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Assignment of Membership Interest: The Ultimate Guide for Your LLC

LegalGPS : July 24, 2024 at 12:10 PM

As a business owner, there may come a time when you need to transfer ownership of your company or acquire additional members. In these situations, an assignment of membership interest is a critical step in the process. This blog post aims to provide you with a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about the assignment of membership interest and how to navigate the procedure efficiently. So, let's dive into the world of LLC membership interest transfers and learn how to secure your business!

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Assignment of Membership Interest Template

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Table of Contents

Necessary approvals and consent, impact on ownership, voting, and profit rights, complete assignment, partial assignment.

  • Key elements to include

Step 1: Gather Relevant Information

Step 2: review the llc's operating agreement, step 3: obtain necessary approvals and consents, step 4: outline the membership interest being transferred, step 5: determine the effective date of the assignment, step 6: specify conditions and representations, step 7: address tax and liability issues, step 8: draft the entire agreement and governing law clauses, step 9: review and sign the assignment agreement.

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  • How our contract templates stand out from the rest

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Assignment of Membership Interest

Do you need a lawyer for this, what is an assignment of membership interest.

An assignment of membership interest is a document that allows a member of an LLC to transfer their ownership share in the company to another person or entity. This can be done in the form of a sale or gift, which are two different scenarios that generally require different types of paperwork. An assignment is typically signed by the parties involved and delivered to the Secretary of State's office for filing. However, this process can vary depending on where you live and whether your LLC has members other than yourself as well as additional documents required by state law.

Before initiating the assignment process, it's essential to review the operating agreement of your LLC, as it may contain specific guidelines on how to assign membership interests.

Often, these agreements require the express consent of the other LLC members before any assignment can take place. To avoid any potential disputes down the line, always seek the required approvals before moving forward with the assignment process.

It's essential to understand that assigning membership interests can affect various aspects of the LLC, including ownership, voting rights, and profit distribution. A complete assignment transfers all ownership rights and obligations to the new member, effectively removing the original member from the LLC. For example, if a member assigns his or her interest, the new member inherits all ownership rights and obligations associated with that interest. This includes any contractual obligations that may be attached to the membership interest (e.g., a mortgage). If there is no assignment of interests clause in your operating agreement, then you will need to get approval from all other members for an assignment to take place.

On the other hand, a partial assignment permits the original member to retain some ownership rights while transferring a portion of their interest to another party. To avoid unintended consequences, it's crucial to clearly define the rights and responsibilities of each party during the assignment process.

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Types of Membership Interest Transfers

Membership interest transfers can be either complete or partial, depending on the desired outcome. Understanding the differences between these two types of transfers is crucial in making informed decisions about your LLC.

A complete assignment occurs when a member transfers their entire interest in the LLC to another party, effectively relinquishing all ownership rights and obligations. This type of transfer is often used when a member exits the business or when a new individual or entity acquires the LLC.

For example, a member may sell their interest to another party that is interested in purchasing their share of the business. Complete assignment is also used when an individual or entity wants to purchase all of the interests in an LLC. In this case, the seller must receive unanimous approval from the other members before they can transfer their entire interest.

Unlike a complete assignment, a partial assignment involves transferring only a portion of a member's interest to another party. This type of assignment enables the member to retain some ownership in the business, sharing rights, and responsibilities proportionately with the new assignee. Partial assignments are often used when adding new members to an LLC or when existing members need to redistribute their interests.

A common real-world example is when a member receives an offer from another company to purchase their interest in the LLC. They might want to keep some ownership so that they can continue to receive profits from the business, but they also may want out of some of the responsibilities. By transferring only a partial interest in their membership share, both parties can benefit: The seller receives a lump sum payment for their share of the LLC and is no longer liable for certain financial obligations or other tasks.

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How to Draft an Assignment of Membership Interest Agreement

A well-drafted assignment of membership interest agreement can help ensure a smooth and legally compliant transfer process. Here is a breakdown of the key elements to include in your agreement, followed by a step-by-step guide on drafting the document.

Key elements to include:

The names of the assignor (the person transferring their interest) and assignee (the person receiving the interest)

The name of your LLC and the state where it was formed

A description of the membership interest being transferred (percentage, rights, and obligations)

Any required approvals or consents from other LLC members

Effective date of the assignment

Signatures of all parties involved, including any relevant witnesses or notary public

Before you begin drafting the agreement, gather all pertinent data about the parties involved and the membership interest being transferred. You'll need information such as:

The names and contact information of the assignor (the person transferring their interest) and assignee (the person receiving the interest)

The name and formation details of your LLC, including the state where it was registered

The percentage and value of the membership interest being transferred

Any specific rights and obligations associated with the membership interest

Examine your LLC's operating agreement to ensure you adhere to any predetermined guidelines on assigning membership interests. The operating agreement may outline specific procedures, required approvals, or additional documentation necessary to complete the assignment process.

If your LLC doesn't have an operating agreement or if it's silent on this matter, follow your state's default LLC rules and regulations.

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Before drafting the assignment agreement, obtain any necessary approvals or consents from other LLC members as required by the operating agreement or state law. You may need to hold a members' meeting to discuss the proposed assignment and document members' consent in the form of a written resolution.

Detail the membership interest being transferred in the Assignment of Membership Interest Agreement. Specify whether the transfer is complete or partial, and include:

The percentage of ownership interest being assigned

Allocated profits and losses, if applicable

Voting rights associated with the transferred interest

The assignor's rights and obligations that are being transferred and retained

Any capital contribution requirements

Set an effective date for the assignment, which is when the rights and obligations associated with the membership interest will transfer from the assignor to the assignee.

This date is crucial for legal and tax purposes and helps both parties plan for the transition. If you don’t specify an effective date in the assignment agreement, your state's law may determine when the transfer takes effect.

In the agreement, outline any conditions that must be met before the assignment becomes effective. These could include obtaining certain regulatory approvals, fulfilling specific obligations, or making required capital contributions.

Additionally, you may include representations from the assignor attesting that they have the legal authority to execute the assignment. Doing this is important because it can prevent a third party from challenging the assignment on grounds of lack of authority. If the assignor is an LLC or corporation, be sure to specify that it must be in good standing with all necessary state and federal regulatory agencies.

Clearly state that the assignee will assume responsibility for any taxes, liabilities, and obligations attributable to the membership interest being transferred from the effective date of the assignment. You may also include indemnification provisions that protect each party from any potential claims arising from the other party's actions.

For example, you can include a provision that provides the assignor with protection against any claims arising from the transfer of membership interests. This is especially important if your LLC has been sued by a member, visitor, or third party while it was operating under its current management structure.

In the closing sections of the assignment agreement, include clauses stating that the agreement represents the entire understanding between the parties concerning the assignment and supersedes any previous agreements or negotiations. Specify that any modifications to the agreement must be made in writing and signed by both parties. Finally, identify the governing law that will apply to the agreement, which is generally the state law where your LLC is registered.

This would look like this:

Once you've drafted the Assignment of Membership Interest Agreement, ensure that all parties carefully review the document to verify its accuracy and completeness. Request a legal review by an attorney, if necessary. Gather the assignor, assignee, and any necessary witnesses or notary public to sign the agreement, making it legally binding.

Sometimes the assignor and assignee will sign the document at different times. If this is the case, then you should specify when each party must sign in your Assignment Agreement.

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Importance of a Professionally-drafted Contract Template

To ensure a smooth and error-free assignment process, it's highly recommended to use a professionally-drafted contract template. While DIY options might seem tempting, utilizing an expertly-crafted template provides several distinct advantages.

Advantages of using a professionally-created template:

Accuracy and Compliance: Professionally-drafted templates are designed with state-specific regulations in mind, ensuring that your agreement complies with all necessary legal requirements.

Time and Cost Savings: With a pre-written template, you save valuable time and resources that can be better spent growing your business.

Reduced Legal Risk: Legal templates created by experienced professionals significantly reduce the likelihood of errors and omissions that could lead to disputes or litigations down the road.

Get Your Assignment of Membership Interest Template with a Legal GPS Subscription

How our contract templates stand out from the rest:

We understand the unique needs of entrepreneurs and business owners. Our contract templates are designed to provide a straightforward, user-friendly experience that empowers you with the knowledge and tools you need to navigate complex legal processes with ease. By choosing our Assignment of Membership Interest Agreement template, you can rest assured that your business is in safe hands. Click here to get started!

