Exhibit 1.1
3,850,000 Shares
ANSWERTHINK CONSULTING GROUP, INC.
COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $.001 PER SHARE
FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
May ___, 1998
May ___, 1998
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
Xxxxxxxxx, Lufkin & Xxxxxxxx Securities Corporation
The Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx Company LLC
NationsBanc Xxxxxxxxxx Securities LLC
c/o Morgan Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
0000 Xxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Dear Sirs and Mesdames:
AnswerThink Consulting Group, Inc., a Florida corporation (the
"Company"), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in
Schedule II hereto (the "Underwriters"), and certain shareholders of the Company
(the "Selling Shareholders") named in Schedule I hereto severally propose to
sell to the several Underwriters, an aggregate of 3,850,000 shares of the
Common Stock, par value $.001 per share of the Company (the "Firm Shares"), of
which 2,850,000 shares are to be issued and sold by the Company and
1,000,000 shares are to be sold by the Selling Shareholders, each Selling
Shareholder selling the amount set forth opposite such Selling Shareholder's
name in Schedule I hereto.
The Company also proposes to issue, and certain of the Selling
Shareholders propose to sell, to the several Underwriters not more than an
additional aggregate of 577,500 shares of its Common Stock, par value $.001
per share of the Company (the "Additional Shares") if and to the extent that
you, as Managers of the offering, shall have determined to exercise, on behalf
of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such shares of common stock granted
to the Underwriters in Section 3 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional
Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Shares". The shares of
Common Stock, par value $.001 per share of the Company to be outstanding after
giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as
the "Common Stock". The Company and the Selling Shareholders are hereinafter
sometimes collectively referred to as the "Sellers".
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") a registration statement, including a prospectus, relating to the
Shares. The registration statement as amended at the time it becomes effective,
including the information (if
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any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of
effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the "Securities Act"), is hereinafter referred to as the "Registration
Statement"; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of Shares is
hereinafter referred to as the "Prospectus". If the Company has filed an
abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Common Stock
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the "Rule 462 Registration
Statement"), then any reference herein to the term "Registration Statement"
shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement.
As part of the offering contemplated by this Agreement, Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx &
Co. Incorporated ("Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx") has agreed to reserve out of the Shares set
forth opposite its name on Schedule II to this Agreement, up to 231,000 shares,
for sale to the Company's employees, officers, and directors and other parties
associated with the Company (collectively, "Participants"), as set forth in the
Prospectus under the heading "Underwriting" (the "Directed Share Program"). The
Shares to be sold by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx pursuant to the Directed Share Program (the
"Directed Shares") will be sold by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx pursuant to this Agreement at
the public offering price. Any Directed Shares not orally confirmed for purchase
by any Participants by the end of the business day on which this Agreement is
executed will be offered to the public by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx as set forth in the
Prospectus.
1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company
represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect,
and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or threatened by the
Commission.
(b) (i) The Registration Statement, when it became effective, did
not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, (ii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all
material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and (iii) the Prospectus does not
contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations
and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or
omissions in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus based upon
information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing
by such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein.
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(c) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own its property
and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly
qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction
in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of
property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure
to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a material adverse
effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(d) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated, is
validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to
own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus
and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or
leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that
the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a
material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a
whole; all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the
Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid
and non-assessable and are owned directly by the Company, free and clear of
all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except for the pledge of all
of the shares of capital stock of the Company's subidiaries to BankBoston,
N.A.
(e) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered
by the Company.
(f) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal
matters to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.
(g) Other than as described in the Prospectus, the shares of Common
Stock (including the Shares to be sold by the Selling Shareholders)
outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares to be sold by the Company
have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-
assessable.
(h) The Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized
and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the
issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar
rights.
(i) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance
by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene
any provision of applicable law or the certificate of incorporation or by-
laws of the Company or any
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agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, including the Settlement Agreement dated as of May 21, 1997
among the Company, KPMG Peat Marwick and the other parties thereto (the
"Settlement Agreement"), that is material to the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or any judgment, order or decree of any
governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or
any subsidiary, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or
qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the
performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except
such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various
states in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares .
(j) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any
development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the
condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that
set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments or supplements
thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement).
(k) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or
threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to
which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is
subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus and are not so described or any statutes, regulations,
contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required.
