Stock purchase agreement and stock transfer restrictions?

There are two ways to buy a company. 1. Asset purchase (you purchase the assets of the company directly) 2. Equity (stock) purchase. You purchase the equity of the company. Eauity purchases are far less expensive (legal fees). But in either case, you must hold back 10-20% of the purchase price in trust for a year to make sure the accounting records are in fact accurate, the receivables actually exist, and there are no undisclosed liabilities (tax, employee lawsuits, etc.)

There are two ways to purchase a company. Buy its assets individually, or purchase the stock of the company. Buying the assets is more legal work, and more expensive and disruptive to the purchased business' relationship with third parties such as employees, customers, vendors, and banks, but avoids assuming the liabilities of the selling company. Buying the stock of the company is far less disruptive, but runs the risk of assuming undisclosed liabilities of the company.

You can submit a request for a review through ContractsCounsel and WA State attorneys will bid on your job. You can also find WA State attorneys through wsba.org. I'm not able to review this kind of agreement myself, but my words of advice are to not put all your investment eggs in one basket - diversify your investments into real estate, stable and secure stock, etc. Too many people put all their money into the company they work for, and lose everything when their company goes bankrupt.

I would focus on: What obligations do you have under the reps and warranties? Is there an escrow holdback? Is there any liabilities staying with you.

Not necessarily. It depends on the By-Laws and Shareholder Agreements who has authority to issue stock. I would recommend a rep and warranty that they have the authority and all appropriate Approvals have been secured.