A general partnership (GP) can come in very handy when you want to be in a joint venture or some other enterprise, and liability is either not an issue, or each “partner” has their own entity for liability protection. In fact, people who start “doing something” together can find themselves in a general partnership without even intending to be, at which point serious legal problems ensue. Boiled down, a GP is merely an arrangement in which two or more people engage in an enterprise for profit. “Forming” a GP doesn’t require any paperwork, though in some states like California you can file paperwork with the Secretary of State to put the public on notice of who has the authority to bind the partnership. Ultimately, if you need any kind of liability protection, then you’re looking at an LLC or a corporation, not a general partnership.