLPs than what could be exercised over

traditional partnerships. Some of these requirements include the requirement of every LLP

to have a registered office in India to which all communications will be made and received.

Any change in the registered office has be intimated to the Registrar. Every LLP is also

required to have at least two designated partners and one of them should be resident in

India.6The designated partners shall be answerable for all acts, matters and things as are

required to be done by the LLP in respect of compliance of the provisions of the proposed

legislation and be liable for penalties for non compliance.

The LLP shall be required to maintain proper books of accounts in the prescribed manner

according to the double entry system of accounting at its registered office for the specified

period of time. The LLP shall also be required, within a period of six months from the end of

each financial year, to prepare a Statement of Account and Solvency for the said financial

year, which report is then required to be signed by the designated partners of the LLP.

Further, the LLP shall file an annual return duly authenticated with the Registrar within sixty

6Section 7(1) of the Act


4/4

days of closure of its financial year. Certain penal provisions have also been provided by the

Act for the contravention of the Provisions pertaining to financial disclosures.

ADVANTAGES OF LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP

In a nutshell, the Limited Liability Partnership has the following advantages: It provides limited liability to its partners. Though personal Liability arises in case of

wrongful acts or omissions, a partner is not personally liable for such acts or omissions

of other partner.

LLP Business Structure also has the advantage of Internal Flexibility. As in traditional

partnership, the internal structure of LLP can be organized as per mutual agreement.

The requirements as to Board Meetings, Resolutions, Annual meetings, etc. are not

there in case of LLP. There is less paperwork in case of LLPs, even the formation of a

partnership agreement is not mandatory; the Act provides for default provisions in its

Schedule I. The filing requirements are also less as compared to a company.

Since LLP is a separate legal entity, its existence is not offered by the entry or exit of

partners.

CONCLUSION

The passing of the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 is a recognition of the changing

needs of the businesses in todays times. If it is implemented properly, the introduction of

the LLP will provide a helpful new option for professional partnerships which are anxious

about their exposure to liability. In view of the growth of Indian Service industry in recent

times, LLPs would further contribute to the growth of the service industry and a large

number of existing companies, public as well as private, are expected to convert into LLPs

with a view to have access to the benefits of the LLP. The Government of India has made an

endeavour to create a facilitating environment for entrepreneurs, service providers and

professionals to meet the global competition; however it needs to be seen how far the

change is useful.

limited liability partnership -an emerging concept in india - kartik dawar

Documents