(l) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration
Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed
pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in
all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(m) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is
given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (1) the Company and
its subsidiaries have not incurred any material liability or obligation,
direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction not in the
ordinary course of business; (2) the Company has not purchased any of its
outstanding capital stock, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any
dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than
ordinary and customary dividends; and (3) there has not been any material
change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the
Company and its subsidiaries, except in each case as described in the
Prospectus.
(n) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title
in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all
personal property owned
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by them which is material to the business of the Company and its
subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and
defects except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not
materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the
use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its
subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the
Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and
enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not
interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and
buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case except as
described in the Prospectus.
(o) The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire
on reasonable terms, all material patents, patent rights, licenses,
inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other
unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information,
systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names currently
employed by them in connection with the business now operated by them, and
neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of
infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to
any of the foregoing which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of
an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse
affect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(p) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or
any of its subsidiaries exists, except as described in the Prospectus, or,
to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware
of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees
of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that could
have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken
as a whole.
(q) The Company and its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of
recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in
such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they
are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been
refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the
Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will
not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such
coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may
be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a
material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, except as described in the Prospectus.
(r) The Company and its subsidiaries possess all certificates,
authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or
foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective
businesses, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has
received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or
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modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly
or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or
finding, would have a material adverse effect on the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as described the Prospectus
(s) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of
internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance
that (1) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general
or specific authorizations; (2) transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (3)
access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general
or specific authorization; and (4) the recorded accountability for assets
is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and
appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(t) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and
sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described
in the Prospectus, will not be an "investment company" as such term is
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(u) The Company and its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any
and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations
relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or
hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants
("Environmental Laws"), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other
approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct
their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and
conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such
noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits,
licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and
conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in
the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(v) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental
Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures
required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with
Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related
constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third
parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse
effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(w) Other than as described in the Prospectus, there are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person
granting such person the right to require the Company to file a
registration statement under the
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Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or the right
to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares
registered pursuant to the Registration Statement, and all such rights
described in the Prospectus have been waived.
(x) The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer,
Shares to any person pursuant to the Directed Share Program with the specific
intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to
alter the customer's or supplier's level or type of business with the Company,
or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable
information about the Company or its products.
Furthermore, the Company represents and warrants to Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
that (i) the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any preliminary
prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements thereto will
comply, with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in
which the Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus, as amended or
supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the
Directed Share Program, and that (ii) no authorization, approval, consent,
license, order, registration or qualification of or with any government,
governmental instrumentality or court, other than such as have been
obtained, is necessary under the securities laws and regulations of foreign
jurisdictions in which the Directed Shares are offered outside the United
States.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Selling Shareholders. Each
of the Selling Shareholders represents and warrants to and agrees with each of
the Underwriters that:
(a) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered
by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder.
(b) The execution and delivery by such Selling Shareholder of, and
the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations under, this
Agreement, the Custody Agreement signed by such Selling Shareholder and
Boston EquiServ, as Custodian, relating to the deposit of the Shares to be
sold by such Selling Shareholder (the "Custody Agreement") and the Power of
Attorney appointing certain individuals as such Selling Shareholder's
attorneys-in-fact to the extent set forth therein, relating to the
transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement (the
"Power of Attorney") will not contravene any provision of applicable law,
or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of such Selling Shareholder
(if such Selling Shareholder is a corporation), or any agreement or other
instrument binding upon such Selling Shareholder or any judgment, order or
decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over
such Selling Shareholder, and no consent, approval, authorization or order
of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for
the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations under this
Agreement or the Custody Agreement or Power of Attorney of such Selling
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Shareholder, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky
laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the
Shares.
(c) Such Selling Shareholder has, and on the Closing Date will have,
valid title to the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder and the
legal right and power, and all authorization and approval required by law,
to enter into this Agreement, the Custody Agreement and the Power of
Attorney and to sell, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such
Selling Shareholder.
(d) The Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney have been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Shareholder and are
valid and binding agreements of such Selling Shareholder.
(e) Delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder
pursuant to this Agreement will pass title to such Shares free and clear of
any security interests, claims, liens, equities and other encumbrances.
(f) With respect to information furnished to you in writing by or on
behalf of such Selling Shareholder expressly for use therein, (i) the
Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as
amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, and (ii) the Prospectus does not contain and, as amended or
supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading.
3. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. Each Seller, severally and not
jointly, hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each
Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein
contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally
and not jointly, to purchase from such Seller at $______ a share (the "Purchase
Price") the number of Firm Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate
fractional shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the
number of Firm Shares to be sold by such Seller as the number of Firm Shares set
forth in Schedule II hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the
total number of Firm Shares.
