LEGAL STRUCTURE OF JOINT VENTURES
Joint ventures are governed entirely by the legal agreements that brought them into existence.
Some joint venture partners may wish to formalize the venture by creating a new joint venture company. Joint venture companies can be very flexible entities in which partners each own shares and agree on how they will be managed. More common are joint venture agreements that do not include the formation of a new entity. Instead, the venture is operated through the existing legal status of the venture partners, or co-venturers. Since the joint venture is not a legal entity, it does not enter into contracts, hire employees, or have its own tax liabilities. These activities and obligations are handled through the co-venturers directly and are governed by contract law. Corporate law, partnership law, and the law of sole proprietorship do not govern joint ventures. Finally, since the venture ends at the conclusion of a specific project, there is no need to address issues of continuity of life and free transferability, unless a joint venture company has been created.