As you embark on the journey of assigning membership interest in your LLC, here are some frequently asked questions to help address any concerns you may have:

Is an assignment of membership interest the same as a sale of an LLC? No. While both processes involve transferring interests or assets, a sale of an LLC typically entails the sale of the entire business, whereas an assignment of membership interest relates to the transfer of some or all membership interests between parties.

Do I need an attorney to help draft my assignment of membership interest agreement? While not mandatory, seeking legal advice ensures that your agreement complies with all relevant regulations, minimizing potential legal risks. If you prefer a more cost-effective solution, consider using a professionally-drafted contract template like the ones we offer at [Your Company Name].

Can I assign my membership interest without the approval of other LLC members? This depends on your LLC's operating agreement and state laws. It's essential to review these regulations and obtain any necessary approvals or consents before proceeding with the assignment process.

The biggest question now is, "Do you need to hire a lawyer for help?" Sometimes, yes ( especially if you have multiple owners ). But often for single-owner businesses, you don't   need a lawyer to start your business .

Many business owners instead use tools like  Legal GPS for Business , which includes a step-by-step, interactive platform and 100+ contract templates to help you start and grow your company.

Get Legal GPS's Assignment of Membership Interest Template Now

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Avoiding the Pitfalls of Assigning an Interest in an LLC

Author(s) Brian M. Gillett

One of the goals in a business divorce is finality – ending a business relationship once and for all. But what if the end isn’t really the end?

When members of limited liability companies (LLCs) sell their interests in the LLCs to a third party, they may assume that the sale provides the desired end of their rights and obligations related to the company. But that may not be the case. It is possible that even after selling and assigning an LLC interest, the assignor may continue to owe fiduciary duties to the LLC and its members. This post reviews some of the pitfalls of assigning an LLC interest and discusses strategies that may help to avoid those problems.

The Texas LLC Act – Provisions Governing Assignments of LLC Interests

Chapter 101 of the Texas Business Organizations Code (the “LLC Act”) governs LLCs. The LLC Act provides that a member of an LLC may transfer his or her membership interest to another party in whole or in part. But the assignment of an LLC interest is different from the transfer of membership in the company. The assignment of the LLC interest does not give the assignee the rights to (1) participate in the management and affairs of the company; (2) become a member of the company; or (3) exercise any rights of a member of the company. The assignment of the LLC interest provides the assignee with the right to receive distributions issued by the company and information about the company’s finances, but that’s about it.

The LLC Act spells out these rights of the assignee: “An assignor of a membership interest in a limited liability company continues to be a member of the company until the assignee becomes a member of the company.” Further, the assignor does not have the right under the LLC Act to withdraw as a member from the company. (An LLC member also cannot be expelled from the company.) The result is that even after assignors assign the LLC interest and are enjoying “life on the beach,” they may still owe fiduciary duties as a member of the company.

As a side note, this discussion has assumed that there are fiduciary duties owed within the LLC at issue. But that is not always the case. The LLC Act permits the members to agree in the  company’s certificate of formation or operating agreement to modify or even eliminate all fiduciary duties that are owed to the company and its members by the managers of the LLC. Tex. Bus. Org. Code § 7.001(d)(3). While including such a provision would certainly make it safer for a member to assign an LLC interest, doing so poses its own set of risks while the company is operating.

A Case Study: Villareal v. Saenz

The problem of fiduciary duties persisting after an assignment may sound far-fetched, but it is a real concern. In Villareal v. Saenz , the co-owners of an LLC agreed to a business divorce in which Saenz assigned the entirety of his interest in the company to Villareal. 5:20-cv-571, 2021 WL 1986831, at *2 (W.D. Tex. May 18, 2021). The assignment was part of a broad release of claims, both known and unknown. Villareal later filed suit, alleging that before signing the release, Saenz had engaged in various acts of misconduct, including misappropriating company trade secrets and embezzling funds, and that after the release, Saenz had taken over the company’s web and email domain, pulled down the website, and offered to sell it back to Villareal for $7,000.

A magistrate judge in the Western District of Texas recommended that all claims based on alleged acts arising before the release should be dismissed for failure to state a claim. But the magistrate judge also recommended that the claims against Saenz based on actions that allegedly took place after the release – including those for breach of fiduciary duty – should proceed. The court concluded that Saenz had not demonstrated that his fiduciary duties ended when he assigned his interest in the company to Villareal, and he may have breached those fiduciary duties by maintaining dominion and control over the company’s email server and website.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The key takeaway from Villareal v. Saenz is that disputes between owners regarding the fiduciary duties that exist after an assignment can be avoided by more clearly wording the company agreement or assignment. The following are specific steps that potential assignors can take before their assign their LLC interests to another party:

  • First, assignors can make sure that the assignment provides an end to their membership in the company by agreement of all members, along with a mechanism set forth for the assignee to assume the membership interest.
  • Second, assignors can include an express written release and waiver of any post-assignment duties to the company or its members (fiduciary or otherwise). This should be signed by the company and all of its members to be certain it is effective.
  • Third, and most importantly, assignors can make sure at the outset, when forming the company, that the operating agreement provides a mechanism for transfer of the membership interest in connection with an assignment, specifying what happens to the member’s duties (fiduciary or otherwise) when the transfer takes place.

The bottom line is that when assignor is trying to exit the company, he or she does not want to have any continuing duties to the company. To ensure this takes place, the assignment documents and the terms of the LLC Agreement should confirm that these duties no longer exist after the assignment takes place.

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One of the goals in a business divorce is finality – ending a business relationship once and for all. But what if the end isn’t really the end?

When members of limited liability companies (LLCs) sell their interests in the LLCs to a third party, they may assume that the sale provides the desired end of their rights and obligations related to the company. But that may not be the case. It is possible that even after selling and assigning an LLC interest, the assignor may continue to owe fiduciary duties to the LLC and its members. This post reviews some of the pitfalls of assigning an LLC interest and discusses strategies that may help to avoid those problems.

The Texas LLC Act – Provisions Governing  Assignments of LLC Interests

Chapter 101 of the Texas Business Organizations Code (the “LLC Act”) governs LLCs. The LLC Act provides that a member of an LLC may transfer his or her membership interest to another party in whole or in part. But the  assignment  of an LLC interest is different from the transfer of  membership  in the company. The assignment of the LLC interest does  not  give the assignee the rights to (1) participate in the management and affairs of the company; (2) become a member of the company; or (3) exercise any rights of a member of the company. The assignment of the LLC interest provides the assignee with the right to receive distributions issued by the company and information about the company’s finances, but that’s about it.

The LLC Act spells out these rights of the assignee: “An assignor of a membership interest in a limited liability company continues to be a member of the company until the assignee becomes a member of the company.” Further, the assignor does not have the right under the LLC Act to withdraw as a member from the company. (An LLC member also cannot be expelled from the company.) The result is that even after assignors assign the LLC interest and are enjoying “life on the beach,” they may still owe fiduciary duties as a member of the company.

As a side note, this discussion has assumed that there are fiduciary duties owed within the LLC at issue. But that is not always the case. The LLC Act permits the members to agree in the  company’s certificate of formation or operating agreement to modify or even eliminate all fiduciary duties that are owed to the company and its members by the managers of the LLC. Tex. Bus. Org. Code § 7.001(d)(3). While including such a provision would certainly make it safer for a member to assign an LLC interest, doing so poses its own set of risks while the company is operating.

A Case Study:  Villareal v. Saenz

The problem of fiduciary duties persisting after an assignment may sound far-fetched, but it is a real concern. In  Villareal v. Saenz , the co-owners of an LLC agreed to a business divorce in which Saenz assigned the entirety of his interest in the company to Villareal. 5:20-cv-571, 2021 WL 1986831, at *2 (W.D. Tex. May 18, 2021). The assignment was part of a broad release of claims, both known and unknown. Villareal later filed suit, alleging that before signing the release, Saenz had engaged in various acts of misconduct, including misappropriating company trade secrets and embezzling funds, and that after the release, Saenz had taken over the company’s web and email domain, pulled down the website, and offered to sell it back to Villareal for $7,000.

A magistrate judge in the Western District of Texas recommended that all claims based on alleged acts arising before the release should be dismissed for failure to state a claim. But the magistrate judge also recommended that the claims against Saenz based on actions that allegedly took place after the release – including those for breach of fiduciary duty – should proceed. The court concluded that Saenz had not demonstrated that his fiduciary duties ended when he assigned his interest in the company to Villareal, and he may have breached those fiduciary duties by maintaining dominion and control over the company’s email server and website.

