San Jose, CA asked in Business Formation for Arizona

Q: On a limited partnership agreement, are initials required on every page? Or just one signature on the last page?

We believe our General Partner has made changes to the original contract. Because there is only one signature from each partner on the document, at the last page, we don't have any confirmation that we agreed to the earlier pages in the contract. Are all contract pages required to have an initial, or not?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Michael Gerity
Michael Gerity
Answered
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Licensed in Arizona

A: You have just run into one of the main reasons why some contracts have spaces for initials on each page, and sometimes even on each paragraph. The presence of those initials makes it harder for any party to later make modifications to the overall contract (though certainly not impossible in this age of electronic documents). It also makes it harder for a party to claim that they were unaware of the provisions contained on any particular page. This latter reason isn't very meaningful, because the law usually binds the parties to a contract to all of its terms whether or not they bothered to read the contract.

If each page was not initialed, then it simply makes your situation more difficult to prove, and opens the door to arguments about individual terms on particular pages. However, there is rarely any circumstance that mandates initials on each page or invalidates the overall contract if they are missing.

NOTE: Because every legal matter is different, and cannot be addressed in the generalized content of a web site, you should not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice, nor should you construe anything herein to be an offer to represent you. Legal advice can only come from a qualified attorney after having had an opportunity to become familiar with all of the specific facts and circumstances of a particular legal matter, and to apply or research the relevant law.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.