On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this
Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell
to the Underwriters the
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Additional Shares, and the Underwriters shall have a one-time right to purchase,
severally and not jointly, up to 557,500 Additional Shares at the Purchase
Price. If you, on behalf of the Underwriters, elect to exercise such option, you
shall so notify the Company in writing not later than 30 days after the date of
this Agreement, which notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be
purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be
purchased. Such date may be the same as the Closing Date (as defined below) but
not earlier than the Closing Date nor later than ten business days after the
date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 5
hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection
with the offering of the Firm Shares. If any Additional Shares are to be
purchased, each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the
number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional
shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number
of Additional Shares to be purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth in
Schedule II hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total
number of Firm Shares.
Each Seller hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period
ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, (i) offer, pledge, sell,
contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option
or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or
otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common
Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for
Common Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of
the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii)
above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in
cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Shares to
be sold hereunder, (B) the issuance by the Company of 269,166 shares of Common
Stock to the stockholders of Legacy Technology, Inc. ("Legacy") in connection
with the acquisition of Legacy, (C) the issuance by the Company of shares of
Common Stock upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a
security outstanding on the date hereof of which the Underwriters have been
advised in writing, (D) the grant by the Company of (x) options to purchase
shares of Common Stock in connection with the acquisition of Legacy and (y)
options to employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice, provided that no such option shall become exercisable during the 180-
day period, or (E) transactions by any person other than the Company relating to
shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions
after the completion of the offering of the Shares. In addition, the Company
agrees that, without the prior written consent of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx on behalf of
the Underwriters, it will not, during the period ending 180 days after the date
of the Prospectus, accelerate the vesting of any shares of restricted Common
Stock, accelerate the exercisability of any stock option or amend, modify or
remove any of the transfer restrictions relating to any stock held by, or
contained in any agreements with, its existing stockholders. In addition, each
Selling Shareholder, agrees that, without the prior written consent of Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period ending 180
days after the date of the Prospectus, make any demand for, or exercise any
right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any
security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.
4. Terms of Public Offering. The Sellers are advised by you that
the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions
of the Shares as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have
become effective as in your judgment is advisable. The Sellers are further
advised by you that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at
$_____________ a share (the "Public Offering Price") and to certain dealers
selected by you at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $______
a share under the Public Offering Price, and that any Underwriter may allow, and
such dealers may
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reallow, a concession, not in excess of $_____ a share, to any Underwriter or to
certain other dealers.
5. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares to be sold by
each Seller shall be made to such Seller in Federal or other funds immediately
available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the
respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City
time, on ____________, 1998, or at such other time on the same or such other
date, not later than ___________, 1998, as shall be designated in writing by
you. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the
"Closing Date".
Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in
Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery
of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several
Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the
notice described in Section 3 or at such other time on the same or on such other
date, in any event not later than _______, 1998, as shall be designated in
writing by you. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to
as the "Option Closing Date".
Certificates for the Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be in
definitive form and registered in such names and in such denominations as you
shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the
Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The certificates
evidencing the Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to you on
the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the
respective accounts of the several Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable
in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters duly paid,
against payment of the Purchase Price therefor.
6. Conditions to the Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of
the Sellers to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations
of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date are
subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become
effective not later than __________ (New York City time) on the date hereof.
The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the
following further conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and
prior to the Closing Date:
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[(i) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall
any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or
of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the
direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the
Company's securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating
organization," as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2)
under the Securities Act; and]
(ii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any
development involving a prospective change, in the condition,
financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of
the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set
forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments or supplements
thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement) that, in your
judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your judgment,
impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner
contemplated in the Prospectus.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a
certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of
the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 6(a)(i) above and to the
effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in
this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the
Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the
conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before
the Closing Date.
