Before LLCs, S-corps, and Delaware holding companies, there was the general partnership (GP). It’s the oldest form of business organization, two or more people agreeing to work together, share profits, and (critically) share liabilities. No filing needed, no state charter, just a handshake and the beginnings of a business.
GPs trace their DNA all the way back to English common law. Under English common law (which heavily influenced U.S. legal systems), a partnership was created by conduct, not