Revisions to the Illinois Limited Liability Act
The Illinois Limited Liability Company Act (805 ILCS 180) (the “LLC Act”) recently underwent significant revisions which became effective on July 1, 2017. The changes to the LLC Act align with the revised Uniform Liability Company Act, and Illinois now joins fifteen other states in modeling the revised Uniform Liability Company Act. Although the LLC Act is often minimally revised, this is the first major overhaul of the LLC Act in over two decades. Some of the significant revisions are:
- Operating Agreements. The goal of the revisions is to make the LLC’s Operating Agreement (similar to a partnership agreement) the primary controlling document for the LLC. Under the prior version of the LLC Act, the management of the LLC was designated in the Articles of Organization. Now, the LLC is presumed to be member-managed unless the Operating Agreement indicates that the LLC is manager-managed. Further, the revised LLC Act now permits an LLC to have an oral Operating Agreement, exempting the Operating Agreement from complying with the Illinois Statute of Frauds (740 ILCS 80/2). (The Illinois Statute of Frauds requires all documents that exist in effect for more than one year to be in writing.) However, it is strongly recommended that all LLCs have a written Operating Agreement in the event a dispute arises between members as to the terms of such Agreement.
- Fiduciary Duty. Under the revised LLC Act, an LLC may now restrict or eliminate the fiduciary duties of a member or manager to the LLC so long as it is clear and ambiguous in the Operating Agreement. The Operating Agreement can identify the specific activities that will not violate the member or manager’s fiduciary duties to the LLC. Note, the duty of care cannot be waived or eliminated, but it may be altered by the Operating Agreement, so long as such alterations do not allow for intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law. Further, such modifications of the fiduciary duties, including the duty of care, cannot alter or eliminate the obligations of good faith and fair dealing. It is highly recommended that an LLC’s Operating Agreement include specific language providing that any alterations or waivers will be allowed to the extent they are permissible under the LLC Act and other applicable law.
- Member’s Authority to Bind LLC. Previously, a member was able to bind an LLC to agreements “solely by being a member”. Now, a third party can no longer rely on an individual’s status as a member of the LLC to bind the LLC to any agreements executed by the member. A third party will want to conduct further due diligence to confirm such member’s authority to bind the LLC. The revised LLC Act requires that there be express authority granted by the LLC to the member in order for the member to bind the LLC to any contractual obligation. A Statement of Authority may be filed by the LLC with the Illinois Secretary of State indicating which managers and members have the authority to bind the LLC and to what extent. The Statement of Authority will be deemed to be “constructive notice” to third parties. For example, the Statement of Authority will indicate which managers and members may execute documents for transactions relating to the LLC’s real estate and other transactions on behalf of the LLC. If the Statement of Authority does pertain to real estate, the Statement may also be recorded in the county in which the real estate is located and can be relied on in good faith by potential purchasers. On the other hand, if a manager or member does not want the authority granted to it in a Statement of Authority, the manager or member has the option to file a Statement of Denial with the Secretary of State, retracting any such authority.
As a result of the significant changes to the LLC Act, it is imperative to have a current Operating Agreement in place for your LLC. The LLC Act applies to all Illinois limited liability companies; therefore, where an LLC Operating Agreement is silent on a particular issue, the LLC Act’s provision governs. We encourage you to consider the impact of the revisions on your LLC and its Operating Agreement, conduct a review of your LLC’s existing Operating Agreement, or consider preparing a new Operating Agreement.
For more information on this topic or to discuss any of the above recommendations, please contact:
Pamela Szelung at:
312-368-0100 or pszelung@levinginsburg.com.