(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an
opinion of Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx L.L.P., outside counsel for the Company, dated
the Closing Date, to the effect that:
(i) the Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing
as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction
of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own its
property and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus
and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in
each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its
ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except
to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good
standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and
its subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(ii) each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated,
is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws
of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and
authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described
in the Prospectus and is duly qualified to
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transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in
which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of
property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the
failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a
material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as
a whole;
(iii) the authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to
legal matters to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus;
(iv) the shares of Common Stock (including the Shares to be sold
by the Selling Shareholders) outstanding prior to the issuance of the
Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and are
validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable;
(v) all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary
of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are
fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly by the Company,
free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;
(vi) the Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly
authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms
of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-
assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any
preemptive or similar rights;
(vii) other than as described in the Prospectus, no person has
any right, which has not been waived, to require the Company to
include any securities of the Company with the Shares to be registered
pursuant to the Registration Statement;
(viii) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company;
(ix) the execution and delivery by the Company of, and the
performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement
will not contravene any provision of applicable law or the certificate
of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or, to the best of such
counsel's knowledge, any agreement or other instrument binding upon
the Company or any of its subsidiaries, including the Settlement
Agreement, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken
as a whole, or, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, any judgment,
order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having
jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, and no consent,
approval, authorization or
-12-
order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is
required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under
this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or
Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and
sale of the Shares;
(x) the statements (A) in the Prospectus under the captions
"Certain Transactions," "Shares Eligible for Future Sale,"
"Description of Capital Stock," "Underwriters" and "[others]" and (B)
in the Registration Statement in Items 14 and 15, in each case insofar
as such statements constitute summaries of the legal matters,
documents or proceedings referred to therein, fairly present the
information called for with respect to such legal matters, documents
and proceedings and fairly summarize the matters referred to therein;
(xi) after due inquiry, such counsel does not know of any legal
or governmental proceedings pending or threatened to which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the
properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject that
are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus and are not so described or of any statutes, regulations,
contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to
the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as
required;
(xii) the Company is not and, after giving effect to the
offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds
thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be an "investment
company" as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended;
(xiii) such counsel (A) is of the opinion that the Registration
Statement and Prospectus (except for financial statements and
schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein as
to which such counsel need not express any opinion) comply as to form
in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable
rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (B) has no reason
to believe that (except for financial statements and schedules and
other financial and statistical data as to which such counsel need not
express any belief) the Registration Statement and the prospectus
included therein at the time the Registration Statement became
effective contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading and (C) has no reason to
believe that (except for financial statements and schedules and other
financial and statistical data as to which such counsel need not
express any belief) the Prospectus contains any untrue statement of a
material fact or omits to state a
-13-
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an
opinion of Hogart & Xxxxxxx L.L.P., counsel for the Selling Shareholders,
dated the Closing Date, to the effect that :
(i) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by or on behalf of each of the Selling Shareholders;
(ii) the execution and delivery by each Selling Shareholder of,
and the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations
under, this Agreement and the Custody Agreement and Powers of Attorney
of such Selling Shareholder will not contravene any provision of
applicable law, or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of such
Selling Shareholder (if such Selling Shareholder is a corporation),
or, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, any agreement or other
instrument binding upon such Selling Shareholder or, to the best of
such counsel's knowledge, any judgment, order or decree of any
governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over such
Selling Shareholder, and no consent, approval, authorization or order
of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required
for the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations
under this Agreement or the Custody Agreement or Power of Attorney of
such Selling Shareholder, except such as may be required by the
securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with
offer and sale of the Shares;
(iii) each of the Selling Shareholders has valid title to the
Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder and the legal right and
power, and all authorization and approval required by law, to enter
into this Agreement and the Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney of
such Selling Shareholder and to sell, transfer and deliver the Shares
to be sold by such Selling Shareholder;
(iv) the Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney of each
Selling Shareholder have been duly authorized, executed and delivered
by such Selling Shareholder and are valid and binding agreements of
such Selling Shareholder; and
(v) delivery of the Shares to be sold by each Selling
Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement will pass title to such Shares
free and clear of any security interests, claims, liens, equities and
other encumbrances.
-14-
(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an
opinion of Ropes & Xxxx, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing
Date, covering the matters referred to in Sections 6(c)(vi), 6(c)(viii),
6(c)(x) (but only as to the statements in the Prospectus under "Description
of Capital Stock" and "Underwriters") and 6(c)(xiii) above.
