General Partner in Business – Meaning and Definition
A general partner is an investor in a company who has unlimited liability and is responsible for his portion of all contract obligations.In each partnership, there could be more than one general partner. As a representative or an associate, a general partner is also a managing director or an involved partner accountable for the management of the GP finance. This article will clearly explain the working and operation of a general partner.
Definition of a General Partner
General partnerships finance or GP finance are entirely made up of general partners. It ensures that all parties are unrestricted responsible for the actions of relationships. In other words, a client may not only sue for the company’s business property but also sue for his personal property against a general partner. As unlimited liability exists for general partners, they might lose business and all personal assets.
A general partner will have power without the consent or knowledge of the other partners to act on behalf of the company. The general partner may have unlimited liability for the company’s liabilities, unlike restricted or silent Partners. This is the primary reason for inventing limited liability partnerships. Most people wanted to go into business but did not want a relationship to be held responsible. There must be at least one general partner for a limited liability partnership. As in a general partnership, this party assumes total liability.
Working of General Partners
It ensures that their trust in the business can only be destroyed. If a limited liability business was sued by the same customer, the business and only the general partner could sue its assets. The joint partners are not subject to personal charges. This organization promotes people to start companies.
It’s not all negative to be a general partner. General partners are entitled to run and decide on the company. Both these things can not be applied by law with joint partners. Clearly, shareholders are exclusive collaborators. General collaborators typically provide the companies with advanced know-how and expertise and add to their network of connections and customers. Since the general partners share management responsibilities, they each have more time to spend on professional tasks.
Disadvantages
For obligations of the partnership, a general partner may personally be blamed. For instance, a patient may seek medical harassment for a doctor. In some instances, the courts permitted the client to take action in the area of clinical practice against every general associates.
If the court makes a decision in support of the company, it would be the responsibility of all general partners. In reality, the general partner with the most capital invested in the company could take a higher share than the general partner whose supposed misconduct contributed to the litigation. If a general partner is ever required to fulfill the financial obligations of the partnership, its personal assets may be liquidated.
Final Verdict
This article shows that a general partner is an investor in a company and is a shareholder in its profits. So, a GP finance agreement is required between the partners to run a successful business together.