Conclusion and  Recommendations

The key takeaway from  Villareal v. Saenz  is that disputes between owners regarding the fiduciary duties that exist after an assignment can be avoided by more clearly wording the company agreement or assignment. The following are specific steps that potential assignors can take before their assign their LLC interests to another party:

First, assignors can make sure that the assignment provides an end to their membership in the company by agreement of all members, along with a mechanism set forth for the assignee to assume the membership interest.

Second, assignors can include an express written release and waiver of any post-assignment duties to the company or its members (fiduciary or otherwise). This should be signed by the company and all of its members to be certain it is effective.

Third, and most importantly, assignors can make sure at the outset, when forming the company, that the operating agreement provides a mechanism for transfer of the membership interest in connection with an assignment, specifying what happens to the member’s duties (fiduciary or otherwise) when the transfer takes place.

The bottom line is that when assignor is trying to exit the company, he or she does not want to have any continuing duties to the company. To ensure this takes place, the assignment documents and the terms of the LLC Agreement should confirm that these duties no longer exist after the assignment takes place.

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LLC Membership Interest Assignment

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What is an LLC membership interest assignment?

An LLC membership interest assignment is a document used when one member of a limited liability company ("LLC") wishes to transfer the entirety of their interest in an LLC to another party . This document is often used when a member of an LLC is leaving or otherwise wants to give up the entirety of their interest in the company. Using this document, the current owner of shares in the LLC transfers all of them over to another person or entity.

A limited liability company , also known as an LLC, is a corporate structure that protects its owners from being personally liable for debts and liabilities of the company . LLCs do not pay taxes on their profits directly. Instead, profits and losses are passed through to the individual members, who report them on their personal tax returns.

What is the difference between an LLC membership interest assignment and an LLC membership purchase agreement?

Though both documents involve the transfer of interest in an LLC from one party to another, these two documents serve different purposes. The LLC membership interest assignment transfers the entirety of one person's interest in the LLC to another person. It is also not a sale document.

An LLC membership purchase agreement is the sale of some portion of a party's interest in an LLC to another party.For example, if someone owned 50% interest in an LLC, they could sell 25% of their interest in the LLC to another party and keep the remaining 25% interest for themselves.

Is it mandatory to use an LLC membership interest assignment?

Yes, using an LLC membership interest assignment is mandatory in most states. In the few states where it is not mandatory, it is still highly advisable to use this document to be sure to protect the interests of the parties involved and to make sure all the members of the LLC are informed about the ownership transfer.

What is "membership interest"?

Membership interest is a party's ownership stake in an LLC. It represents the parties' right to share in the profits and losses of the LLC and to receive distributions from it.

What must an LLC membership interest assignment contain?

A valid LLC membership interest assignment must contain at least the following mandatory clauses:

  • Identification of involved parties : The LLC membership interest assignment will include details about the identity of both the party giving up their interest, as well as the party who will get the interest in the LLC.
  • Description of membership interest : The LLC membership interest assignment includes details about the membership interest, including the percentage of the LLC and whether it includes voting rights.

In addition to the above mandatory clauses, the LLC membership interest assignment may also include the following optional clause:

  • Consent requirement : If needed, this document includes an addendum at the end specifying that all the members of the LLC consent to the transfer of interest.

What are the prerequisites of an LLC membership interest assignment?

Prior to creating an LLC membership interest assignment, several things should happen. Firstly, the parties should review the LLC's operating agreement . This document may contain restrictions or requirements for the transfer of interest in the LLC. For example, the operating agreement may require that existing members of the LLC have the right to buy the interest in the LLC before it is sold to any outside third party.

The parties to the agreement should also get consent to the sale from the current members of the LLC. This is not always necessary, but it is common and usually considered good practice.

Before agreeing to the terms of the LLC membership interest assignment, the new owner should also do research into the LLC to be sure that it is in good standing and not involved in ongoing litigation or bankruptcy proceedings.

Who is involved in an LLC membership interest assignment?

The LLC membership interest assignment includes the party giving up their interest in an LLC and the party receiving the interest in the LLC. Both of these parties can either be individual people or entities, like a business or charitable organization.

What has to be done once the LLC membership assignment agreement is done?

Once the LLC membership interest assignment is done, it should be signed and dated both the assigning party and the receiving party . All members of the LLC should be notified of the transfer. This notification usually happens by providing a copy of the Assignment and any related documents to the LLC's registered agent or manager. Information about the process is typically specified in the LLC Operating Agreement . In some states, transfer of interest in an LLC requires that formation documents be updated and refiled with the appropriate state office to reflect changes in membership. This may also involve filing an amendment to the Articles of Organization. The LLC should be sure to update its bank accounts, contracts, licenses, and permits as necessary to reflect the membership change. Finally, the LLC should maintain accurate records of the transfer of interest, saving for future reference copies of the Assignment Agreement, amended Operating Agreement, consent of members, and any other relevant documents.

Is it necessary to register the LLC membership interest assignment?

In some states, transfer of interest in an LLC requires that formation documents be updated and refiled with the appropriate state office to reflect changes in membership. This may also involve filing an amendment to the Articles of Organization .

Which laws are applicable to an LLC membership interest assignment?

LLC Membership Interest Assignments are subject to the laws of individual states . There is no one federal law covering these documents because each individual state governs the businesses formed within that state.

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Protecting your security interest in an llc membership interest: methods and considerations for perfecting.

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By: Rochelle Hauser | September 18, 2018 Owning a Business

Protecting Your Security Interest in an LLC membership interest Methods and considerations for perfecting

You have made the decision to provide financing, whether as a business owner or otherwise. Perhaps you are loaning money to a borrower, or selling a company you own and financing the purchase. You will likely require some type of collateral to secure repayment of the loan.

If your collateral includes a limited liability company (“LLC”) membership interest, there are important steps you need to follow to be sure you are protected in the transaction.

First, you need to review the organizational documents to determine whether the security interest in the membership interest is permitted. If not permitted, you need to obtain consent from the company and other members. Next, you will want to have a security agreement (often called a pledge agreement) granting you a security interest in the membership interest, signed by the borrower.

However, that’s only part of the process. You also need to “perfect” your security interest in the membership interest. Perfecting a security interest protects your rights in the collateral and determines your priority in relation to other creditors .

Perfection methods vary depending on the jurisdiction and the type of collateral. To determine the appropriate method to perfect your security interest in a membership interest, you must review the company’s organizational documents, as well as the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) in the appropriate jurisdiction.

Methods for perfecting

General intangible : Most commonly, a membership interest in an LLC is considered a general intangible . To perfect a security interest in a general intangible, you must file a UCC-1 financing statement with the Secretary of State’s office in the state in which the individual resides, or in which the entity was formed, depending on whether the borrower is an individual or an entity.

Once you file the financing statement, your security interest is considered perfected. Generally, the timing of filing, among other factors, determines the order of priority among multiple secured parties, with the first to file having priority.

A financing statement lapses five years from the date of filing. If the loan will be longer than five years, you must file a UCC-3 continuation statement prior to the lapse date to maintain perfection. The continuation statement can be filed up to six months before the lapse date.

Security : An LLC, however, can elect to have its membership interests classified as securities under Article 8 of the UCC. Generally, the organizational documents must expressly state that the membership interests are to be treated as securities. Additionally, if the membership interests are certificated, they are also considered securities. As the secured party, you must review the organizational documents to determine whether the “opt in” language is included or the membership interests are certificated, to properly perfect your security interest.

If the membership interests are securities, then you perfect by taking possession or control of the securities – or both. If the membership interests are certificated, then you perfect by taking possession of the certificates and by taking control by having the security interest noted in the company’s records. If the membership interests are not certificated, then you perfect by taking control by entering into an agreement with the company that specifies the company will take instructions from you, the secured party, as well as having the security interest noted in the company’s records. In each case, the borrower will also give you an assignment of the membership interest so that you can transfer title if there is a default on the loan.

Note: You can also perfect by filing a UCC-1 financing statement. However, possession or control take priority over a UCC-1 filing, so they are better forms of protection.

Considerations after perfecting

After you have perfected your security interest, a company can amend its organizational documents to either opt in or opt out of Article 8, or to certificate or uncertificate its membership interests. If that occurs, the method of perfection could change, and your priority could be jeopardized.