With respect to Section 6(c)(xiii) above, Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx L.L.P. and
Ropes & Xxxx may state that their opinion and belief are based upon their
participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement and
Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and review and
discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent check or
verification, except as specified. With respect to Section 6(d) above,
Xxxxx and Xxxxxxx, L.L.P. may rely upon an opinion or opinions of counsel
for any Selling Shareholders and, with respect to factual matters and to
the extent such counsel deems appropriate, upon the representations of each
Selling Shareholder contained herein and in the Custody Agreement and Power
of Attorney of such Selling Shareholder and in other documents and
instruments; provided that (A) each such counsel for the Selling
Shareholders is satisfactory to your counsel, (B) a copy of each opinion so
relied upon is delivered to you and is in form and substance satisfactory
to your counsel, (C) copies of such Custody Agreements and Powers of
Attorney and of any such other documents and instruments shall be delivered
to you and shall be in form and substance satisfactory to your counsel and
(D) Hogart & Xxxxxxx L.L.P. shall state in their opinion that they are
justified in relying on each such other opinion.
The opinions of Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx L.L.P. described in Sections 6(c) and
6(d) above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the
Company or one or more of the Selling Shareholders, as the case may be, and
shall so state therein.
(f) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof
and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date,
as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters,
from Coopers & Xxxxxxx, independent public accountants, containing
statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants'
"comfort letters" to underwriters with respect to the financial statements
and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date
shall use a "cut-off date" not earlier than the date hereof.
(g) The "lock-up" agreements, each substantially in the form of
Exhibit A hereto, between you and certain shareholders, officers and
directors of the Company
-15-
relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common
Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date
hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
(h) The Shares shall have been approved for quotation on the Nasdaq
National Market.
The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional
Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the Option Closing Date
of such documents as you may reasonably request with respect to the good
standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional
Shares and other matters related to the issuance of the Additional Shares.
7. Covenants of the Company. In further consideration of the
agreements of the Underwriters herein contained, the Company covenants with each
Underwriter as follows:
(a) To furnish to you, without charge, four signed copies of the
Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and for delivery to
each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement
(without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to you in New York City, without
charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next
succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in
Section 7(c) below, as many copies of the Prospectus and any supplements
and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as you may
reasonably request.
(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus, to furnish to you a copy of each such proposed amendment or
supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to
which you reasonably object, and to file with the Commission within the
applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any
prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(c) If, during such period after the first date of the public
offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters
the Prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales
by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a
result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in
the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or
supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to
prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the
Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and
-16-
addresses you will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been
sold by you on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon
request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the
statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the
light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser,
be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will
comply with law.
(d) To endeavor to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the
securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you shall reasonably
request.
(e) To make generally available to the Company's security holders and
to you as soon as practicable an earning statement covering the twelve-
month period ending June 30, 1999 that satisfies the provisions of Section
11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder.
(f) that in connection with the Directed Share Program, the Company
will ensure that the Directed Shares will be restricted to the extent
required by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the
"NASD") or the NASD rules from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or
hypothecation for a period of three months following the date of the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx will notify the
Company as to which Participants will need to be so restricted. The Company
will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon
such securities for such period of time.
(g) to pay all fees and disbursements of counsel (up to maximum of
$5,000) incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed
Share Program and stamp duties, similar taxes or duties or other taxes,
if any, incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed
Share Program.
Furthermore, the Company covenants with Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx that the
Company will comply with all applicable securities and other applicable
laws, rules and regulations in each foreign jurisdiction in which the
Directed Shares are offered in connection with the Directed Share Program.
8. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this
Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Sellers agree to
pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their
obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and
expenses of the Company's counsel, the Company's accountants and counsel for the
Selling Shareholders in connection with the registration and delivery of the
Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection
with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus, the Prospectus and amendments and supplements to any of the
foregoing, including all printing
-17-
costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to
the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all
costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the
Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the
cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in
connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and
all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and
sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 7(d) hereof, including
filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the
Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the
Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection
with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by the NASD,
which together with the fees and disbursement of counsel referred to in (iii)
above may not exceed $10,000, (v) all fees and expenses in connection with the
preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the
Common Stock and all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the
Nasdaq National Market, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the
Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or
depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor
presentations on any "road show" undertaken in connection with the marketing of
the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated
with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any
consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the
prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the
representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the
cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show, and (ix) all
other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the
Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It
is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 9
entitled "Indemnity and Contribution", and the last paragraph of Section 11
below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees
and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of
any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers
they may make.
The provisions of this Section shall not supersede or otherwise affect
any agreement that the Sellers may otherwise have for the allocation of such
expenses among themselves.
9. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) Each Seller agrees severally
and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each
person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), from and against any and all losses,
claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating
any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any
amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or
supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements
thereto), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a
-18-
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged
untrue statement or omission based upon information relating to any Underwriter
furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly
for use therein, and provided that the liability of each Selling Shareholder
--------
under this section 9(a) shall not exceed the product of the number of shares
sold by such Selling Shareholder and the initial public offering price as set
forth in the Prospectus.
