And Why Every Bulldog Lawyer Insists on Them

Most business partner disputes don’t start with betrayal.

They start with silence.

Silence about what happens when partners disagree.
Silence about exits, transfers, divorce, disability, or deadlock.
Silence that gets filled later—with lawyers, litigation, and regret.

After decades of cleaning up business divorces, I can tell you this with certainty:
Good partnerships fail not because people are bad—but because documents are weak.

Here are five provisions every Bulldog Lawyer insists on before the business launches, not after it starts bleeding.

1. Supermajority Voting: Power Should Never Be Accidental

If a simple majority can:

  • Change the business purpose
  • Issue new equity
  • Enter related-party deals
  • Sell the company

Then someone will eventually abuse that power.

A supermajority provision forces consensus on existential decisions. It protects minority owners from dilution and prevents majority owners from acting unilaterally when emotions run hot.

This clause doesn’t slow good businesses down.
It prevents bad decisions from happening fast.

Bulldogs believe speed without judgment is dangerous.

2. Transfer Restrictions: You Don’t Get to Pick Your Partner’s Replacement

Every partnership agreement should answer one blunt question:

Who are you allowed to end up in business with—without consent?

Without transfer restrictions, ownership interests drift:

  • To ex-spouses
  • To creditors
  • To competitors
  • To heirs with no business interest

A Bulldog agreement blocks those outcomes. Transfers are restricted, vetted, and—if necessary—void.

Ownership is not freely transferable stock.
It’s a seat at the table. Bulldogs control who sits there.

3. Triggering Events: Hope Is Not a Plan

Disability.
Bankruptcy.
Criminal conduct.
Divorce.
Termination for cause.

These aren’t hypotheticals. They are inevitabilities.

A triggering-events provision does one critical thing:
It eliminates arguments about expectations.

No lifetime employment assumptions.
No surprise buyouts.
No emotional renegotiation during crisis.

When the event happens, the process is already written.
That’s not cold. That’s professional.

4. Right of First Refusal: Keep the Business in the Family

If a partner wants out, the remaining owners should get first crack at buying them out.

A properly drafted Right of First Refusal (ROFR):

  • Forces transparency
  • Prevents surprise third-party deals
  • Keeps ownership consolidated

It also disciplines negotiations. Outside offers suddenly become very real when existing owners can match them.

Bulldogs don’t fear exits.
They control them.

5. Valuation Provisions: Litigation Loves Ambiguity—So Remove It

If your agreement says “fair market value” but doesn’t define how it’s determined, you haven’t solved anything.

You’ve just postponed the fight.

A Bulldog valuation clause:

  • Sets timelines
  • Specifies appraisers
  • Controls information flow
  • Resolves appraisal gaps mechanically

The goal is not perfection.
The goal is certainty under pressure.

When valuation is defined, deals close.
When it isn’t, lawyers get rich.

Bonus: Board Structure and Deadlock Avoidance

Deadlock is not a rare event. It’s a design flaw.

Odd-numbered boards.
Defined deadlock mechanisms.
Escalation rules.

If your agreement doesn’t address deadlock, you’re betting the business on perpetual harmony.

Bulldogs don’t bet on harmony.
They plan for disagreement.

The Bulldog Takeaway

Most partner disputes are preventable.

Not with trust.
Not with optimism.
But with clear, enforceable, boring documents written at the beginning—when everyone is still getting along.

If your agreement doesn’t address:

  • Control
  • Transfers
  • Exits
  • Valuation
  • Deadlock

Then it isn’t a partnership agreement.
It’s a lawsuit waiting for funding.