As the secured party, you can protect your security interest as follows:

  • Obtain a written commitment from the company that it will not alter the current status, whether it is opted in to or opted out of Article 8, until you are paid back your loan.
  • Obtain a written commitment from the company that it will not change the membership interests from certificated to uncertificated, or vice versa, until you are paid back your loan.
  • If the company has opted in to Article 8, request that the company provide certificates for its membership interests and then take possession of the certificates.
  • Depending on the situation, you also may choose to file a financing statement, take possession of any certificates, and get the appropriate agreements and actions from the company.

Because of the complexity and varying factors involved in obtaining and perfecting a security interest, lenders should consider consulting with an attorney who can assist them with reviewing the organizational documents and properly obtaining and perfecting their security interest.

At Henson Efron, our attorneys have extensive experience assisting secured parties in protecting their collateral. If you’d like to learn more about how our experience and knowledge can help protect your business, please contact Henson Efron .

The purpose of this article is merely to provide general information and should not be construed as legal advice.

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LLC Membership Interests as Collateral

It is not uncommon for lenders to take a security interest in a business owner’s ownership interest in the corporation, LLC, limited partnership or other entity as collateral for a loan to the business. For the most part, the transactions are documented through a standard pledge or assignment (the “assignment agreement”) of the stock or other evidence of ownership. While such an approach may be acceptable when the interests of a corporation are pledged, when the collateral is an interest in an LLC, savvy lenders will make sure that they use an enhanced form of assignment agreement and perhaps obtain the consents (and necessary waivers) from the other LLC members.

An enhanced form of assignment agreement is called for because an LLC has one distinct advantage over other entity forms. Under Maryland law, a judgment against an LLC member can only be enforced by imposing a charging order against the member’s interest. This is a court order requiring the LLC to pay the creditor the debtor member’s share of LLC distributions. In this respect, a charging order is akin to a wage garnishment, except it is against the member’s distributions rather than against wages.  The lender who simply obtains an assignment of a membership interest in an LLC gets no right to attach the member’s LLC interest or be admitted as a voting member . The lender cannot, therefore, participate in company management, force a sale of company assets or distribution of profits, or inspect company books.

In contrast, shares of a corporation’s stock are freely transferable absent contrary provisions in a shareholder agreement. Consequently, a lender with a security interest can typically exercise all of the associated rights of a stockholder. Upon obtaining the shares, the lender acquires the right to inspect corporate books and records and to vote on the election and removal of directors. If the shares represent a controlling interest, the lender could actually replace all the directors and officers and take over control of the corporation. Depending on the circumstances, the lender may also have the right to seek involuntary dissolution or place the corporation in receivership.

To optimize the collateral value of an LLC membership interest, lenders will want to be sure that they, as assignees, can be admitted, automatically, as full voting members of the company once they obtain ownership of the membership interest (a complex process in and of itself). Lenders will also want to scrutinize the LLC operating agreement to see if it contains provisions that either permit the company to acquire a member’s interest for a discounted value in the event of the member’s personal bankruptcy or that limit profit distributions either by making them discretionary rather than mandatory, or by restricting distributions to insolvent members. Finally, the operating agreement should be reviewed so that the lender understands any restrictions that may be placed upon the rights of an assignee who assumes a member’s interest. If such provisions are included in the operating agreement, they should be addressed in the assignment agreement as part of the negotiations over the assignment of the LLC membership interest so as to preserve the creditor’s rights and the value of charging orders.

Savvy lenders know that the LLC is the optimal form of entity for insulating company assets from owners’ personal creditors. Hence, they are the lenders that will carefully review the LLC organizational documents and only take LLC interests as collateral using an enhanced form of assignment agreement.

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Assignments and Security Interests Under UCC Article 9: A Worthy Decision

The March 2020 Commentary and its accompanying amendments to the Official Comments are critical steps in getting the commercial finance industry and, more importantly, courts aligned on how 9-406 and 9-607 work in concert.

December 16, 2022 at 10:30 AM

11 minute read

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The basic definitions of Article 9 align with this approach of applying to both an assignment of payment rights and a security interest in such assets. “[S]ecurity interest” in UCC Article 1, §1-201(b)(35) (General Definitions), includes “any interest of a … buyer of accounts, chattel paper, a payment intangible or a promissory note in a transaction that is subject to Article 9.” The definition of “secured party” in Article 9, §9-102(a)(73) (Definitions and Index of Definitions), includes a “person in whose favor a security interest is created or provided for under a security agreement,” as well as a “person to which accounts, chattel paper, payment intangibles or promissory notes have been sold.” Finally, the definition of “debtor” in Article 9, §9-102(a)(28), includes both a “person having an interest, other than a security interest or other lien, in the collateral” and a “seller of accounts, chattel paper, payment intangibles or promissory notes.”

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Transfer of Membership Interest in LLC: Everything to Know

The transfer of membership interest in LLC entities is done through an LLC Membership Interest Assignment. 3 min read updated on October 29, 2020

The transfer of membership interest in LLC entities is done through an LLC Membership Interest Assignment. This document is used when an owner (member) of an LLC wants to transfer their interest to another party. They are typically used when a member plans to leave or wants to relinquish their interest in the business.

This is a short, somewhat easy document to create. It contains places for both the person transferring the interest (Assignor) and the person receiving the interest (Assignee) to complete the document. It includes details on both parties, as well as the membership interest. You will include the membership percentage, whether it comes with voting rights or not, and there is an addendum that handles the consent of all LLC members if required.

LLC Membership Interest Assignments fall under individual state laws because LLCs are managed by individual state regulations, not federal law. You may hear this form referred to by several other names:

  • LLC Interest Assignment Agreement
  • Interest Assignment for LLC Membership
  • Assignment of Interest for LLC
  • Membership Assignment for LLC
  • Member Interest Transfer for LLC

Transfer of Interest in Delaware LLCs

Changes are inevitable in business, and LLCs are no different. If you happen to have set up your LLC in Delaware , it's quick and easy to transfer membership interests without expensive amendments. The Delaware LLC Operating Agreement details all conditions of future sales and/or transfers. It's typically handled internally with amendments and there is no need to record the change of interest with the state's Division of Corporations .

Transferring LLC Ownership

There are a number of reasons ownership may change. Some of these include:

  • Desire to bring in new members
  • A member passes away, gets divorced, or becomes disabled
  • Someone wants to leave the LLC
  • You want to sell the entire business

The procedure to transfer ownership is dictated by whether you are transferring only a portion of the whole LLC. Are you only bringing on a new member and therefore only need to change name and ownership percentages? Each member owns a percentage of the business, and if you want to add someone new, you will need to transfer some of the existing membership interests. If you have an Operating Agreement, it should provide details on how business transfers are to be handled.

It's important to have buy-sell, or buyout, provisions in your Operating Agreement , which detail how ownership changes work, as agreed upon by all members. Buy-sell provisions detail the method of how to value the business and membership interests, and it might place restrictions on who can become a member or the requirement to buy back interests from a member who is departing. If you don't have an Operating Agreement , or you have one but it doesn't contain buy-sell provisions, you'll need to look at your respective state statutes on how membership transfers are to be handled.

If your current Operating Agreement is lacking, it's a good idea to amend it or complete a new one. You may need to in order to document the ownership changes. If you don't need a new agreement, you at least need an amendment that lists any new members and their interest percentages.

Selling the LLC to a Third Party

Buy-sell provisions in an Operating Agreement don't cover selling the business to a third-party. To sell the business, you need to find a buyer and agree on the selling price. You may need the services of an experienced business valuation expert and/or have the buyer examine your books. There may be complex financial implications connected with the sale. It's recommended you consult with an attorney who is well-versed in buying and selling LLCs.

Abandoning LLC Membership Interests

One method of getting rid of your LLC interest is to just abandon it if that is allowed under state and the specific LLC's Operating Agreement. To establish abandonment, the person giving up the interest must provide notice to the LLC and other members that they are abandoning their membership rights and interests. This does not require the consent of the remaining members. However, it does not eliminate any personal liability the member had to third parties prior to the abandonment.

If you have questions regarding a transfer of membership interest in LLC, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel only accepts the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

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Assignment of Contract

Jump to section, what is an assignment of contract.

An assignment of contract is a legal term that describes the process that occurs when the original party (assignor) transfers their rights and obligations under their contract to a third party (assignee). When an assignment of contract happens, the original party is relieved of their contractual duties, and their role is replaced by the approved incoming party.

How Does Assignment of Contract Work?

An assignment of contract is simpler than you might think.

The process starts with an existing contract party who wishes to transfer their contractual obligations to a new party.