(b) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
and each person, if any, who controls Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx within the meaning of
either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act
("Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Entities"), from and against any and all losses, claims,
damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any
such action or claim) (i) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the prospectus wrapper material
prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution in foreign
jurisdictions in connection with the Directed Share Program attached to the
Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus, or caused by any omission or alleged
omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statement therein, when considered in conjunction with the
Prospectus or any applicable preliminary prospectus, not misleading; (ii) caused
by the failure of any Participant to pay for and accept delivery of the shares
which, immediately following the effectiveness of the Registration Statement,
were subject to a properly confirmed agreement to purchase; or (iii) related to,
arising out of, or in connection with the Directed Share Program, provided that,
the Company shall not be responsible under this subparagraph (iii) for any
losses, claim, damages or liabilities (or expenses relating thereto) that are
finally judicially determined to have resulted from the bad faith or gross
negligence of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Entities.
(c) Each Selling Shareholder agrees, severally and not jointly, to
indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign
the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company
within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of
the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and
liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such
action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof,
any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the
Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto), or caused
by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
but only with reference to information relating to such Selling Shareholder
furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder expressly for
use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or
any amendments or supplements thereto.
-19-
(d) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify
and hold harmless the Company, the Selling Shareholders, the directors of the
Company, the officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and
each person, if any, who controls the Company or any Selling Shareholder within
the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the
Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and
liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such
action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof,
any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the
Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto), or caused
by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to
the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any
amendments or supplements thereto.
(e) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation)
shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be
sought pursuant to Section 9(a), 9(b), 9(c) or 9(d), such person (the
"indemnified party") shall promptly notify the person against whom such
indemnity may be sought (the "indemnifying party") in writing and the
indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel
reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified
party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and
shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding.
In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its
own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense
of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified
party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the
named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include
both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both
parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential
differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party
shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in
connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction,
be liable for (i) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in
addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who
control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the
Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, (ii) the fees and expenses of
more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company,
its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person,
if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either such Section and
(iii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any
local counsel) for all Selling Shareholders and all persons, if any, who control
any Selling Shareholder within the meaning of either such Section, and that all
such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, if indemnity may be
-20-
sought pursuant to Section 9(b) hereof in respect of such action or proceeding,
then in addition to such separate firm for the indemnified parties, the
indemnifying party shall be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of not
more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx for the defense of any losses, claims, damages and liabilities arising
out of the Directed Share Program, and all persons, if any, who control Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the
Exchange Act. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and
such control persons of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in
writing by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx. In the case of any such separate firm for the
Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such
firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. In the case of any such
separate firm for the Selling Shareholders and such control persons of any
Selling Shareholders, such firm shall be designated in writing by the persons
named as attorneys-in-fact for the Selling Shareholders under the Powers of
Attorney. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any
proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such
consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying
party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or
liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the
foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an
indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of
counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the
indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any
proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is
entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the
aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the
indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such
settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of
the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened
proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a
party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party,
unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified
party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such
proceeding.
(f) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 9(a),
9(b), 9(c) or 9(d) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in
respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then
each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such
indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by
such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative
benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the
indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Shares
or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 9(f)(i) above is not permitted by
applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the
relative benefits referred to in clause 9(f)(i) above but also the relative
fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the
indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements
or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as
well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative
-21-
benefits received by the Sellers on the one hand and the Underwriters on the
other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be
in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the
Shares (before deducting expenses) received by each Seller and the total
underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each
case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the
aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Sellers
on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by
reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information supplied by the Sellers or by the Underwriters and the
parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to
correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters' respective
obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several in proportion
to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
(g) The Sellers and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just
or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro
rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such
purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the
equitable considerations referred to in Section 9(f). The amount paid or
payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and
liabilities referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed
to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the
provisions of this Section 9, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any
amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares
underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public
exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been
required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within
the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 9 are not
exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be
available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(h) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this
Section 9 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the
Company and the Selling Shareholders contained in this Agreement shall remain
operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this
Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any
person controlling any Underwriter, any Selling Shareholder or any person
controlling any Selling Shareholder, or the Company, its officers or directors
or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for
any of the Shares.
10. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination by
notice given by you to the Company, if (a) after the execution and delivery of
this Agreement and
-22-
prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or
materially limited on or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock
Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the NASD, the Chicago Board of Options
Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade, (ii)
trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any
exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a general moratorium on
commercial banking activities in New York shall have been declared by either
Federal or New York State authorities or (iv) there shall have occurred any
outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any
calamity or crisis that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and (b) in
the case of any of the events specified in clauses 10(a)(i) through 10(a)(iv),
such event, singly or together with any other such event, makes it, in your
judgment, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner
contemplated in the Prospectus.
11. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall
become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may
be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares
that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the
aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the
aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other
Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of
Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II bears to
the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such
non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as you may specify, to
purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but
failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the
number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this
Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 11 by an amount in excess of
one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such
Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall
fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares
with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the
aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased, and arrangements satisfactory
to you, the Company and the Selling Shareholders for the purchase of such Firm
Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall
terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter, the
Company or the Selling Shareholders. In any such case either you or the
relevant Sellers shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no
event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in
the Registration Statement and in the Prospectus or in any other documents or
arrangements may be effected. If, on the Option Closing Date, any Underwriter
or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the
aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs
is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be
purchased, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i)
terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase Additional Shares or (ii)
-23-
purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting
Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such
default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting
Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under
this Agreement.
If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of
them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of any Seller to comply with
the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any
reason any Seller shall be unable to perform its obligations under this
Agreement, the Sellers will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as
have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all
out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel)
reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or
the offering contemplated hereunder.
12. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more
counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the
signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.
13. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
14. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have
been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part
of this Agreement.
-24-
Very truly yours,
ANSWERTHINK CONSULTING GROUP, INC.
By:
----------------------------
Name:
Title:
The Selling Shareholders
named in Schedule I hereto,
acting severally
By:
----------------------------
Attorney-in-Fact
Accepted as of the date hereof
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
Xxxxxxxxx, Lufkin & Xxxxxxxx Securities Corporation
The Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx Company LLC
NationsBanc Xxxxxxxxxx Securities LLC
Acting severally on behalf
of themselves and the
several Underwriters named
in Schedule II hereto.
By: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
By:
---------------------------
Name:
Title:
-25-
SCHEDULE I
Number of
Firm Shares
Selling Shareholder To Be Sold
Golder, Thoma, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxx Fund V,L.P. 686,700
AB Hannells Industrier 34,000
BFC Holdings, Inc. 66,864
Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx 3,172
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx 13,600
Xxxxxx X. Xxxx 20,000
Pippa X. Xxxxx 8,664
RBC Inc. 133,000
Xxxxxx X Xxxxxxx 34,000
Total ............................................... 1,000,000
=========
SCHEDULE II
Number of
Firm Shares
Underwriter To Be Purchased
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
Xxxxxxxxx, Lufkin &
Xxxxxxxx Securities Corporation
The Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx Company LLC
NationsBanc Xxxxxxxxxx Securities LLC
---------
Total ........ =========
EXHIBIT A
[FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER]
____________, 1998
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
Xxxxxxxxx, Lufkin &
Xxxxxxxx Securities Corporation
The Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx Company LLC
NationsBanc Xxxxxxxxxx Securities LLC
c/o Morgan Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
0000 Xxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Dear Sirs and Mesdames:
The undersigned understands that Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
("Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx") proposes to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the
"Underwriting Agreement") with AnswerThink Consulting Group, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), providing for the public offering (the "Public
Offering") by the several Underwriters, including Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx (the
"Underwriters"), of 3,850,000 shares (the "Shares") of the Common Stock, par
value $.01 per share of the Company (the "Common Stock").
To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering
to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the
undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing
on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus
relating to the Public Offering (the "Prospectus"), (1) offer, pledge, sell,
contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option
or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or
otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common
Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for
Common Stock, or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of
the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2)
above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in
cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (a) the sale of
any Shares to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, (b)
transactions relating to shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in
open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering, or (c) any
sale or transfer of shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into
or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock by the undersigned during the
period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the date of the Prospectus,
provided that the transferee or purchaser agrees in writing to be bound by the
terms of this letter agreement. In addition, the undersigned agrees that,
without the prior written consent of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx on behalf of the
Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and
ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, make any demand for or
exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common
Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common
Stock.
Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number
of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made
pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to
negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters.
Very truly yours,
-------------------------
(Name)
-------------------------
(Address)
