Should they, however, enter into the arrangement on an unequal footing—for example, granting one partner a third of the proceeds and the other two-thirds, or any other graduated division—the partnership is impermissible unless each partner’s labor corresponds to the proportion he receives. If his contribution of work does in fact match that fraction, the partnership is valid.

Likewise, were one of two hunters to take only birds while the other pursued fish, the partnership would not be allowed; the same ruling applies when both ply the same trade but in separate locations.

Further matters—such as how partners divide outstanding debts and the extent to which one partner may act upon what another has collected, whether with or without permission—are treated in the Book of Judicial Proceedings.