When this occurs, the existing contract party must first confirm that an assignment of contract is permissible under the legally binding agreement . Some contracts prohibit assignments of contract altogether, and some require the other parties of the agreement to agree to the transfer. However, the general rule is that contracts are freely assignable unless there is an explicit provision that says otherwise.

In other cases, some contracts allow an assignment of contract without any formal notification to other contract parties. If this is the case, once the existing contract party decides to reassign his duties, he must create a “Letter of Assignment ” to notify any other contract signers of the change.

The Letter of Assignment must include details about who is to take over the contractual obligations of the exiting party and when the transfer will take place. If the assignment is valid, the assignor is not required to obtain the consent or signature of the other parties to the original contract for the valid assignment to take place.

Check out this article to learn more about how assigning a contract works.

Contract Assignment Examples

Contract assignments are great tools for contract parties to use when they wish to transfer their commitments to a third party. Here are some examples of contract assignments to help you better understand them:

Anna signs a contract with a local trash company that entitles her to have her trash picked up twice a week. A year later, the trash company transferred her contract to a new trash service provider. This contract assignment effectively makes Anna’s contract now with the new service provider.

Hasina enters a contract with a national phone company for cell phone service. The company goes into bankruptcy and needs to close its doors but decides to transfer all current contracts to another provider who agrees to honor the same rates and level of service. The contract assignment is completed, and Hasina now has a contract with the new phone company as a result.

Here is an article where you can find out more about contract assignments.

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Assignment of Contract in Real Estate

Assignment of contract is also used in real estate to make money without going the well-known routes of buying and flipping houses. When real estate LLC investors use an assignment of contract, they can make money off properties without ever actually buying them by instead opting to transfer real estate contracts .

This process is called real estate wholesaling.

Real Estate Wholesaling

Real estate wholesaling consists of locating deals on houses that you don’t plan to buy but instead plan to enter a contract to reassign the house to another buyer and pocket the profit.

The process is simple: real estate wholesalers negotiate purchase contracts with sellers. Then, they present these contracts to buyers who pay them an assignment fee for transferring the contract.

This process works because a real estate purchase agreement does not come with the obligation to buy a property. Instead, it sets forth certain purchasing parameters that must be fulfilled by the buyer of the property. In a nutshell, whoever signs the purchase contract has the right to buy the property, but those rights can usually be transferred by means of an assignment of contract.

This means that as long as the buyer who’s involved in the assignment of contract agrees with the purchasing terms, they can legally take over the contract.

But how do real estate wholesalers find these properties?

It is easier than you might think. Here are a few examples of ways that wholesalers find cheap houses to turn a profit on:

  • Direct mailers
  • Place newspaper ads
  • Make posts in online forums
  • Social media posts

The key to finding the perfect home for an assignment of contract is to locate sellers that are looking to get rid of their properties quickly. This might be a family who is looking to relocate for a job opportunity or someone who needs to make repairs on a home but can’t afford it. Either way, the quicker the wholesaler can close the deal, the better.

Once a property is located, wholesalers immediately go to work getting the details ironed out about how the sale will work. Transparency is key when it comes to wholesaling. This means that when a wholesaler intends to use an assignment of contract to transfer the rights to another person, they are always upfront about during the preliminary phases of the sale.

In addition to this practice just being good business, it makes sure the process goes as smoothly as possible later down the line. Wholesalers are clear in their intent and make sure buyers know that the contract could be transferred to another buyer before the closing date arrives.

After their offer is accepted and warranties are determined, wholesalers move to complete a title search . Title searches ensure that sellers have the right to enter into a purchase agreement on the property. They do this by searching for any outstanding tax payments, liens , or other roadblocks that could prevent the sale from going through.

Wholesalers also often work with experienced real estate lawyers who ensure that all of the legal paperwork is forthcoming and will stand up in court. Lawyers can also assist in the contract negotiation process if needed but often don’t come in until the final stages.

If the title search comes back clear and the real estate lawyer gives the green light, the wholesaler will immediately move to locate an entity to transfer the rights to buy.

One of the most attractive advantages of real estate wholesaling is that very little money is needed to get started. The process of finding a seller, negotiating a price, and performing a title search is an extremely cheap process that almost anyone can do.

On the other hand, it is not always a positive experience. It can be hard for wholesalers to find sellers who will agree to sell their homes for less than the market value. Even when they do, there is always a chance that the transferred buyer will back out of the sale, which leaves wholesalers obligated to either purchase the property themselves or scramble to find a new person to complete an assignment of contract with.

Learn more about assignment of contract in real estate by checking out this article .

Who Handles Assignment of Contract?

The best person to handle an assignment of contract is an attorney. Since these are detailed legal documents that deal with thousands of dollars, it is never a bad idea to have a professional on your side. If you need help with an assignment of contract or signing a business contract , post a project on ContractsCounsel. There, you can connect with attorneys who know everything there is to know about assignment of contract amendment and can walk you through the whole process.

ContractsCounsel is not a law firm, and this post should not be considered and does not contain legal advice. To ensure the information and advice in this post are correct, sufficient, and appropriate for your situation, please consult a licensed attorney. Also, using or accessing ContractsCounsel's site does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and ContractsCounsel.

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Avoiding the Pitfalls of Assigning an Interest in an LLC Blog Bradley Business Divorce

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One of the goals in a business divorce is finality – ending a business relationship once and for all. But what if the end isn’t really the end?

When members of limited liability companies (LLCs) sell their interests in the LLCs to a third party, they may assume that the sale provides the desired end of their rights and obligations related to the company. But that may not be the case. It is possible that even after selling and assigning an LLC interest, the assignor may continue to owe fiduciary duties to the LLC and its members. This post reviews some of the pitfalls of assigning an LLC interest and discusses strategies that may help to avoid those problems.

The Texas LLC Act – Provisions Governing Assignments of LLC Interests

Chapter 101 of the Texas Business Organizations Code (the “LLC Act”) governs LLCs. The LLC Act provides that a member of an LLC may transfer his or her membership interest to another party in whole or in part. But the assignment of an LLC interest is different from the transfer of membership in the company. The assignment of the LLC interest does not give the assignee the rights to (1) participate in the management and affairs of the company; (2) become a member of the company; or (3) exercise any rights of a member of the company. The assignment of the LLC interest provides the assignee with the right to receive distributions issued by the company and information about the company’s finances, but that’s about it.

The LLC Act spells out these rights of the assignee: “An assignor of a membership interest in a limited liability company continues to be a member of the company until the assignee becomes a member of the company.” Further, the assignor does not have the right under the LLC Act to withdraw as a member from the company. (An LLC member also cannot be expelled from the company.) The result is that even after assignors assign the LLC interest and are enjoying “life on the beach,” they may still owe fiduciary duties as a member of the company.

As a side note, this discussion has assumed that there are fiduciary duties owed within the LLC at issue. But that is not always the case. The LLC Act permits the members to agree in the company’s certificate of formation or operating agreement to modify or even eliminate all fiduciary duties that are owed to the company and its members by the managers of the LLC. Tex. Bus. Org. Code § 7.001(d)(3). While including such a provision would certainly make it safer for a member to assign an LLC interest, doing so poses its own set of risks while the company is operating.

A Case Study: Villareal v. Saenz

The problem of fiduciary duties persisting after an assignment may sound far-fetched, but it is a real concern. In Villareal v. Saenz , the co-owners of an LLC agreed to a business divorce in which Saenz assigned the entirety of his interest in the company to Villareal. 5:20-cv-571, 2021 WL 1986831, at *2 (W.D. Tex. May 18, 2021). The assignment was part of a broad release of claims, both known and unknown. Villareal later filed suit, alleging that before signing the release, Saenz had engaged in various acts of misconduct, including misappropriating company trade secrets and embezzling funds, and that after the release, Saenz had taken over the company’s web and email domain, pulled down the website, and offered to sell it back to Villareal for $7,000.

A magistrate judge in the Western District of Texas recommended that all claims based on alleged acts arising before the release should be dismissed for failure to state a claim. But the magistrate judge also recommended that the claims against Saenz based on actions that allegedly took place after the release – including those for breach of fiduciary duty – should proceed. The court concluded that Saenz had not demonstrated that his fiduciary duties ended when he assigned his interest in the company to Villareal, and he may have breached those fiduciary duties by maintaining dominion and control over the company’s email server and website.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The key takeaway from Villareal v. Saenz is that disputes between owners regarding the fiduciary duties that exist after an assignment can be avoided by more clearly wording the company agreement or assignment. The following are specific steps that potential assignors can take before their assign their LLC interests to another party:

  • First, assignors can make sure that the assignment provides an end to their membership in the company by agreement of all members, along with a mechanism set forth for the assignee to assume the membership interest.
  • Second, assignors can include an express written release and waiver of any post-assignment duties to the company or its members (fiduciary or otherwise). This should be signed by the company and all of its members to be certain it is effective.
  • Third, and most importantly, assignors can make sure at the outset, when forming the company, that the operating agreement provides a mechanism for transfer of the membership interest in connection with an assignment, specifying what happens to the member’s duties (fiduciary or otherwise) when the transfer takes place.

The bottom line is that when assignor is trying to exit the company, he or she does not want to have any continuing duties to the company. To ensure this takes place, the assignment documents and the terms of the LLC Agreement should confirm that these duties no longer exist after the assignment takes place.

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Choosing a Career

How to identify your career interests and do what you love.

Chris Leitch

woman identifying different career choices she would love

Identifying your career interests isn’t always easy, which is why people sometimes take a job without thinking about whether they actually like it or find it interesting. But here’s the thing: it inevitably leads to burnout — which itself could lead to anxiety and depression.

When I finally decided to take a moment to think about my interests and actually pursue my passion of writing and editing, my whole life changed — however corny that may sound. I was finally doing something that I enjoyed, that I loved and, most importantly, that made me happy.

And you, too, can be happy in whichever job you choose to do, as long as you clarify where your career interests truly lie — and this guide will help you do just that.

What are career interests?

Career interests describe your preferred activities, tasks and environments related to work . These interests often derive from having particular knowledge, talents and skills that can be utilized in a professional context. Career interests, then, reflect one’s preferences concerning their line of work and can play a crucial role in their career journey.

Why are career interests important?

Furthermore, career interests can be instrumental in achieving career success . Indeed, when your career interests are aligned with your job, then you are far more likely to feel satisfied, motivated and fulfilled by your professional life.

Types of career interests

How to identify your career interests.

So, how do you go about identifying your career interests? We’ll walk you through the process — step by step:

Step 1: Think about your general interests

Once you figure this out, ask yourself how you can apply those interests to your future career.

Step 2: Consider what you’re good at

For example, if you’re good at keeping things organised, then you could lend your organizational skills to a career in event planning. Likewise, if you make a killer cheesecake, then you might make a great baker.

Step 3: Forget about the money (for a minute)

Step 4: think about your hobbies.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Whether it’s hiking, collecting stamps, playing football or gardening, your hobbies can be a great source of inspiration when choosing a career.

Step 5: Talk to a career counselor

Yes, professional help often comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s money well spent — especially if it means avoiding the wrong college degree choice and the unnecessary student debt that comes with it.

Step 6: Take an online interest assessment

An excellent way of identifying your career interests is to take an online interest assessment, which will ask you a series of questions about the work activities you find enjoyable and interesting, and then provide you with unbiased insights and recommendations based on your answers.

Once you complete all six assessments, you’ll receive accurate career matches based on our proprietary and scientifically validated algorithm, as well as relevant job and course suggestions and a personalized report with your top results.

Step 7: Think about what’s important to you

Step 8: consider your childhood dreams.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A firefighter, an astronaut, a doctor, a singer?

Step 9: Identify your professional hero

This can be anyone: a relative, a friend, your pharmacist, or even Beyoncé.

Where possible, try to reach out to your hero and arrange a meeting or a call with them to discuss how they got to where they are. If your hero is unreachable, meanwhile, your best bet is to read up on everything you can about them on the internet — unless, of course, you have Beyoncé on speed dial!

Step 10: Review your work history

Step 11: research different careers.

Once you have a general idea of your interests and your strengths, make a list of potential careers that align with these — for example, if you’re a bit of a foodie and you work well under pressure, you might want to consider adding chef to your list — and then start researching each one in detail.

Step 12: Use your network

Once you’ve narrowed down your options and gathered some information about the careers you’re interested in, consider reaching out to people you know who work in those professions.

Step 13: Ask family and friends for feedback

A word of caution, though: don’t let others’ own interests influence your decision. While your family and friends can be an excellent source of inspiration and help, it’s important that the career you ultimately pursue makes you happy — even if it goes against the norm or doesn’t meet your parents’ expectations.

Step 14: Try it out

Examples of career interests.

Your career interests could be many and varied, with each of them pointing towards a professional direction that could be well-suited for you. So, if you’re in the process of identifying what these interests might be, take a look at some of the examples we have compiled below:

Reveal your perfect career

Final thoughts.

Got something to add or have a question about identifying your career interests? Let us know in the comments section below!

Freiberger Haber LLP

When Assigning the Right to Pursue Relief, Always Remember to Assign Title to, Or Ownership in, The Claim

  • Posted on: Oct 4 2016

Whether a party has standing to bring a lawsuit is often considered through the constitutional lens of justiciability – that is, whether there is a “case or controversy” between the plaintiff and the defendant “within the meaning of Art. III.” Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490, 498 (1975). To have Article III standing, “the plaintiff [must have] ‘alleged such a personal stake in the outcome of the controversy’ as to warrant [its] invocation of federal-court jurisdiction and to justify exercise of the court’s remedial powers on [its] behalf.” Id. at 498–99 (quoting Baker v. Carr , 369 U.S. 186, 204 (1962)).

To show a personal stake in the litigation, the plaintiff must establish three things: First, he/she has sustained an “injury in fact” that is both “concrete and particularized” and “actual or imminent.” Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife , 504 U.S. 555, 560 (1992) (internal quotation marks omitted). Second, the injury has to be caused in some way by the defendant’s action or omission. Id . Finally, a favorable resolution of the case is “likely” to redress the injury. Id . at 561.

When a person or entity receives an assignment of claims, the question becomes whether he/she can show a personal stake in the outcome of the litigation, i.e. , a case and controversy “of the sort traditionally amenable to, and resolved by, the judicial process.’” Sprint Commc’ns Co., L.P. v. APCC Servs., Inc., 554 U.S. 269, 285 (2008) (quoting Vt. Agency of Natural Res. v. United States ex rel. Stevens, 529 U.S. 765, 777–78 (2000)).

To assign a claim effectively, the claim’s owner “must manifest an intention to make the assignee the owner of the claim.” Advanced Magnetics, Inc. v. Bayfront Partners, Inc. , 106 F.3d 11, 17 (2d Cir. 1997) (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted). A would-be assignor need not use any particular language to validly assign its claim “so long as the language manifests [the assignor’s] intention to transfer at least title or ownership , i.e., to accomplish ‘a completed transfer of the entire interest of the assignor in the particular subject of assignment.’” Id. (emphasis added) (citations omitted). An assignor’s grant of, for example, “‘the power to commence and prosecute to final consummation or compromise any suits, actions or proceedings,’” id. at 18 (quoting agreements that were the subject of that appeal), may validly create a power of attorney, but that language would not validly assign a claim, because it does “not purport to transfer title or ownership” of one. Id.

On September 15, 2016, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, issued a decision addressing the foregoing principles holding that one of the plaintiffs lacked standing to assert claims because the assignment of the right to pursue remedies did not constitute the assignment of claims.  Cortlandt St. Recovery Corp. v. Hellas Telecom., S.à.r.l. , 2016 NY Slip Op. 06051.

BACKGROUND :

Cortlandt involved four related actions in which the plaintiffs – Cortlandt Street Recovery Corp. (“Cortlandt”), an assignee for collection, and Wilmington Trust Co. (“WTC”), an indenture trustee – sought payment of the principal and interest on notes issued in public offerings. Each action alleged that Hellas Telecommunications, S.a.r.l. and its affiliated entities, the issuer and guarantor of the notes, transferred the proceeds of the notes by means of fraudulent conveyances to two private equity firms, Apax Partners, LLP/TPG Capital, L.P. – the other defendants named in the actions.

The defendants moved to dismiss the actions on numerous grounds, including that Cortlandt, as the assignee for collection, lacked standing to pursue the actions. To cure the claimed standing defect, Cortlandt and WTC moved to amend the complaints to add SPQR Capital (Cayman) Ltd. (“SPQR”), the assignor of note interests to Cortlandt, as a plaintiff. The plaintiffs alleged that, inter alia , SPQR entered into an addendum to the assignment with Cortlandt pursuant to which Cortlandt received “all right, title, and interest” in the notes.

The Motion Court granted the motions to dismiss, holding that, among other things, Cortlandt lacked standing to maintain the actions and that, although the standing defect was not jurisdictional and could be cured, the plaintiffs failed to cure the defect in the proposed amended complaint. Cortlandt St. Recovery Corp. v. Hellas Telecom., S.à.r.l. , 47 Misc. 3d 544 (Sup. Ct., N.Y. Cnty. 2014).

The Motion Court’s Ruling

As an initial matter, the Motion Court cited to the reasoning of the court in Cortlandt Street Recovery Corp. v. Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch , No. 12 Civ. 9351 (JPO), 2013 WL 3762882, 2013 US Dist. LEXIS 100741 (S.D.N.Y. July 18, 2013) (the “SDNY Action”), a related action that was dismissed on standing grounds.  The complaint in the SDNY Action, like the complaints before the Motion Court, alleged that Cortlandt was the assignee of the notes with a “right to collect” the principal and interest due on the notes. As evidence of these rights, Cortlandt produced an assignment, similar to the ones in the New York Supreme Court actions, which provided that as the assignee with the right to collect, Cortlandt could collect the principal and interest due on the notes and pursue all remedies with respect thereto. In dismissing the SDNY Action, Judge Oetken found that the complaint did not allege, and the assignment did not provide, that “title to or ownership of the claims has been assigned to Cortlandt.” 2013 WL 3762882, at *2, 2013 US Dist. LEXIS 100741, at *7. The court also found that the grant of a power of attorney (that is, the power to sue on and collect on a claim) was “not the equivalent of an assignment of ownership” of a claim. 2013 WL 3762882 at *1, 2013 US Dist. LEXIS 100741 at *5. Consequently, because the assignment did not transfer title or ownership of the claim to Cortlandt, there was no case or controversy for the court to decide ( i.e. , Cortlandt could not prove that it had an interest in the outcome of the litigation).

The Motion Court “concur[red] with” Judge Oeken’s decision, holding that “the assignments to Cortlandt … were assignments of a right of collection, not of title to the claims, and are accordingly insufficient as a matter of law to confer standing upon Cortlandt.”  In so holding, the Motion Court observed that although New York does not have an analogue to Article III, it is nevertheless analogous in its requirement that a plaintiff have a stake in the outcome of the litigation:

New York does not have an analogue to article III. However, the New York standards for standing are analogous, as New York requires “[t]he existence of an injury in fact—an actual legal stake in the matter being adjudicated.”

Under long-standing New York law, an assignee is the “real party in interest” where the “title to the specific claim” is passed to the assignee, even if the assignee may ultimately be liable to another for the amounts collected.

Citations omitted.

Based upon the foregoing, the Motion Court found that Cortlandt lacked standing to pursue the actions.

Cortlandt appealed the dismissal. With regard to the Motion Court’s dismissal of Cortlandt on standing grounds, the First Department affirmed the Motion Court’s ruling, holding:

The [IAS] court correctly found that plaintiff Cortlandt Street Recovery Corp. lacks standing to bring the claims in Index Nos. 651693/10 and 653357/11 because, while the assignments to Cortlandt for the PIK notes granted it “full rights to collect amounts of principal and interest due on the Notes, and to pursue all remedies,” they did not transfer “title or ownership” of the claims.

The Takeaway

Cortlandt limits the ability of an assignee to pursue a lawsuit when the assignee has no direct interest in the outcome of the litigation. By requiring an assignee to have legal title to, or an ownership interest in, the claim, the Court made clear that only a valid assignment of a claim will suffice to fulfill the injury-in-fact requirement. Cortlandt also makes clear that a power of attorney permitting another to conduct litigation on behalf of others as their attorney-in-fact is not a valid assignment and does not confer a legal title to the claims it brings. Therefore, as the title of this article warns: when assigning the right to pursue relief, always remember to assign title to, or ownership in, the claim.

Tagged with: Business Law

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  • Estate Administration

Giving up your inheritance: Assignments vs disclaimers

On Behalf of The Probate House L.C. | Apr 27, 2019 | Estate Administration |

You’ve inherited part of a family member’s estate. Maybe they designated you as a beneficiary in their will. Perhaps they died without a will (“intestate”) and you are due a portion of the estate under California’s probate laws. What if you don’t want or need the inheritance? You’d prefer that someone else receive it — or at least a portion of it? Maybe you have a sibling who has greater need for the money (or property) than you do.

You can make what’s called an “assignment.” You assign (transfer) all or part of your interest in the estate to someone else. This is not just an informal transfer. There are legal steps that need to be taken since the assignment contradicts what the decedent designated or what the law requires based on familial relationship.

There are also tax implications for both the person who makes the assignment (the assignor) and the person who receives it (the assignee). The assignment has to be filed with the probate court before the distribution can be made to the assignee.

Note that inheritances from a trust typically cannot be assigned to someone else. Most trusts prohibit assigning an undistributed trust inheritance. This is often done to prevent creditors from being able to claim assets in a trust.

An assignment should not be confused with a disclaimer. A disclaimer is when someone refuses an inheritance. If you want to disclaim an inheritance, you don’t have any direct say in what happens to it. Legally, the assets involved are treated as though the person designated to inherit them predeceased the person whose estate is being settled. That means it could go to the next person in the line of succession, such as the children of the person who disclaims the inheritance.

There are legal restrictions on disclaiming an inheritance. There are time constraints, for example. Further, you can’t have received any benefit from the inheritance (like income from a property) before you disclaim it. Unlike an assignment, an inheritance from a trust can be disclaimed.

Whether you want to make an assignment or a disclaimer, it’s essential to take the appropriate legal steps. Trying to do it informally can create legal issues for the estate and everyone involved. Discuss your intentions with an estate planning attorney who can help you follow the proper legal procedures.

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Thoughts on rolling out vs taking assignment.

When selling puts, what are your thoughts on taking assignment vs rolling out? I have been wheeling for awhile and I either take assignment on the shares or roll them out. I typically take assignment of the shares and cover call them but I have been experimenting with rolling out as well. And I am starting to think rolling is more efficient than taking assignment. Especially on the capital where short puts are less capital intensive than carrying the shares. It probably depends more on the market as well where in a bull market, taking assignment and riding the shares up is better but when market chops around like it is doing in tech sector I feel like it's better to roll out. I'm interested in hearing what others think in this group. Thanks

Edit: so I forgot to mention, but I am doing this on a level3 options account. So I am not restricted to csp. So in my case options take up less BP than holding shares

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8 Steps To Take Now if You Owe Significant Interest on Student Loans

Jordan Rosenfeld

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Student loan debt can be one of the more persistent debts to pay down , especially if you engaged in any kind of deferral period. The average federal student loan debt held by Americans runs a significant $37,850, and one in five of these borrowers is 50 or older, meaning they’ve probably held this debt for a long time, reported BestColleges .

The Biden Administration has made several attempts to offer federal student loan relief, only to be blocked by the Supreme Court. The latest attempt, a more targeted approach, may not be decided until October, 2024, and there are no guarantees.

As federal student loan relief hangs in the balance, student loans continue to accrue interest and lenders continue to expect their money. Rather than waiting for relief, financial experts suggest some steps to take to pay down your loans now.

Also find out what a Trump presidency would mean for student loans.

Explore Income-driven Repayment Plans

There are other more generous repayment options that the Biden Administration has introduced, like the SAVE Plan that bases your monthly payments on your income and family size, according to Darian Shimy, founder and CEO of FutureFund .

“By lowering your bills, more of what you pay can go directly towards interest and principal over time. It’s always worth examining the most up-to-date income-driven options available to find the best fit,” he said.

Check Out: I’m A Self-Made Millionaire: 6 Steps I Took To Become Rich On an Average Salary

Leverage Side Gig or Windfall Money

If you are able to earn or receive extra money from side jobs, bonuses, or tax refunds, Shimy recommended you commit it all to loan repayment, at least long enough to get ahead of interest accrual. 

“Using one-time money especially for high-interest balances will help to quickly accomplish significant paydowns. To create money for this, some students have set up fundraising sales and donations via web sites. If focused correctly, even a few hundred dollars will gradually reduce what you owe.”

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Find out if you qualify for public service loan forgiveness, Shimy said. “This program promises debt wipeout after 120 qualifying monthly payments for borrowers,” he explained.

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This applies to jobs in the government and non-profit sectors if the repayment schedule fits. 

Although the application process is thorough, it’s worth it if you’re eligible. Just be sure to certify your employment yearly and complete the required paperwork to keep on target toward forgiveness.

“The secret is to look at every choice to maximize your efforts. Using income-based plans to keep expenses low and focusing on additional funds and long-term forgiveness programs will help significantly lower loan debt over time,” Shimy said.

Engage the Debt Avalanche Approach

Abid Salahi, co-founder of FinlyWealth , said he’s had clients slash their repayment timelines by up to five years through aggressive budgeting and income reallocation. 

“One particularly effective strategy is the debt avalanche method, where borrowers focus on high-interest loans first. This approach can reduce the total interest paid by 20% to 30% compared to making minimum payments across all loans.”

One such client, whom he called Sarah, a recent graduate with $50,000 in student loans at an average 6% interest rate, reduced her three-year repayment term by cutting non-essential expenses and allocating an extra $200 monthly towards her highest-interest loan. She saved over $8,000 in interest. 

Refinance Your Loan

Another tool is loan refinancing, potentially lowering interest rates by one to two percentage points, Salahi said.

“However, it’s crucial to weigh the pros and cons carefully, as refinancing federal loans to private ones means forfeiting certain protections and forgiveness options.”

Exploring income-driven repayment plans is also vital. These plans can significantly lower monthly payments, freeing cash flow for targeted debt reduction. However, lower payments may extend the life of the loan and increase the total interest paid.

Increase Your Income

You can also try to increase your income, Salahi suggested. From side hustles to asking for a raise, even a modest $100 increase in monthly payments can trim years off your repayment timeline and save thousands in interest, he said.

Negotiate With Your Lender

One thing people may not realize is that sometimes it’s possible to negotiate with your lenders, especially if you’re facing financial hardship according to Bill Boersma, an independent life insurance consultant with OC Consulting Group . 

“They may work with you, especially if you’ve paid on time. I have seen interest drop 3% for loyal customers. It never hurts to ask, and the worst they’ll say is no,” he said. 

He recommended you come prepared with a reasonable request and your payment history.

Consolidate Your Loans

If you have the chance to get a lower rate by consolidating multiple loans into one, this might be a great option, Boersma said. 

“A single new loan with a lower fixed rate may cut your payment in half, giving you decades to repay. Ensure any new rate is measurably lower than existing rates.” 

From a psychological point of view, as well, making only one payment might make it easier to pay down the loan sooner.  

By being proactive you’ll get ahead of significant interest and, should any federal student loan debt relief pass, you’ll be well poised to take advantage of it, too.

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COMMENTS

  1. Assignment of Interest In LLC: Everything You Need to Know

    Assignment of interest in LLCs happens when a member communicates to other members his/her intention to transfer part or all of his ownership rights in the LLC to another entity.

  2. Assignment of Membership Interest: The Ultimate Guide for Your LLC

    Discover the ins and outs of assigning membership interest in your LLC. Learn the essential steps to facilitate a smooth transfer of membership interests.

  3. Assignment of Interest

    Assignment of interest takes place when a company is formed and the members or owners decide on the ownership percentages they will each hold.

  4. Avoiding the Pitfalls of Assigning an Interest in an LLC

    The assignment of the LLC interest does not give the assignee the rights to (1) participate in the management and affairs of the company; (2) become a member of the company; or (3) exercise any rights of a member of the company. The assignment of the LLC interest provides the assignee with the right to receive distributions issued by the ...

  5. Pitfalls of Assigning an LLC Interest

    The assignment of the LLC interest provides the assignee with the right to receive distributions issued by the company and information about the company's finances, but that's about it.

  6. LLC Membership Interest Assignment

    The LLC membership interest assignment transfers the entirety of one person's interest in the LLC to another person. It is also not a sale document. An LLC membership purchase agreement is the sale of some portion of a party's interest in an LLC to another party.For example, if someone owned 50% interest in an LLC, they could sell 25% of their ...

  7. Assignment of Interest Form

    An assignment of interest form allows a limited liability company (LLC) member to assign their interest or ownership stake in the company to another person.

  8. Protecting Your Security Interest In An LLC Membership Interest

    In each case, the borrower will also give you an assignment of the membership interest so that you can transfer title if there is a default on the loan. Note: You can also perfect by filing a UCC-1 financing statement. However, possession or control take priority over a UCC-1 filing, so they are better forms of protection.

  9. Assignment Of Membership Interest: Definition & Sample

    An assignment of membership interest is a legal document that allows members of a Limited Liability Company (or LLC) to reassign their interest in the company to a different party. LLC laws are different from state to state, so what's required in an assignment of membership agreement changes. Typically seen when a member wishes to exit a ...

  10. PDF Microsoft Word

    ASSIGNMENT OF INTEREST Assignor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally assigns, transfers and conveys to Assignee all of Assignor's rights, title and interest in the Assigned Interest in the LLC to Assignee.

  11. Interest Assessment

    Choose work that includes mostly what you like to do, and not too much of what you dislike. Career interests are the activities and work environments you prefer in a job. They might match up with your much-loved hobbies or projects, favorite school subjects, or the topics that most interest you.

  12. LLC Membership Interests as Collateral

    LLC Membership Interests as Collateral. It is not uncommon for lenders to take a security interest in a business owner's ownership interest in the corporation, LLC, limited partnership or other entity as collateral for a loan to the business. For the most part, the transactions are documented through a standard pledge or assignment (the ...

  13. Assignments and Security Interests Under UCC Article 9: A Worthy

    The basic definitions of Article 9 align with this approach of applying to both an assignment of payment rights and a security interest in such assets.

  14. How to Transfer Business Interests to a Trust

    However, you can transfer your portion of the business interest to a Trust as long as you secure a document of transfer, sometimes called an Assignment of Interest. This document will state that you are choosing to transfer your portion of the interests over to a Trust. It will be important to also give a copy of this document to your partners ...

  15. Does Assignment of Interest (LLC to Trust) have to be recorded or filed

    If the property is being purchased on a land contract, the assignment of interest would be a more appropriate means of transfer, provided you also have the land contract vendor sign and acknowledge the transfer of interest, in which case, when the land contract is completed, the vendor would issue the deed to the trust.

  16. Transfer of Membership Interest in LLC: Everything to Know

    The transfer of membership interest in LLC entities is done through an LLC Membership Interest Assignment. This document is used when an owner (member) of an LLC wants to transfer their interest to another party. They are typically used when a member plans to leave or wants to relinquish their interest in the business.

  17. What's the difference between a mortgage assignment and an ...

    An assignment transfers all the original mortgagee's interest under the mortgage or deed of trust to the new bank. Generally, the mortgage or deed of trust is recorded shortly after the mortgagors sign it, and, if the mortgage is subsequently transferred, each assignment is recorded in the county land records.

  18. Assignment of Contract: What Is It? How It Works

    An assignment of contract is a legal term that describes the process when a contract assignee wishes to transfer their contractual obligations to another.

  19. Avoiding the Pitfalls of Assigning an Interest in an LLC

    The assignment of the LLC interest does not give the assignee the rights to (1) participate in the management and affairs of the company; (2) become a member of the company; or (3) exercise any ...

  20. How to Identify Your Career Interests (14 Easy Steps)

    Step 6: Take an online interest assessment An excellent way of identifying your career interests is to take an online interest assessment, which will ask you a series of questions about the work activities you find enjoyable and interesting, and then provide you with unbiased insights and recommendations based on your answers.

  21. When Assigning the Right to Pursue Relief, Always Remember to Assign

    As evidence of these rights, Cortlandt produced an assignment, similar to the ones in the New York Supreme Court actions, which provided that as the assignee with the right to collect, Cortlandt could collect the principal and interest due on the notes and pursue all remedies with respect thereto.

  22. Giving up your inheritance: Assignments vs disclaimers

    You can make what's called an "assignment." You assign (transfer) all or part of your interest in the estate to someone else. This is not just an informal transfer. There are legal steps that need to be taken since the assignment contradicts what the decedent designated or what the law requires based on familial relationship.

  23. Thoughts on rolling out vs taking assignment. : r/thetagang

    Thoughts on rolling out vs taking assignment. When selling puts, what are your thoughts on taking assignment vs rolling out? I have been wheeling for awhile and I either take assignment on the shares or roll them out. I typically take assignment of the shares and cover call them but I have been experimenting with rolling out as well.

  24. 8 Steps To Take Now if You Owe Significant Interest on Student Loans

    As federal student loan relief hangs in the balance, student loans continue to accrue interest and lenders continue to expect their money. Rather than waiting for relief, financial experts suggest some steps to take to pay down your loans now.