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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 15, 1997
LHS GROUP INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
DELAWARE 0-22409 58-2224883
(State of Incorporation) (Commission File No.) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
SIX CONCOURSE PARKWAY, SUITE 2700
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30328
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(770) 280-3000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
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ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS
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(a) The following exhibit is filed as part of this Form 8-K:
Exhibit Description
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1.1 U.S. Underwriting Agreement between the Company, certain
stockholders of the Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co., Robertson,
Stephens & Company LLC and Cowen and Company, as representatives
of the several underwriters.
1.2 International Underwriting Agreement between the Company,
certain stockholders of the Company and Goldman Sachs
International, Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC and Cowen and
Company, as representatives of the several underwriters.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
LHS GROUP INC.
(REGISTRANT)
/s/ Hartmut Lademacher
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Hartmut Lademacher
Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer
Date: May 22, 1997
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit Description
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1.1 U.S. Underwriting Agreement between the Company, certain
stockholders of the Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC and Cowen and Company, as
representatives of the several underwriters.
1.2 International Underwriting Agreement between the Company,
certain stockholders of the Company and Goldman Sachs
International, Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC and Cowen and
Company, as representatives of the several underwriters.
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EXHIBIT 1.1
LHS GROUP INC.
COMMON STOCK
(PAR VALUE $.01 PER SHARE)
_______________
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
(U.S. VERSION)
_______________
May 15, 1997
Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC
Cowen & Company
As representatives of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.
85 Broad Street,
New York, New York 10004
Ladies and Gentlemen:
LHS Group Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), proposes, subject
to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto (the "Underwriters") an aggregate of 3,316,000 shares
and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 576,000 additional shares of
Common Stock, par value $.01 per share ("Stock") of the Company and the
stockholders of the Company named in Schedule II hereto (the "Selling
Stockholders") propose, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to
sell to the Underwriters an aggregate of 524,000 shares of Stock. The aggregate
of 3,840,000 shares to be sold by the Company and the Selling Stockholders is
herein called the "Firm Shares" and the aggregate of 576,000 additional shares
to be sold by the Company is herein called the "Optional Shares". The Firm
Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant
to Section 2 hereof are herein collectively called the "Shares".
It is understood and agreed to by all parties that the Company and the
Selling Stockholders are concurrently entering into an agreement (the
"International Underwriting Agreement") providing for the sale by the Company
and the Selling Stockholders of up to a total of 1,104,000 shares of Stock (the
"International Shares"), including the overallotment option thereunder, through
arrangements with certain underwriters outside the United States (the
"International Underwriters"), for whom Goldman Sachs International, Robertson,
Stephens & Company LLC and Cowen & Company are acting as lead managers.
Anything herein or therein to the contrary notwithstanding, the respective
closings under this Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement are
hereby expressly made conditional on one another. The Underwriters hereunder
and the International Underwriters are simultaneously entering into an Agreement
between U.S. and International Underwriting Syndicates (the "Agreement between
Syndicates") which
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provides, among other things, for the transfer of shares of Stock between the
two syndicates. Two forms of prospectus are to be used in connection with the
offering and sale of shares of Stock contemplated by the foregoing, one relating
to the Shares hereunder and the other relating to the International Shares. The
latter form of prospectus will be identical to the former except for certain
substitute pages as included in the registration statement and amendments
thereto as mentioned below. Except as used in Sections 2, 3, 4, 9 and 11 herein,
and except as the context may otherwise require, references hereinafter to the
Shares shall include all the shares of Stock which may be sold pursuant to
either this Agreement or the International Underwriting Agreement, and
references herein to any prospectus whether in preliminary or final form, and
whether as amended or supplemented, shall include both the U.S. and the
international versions thereof.
1. (a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of
the Underwriters that:
(i) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-22195) (the
Initial Registration Statement ) in respect of the Shares has been filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"); such
Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto,
each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits
thereto, to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared
effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration
statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement ), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act ), which became effective upon
filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration
Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any
post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,
if any, has been issued and, to the Company's knowledge, no proceeding for
that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (any
preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or
filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and
regulations of the Commission under the Act, is hereinafter called a
"Preliminary Prospectus"; the various parts of the Initial Registration
Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all
exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of
final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under
the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule
430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the
time it was declared effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, each as amended
at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are
hereinafter collectively called the "Registration Statement"; and such
final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the
Act, is hereinafter called the "Prospectus";
(ii) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary
Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material
respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of
the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an 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, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided,
however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any
statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of an
Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;
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(iii) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and
any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of
the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do
not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to the
Registration Statement and any amendment thereto and as of the applicable
filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto,
contain an 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; provided, however, that this representation and
warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance
upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company
by or on behalf of an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly
for use therein;
(iv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained
since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the
Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire,
explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or
from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree,
otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and, since
the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any material change in the
capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries
or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective
material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management,
financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the
Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth
or contemplated in the Prospectus;
(v) 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 by them, 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 (except to the extent
that the rights and remedies created thereby may be limited by applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and similar laws affecting rights
and remedies of creditors generally) 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;
(vi) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of
Delaware, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its
properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has
been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of
business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction
in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to
require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or
disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such
jurisdiction; and each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated
and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of
its jurisdiction of incorporation;
(vii) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth
in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the
Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid
and non-assessable and conform to the description of the Stock contained
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in the Prospectus; and 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 (except for directors' qualifying
shares) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of
all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;
(viii) The unissued Shares to be issued and sold by the Company
to the Underwriters hereunder and under the International Underwriting
Agreement have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and
delivered against payment therefor as provided herein and in the
International Underwriting Agreement, will be duly and validly issued and
fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the description of the
Stock under the caption "Description of Capital Stock" contained in the
Prospectus;
(ix) The issue and sale of the Shares by the Company hereunder and
under the International Underwriting Agreement and the compliance by the
Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the International
Underwriting Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein and
therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or
violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default
under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other
agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is
a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to
which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of
the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the
Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of
its subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no consent, approval,
authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such
court or governmental agency or body is required on the part of the Company
for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the International
Underwriting Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the
Shares, the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "Exchange Act") of the Stock and such consents, approvals,
authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under
state or foreign securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the
purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters and the
International Underwriters;
(x) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in
violation of its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in
the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement,
covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust,
loan agreement, lease or other material agreement or instrument to which it
is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound;
(xi) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
Description of Capital Stock , insofar as they purport to constitute a
summary of the terms of the Stock, are accurate, complete and fair;
(xii) Other than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus,
there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined
adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or
in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current or future
consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and, to
the best of the Company's knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or
contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;
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(xiii) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the
offering and sale of the Shares, will not be an "investment company" or an
entity "controlled" by an investment company", as such terms are defined
in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company
Act");
(xiv) Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates does business
with the government of Cuba or with any person or affiliate located in Cuba
within the meaning of Section 517.075, Florida Statutes;
(xv) Ernst & Young, LLP, who have certified certain financial
statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public
accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder; and
(xvi) The Company and its subsidiaries have all right, title and
interest in and to all intellectual property rights or user rights in all
software owned by the Company and its subsidiaries for license to third
parties or use in connection with its business (the "Proprietary
Software"), other than the Company's APSIS product for which the Company
shares the rights, title and interests in the underlying software with
Telecom PTT. The use of all software (other than the Proprietary Software)
used in connection with the business (the "Licensed Software" and together
with the Proprietary Software, the "Software") and the use and distribution
of the Proprietary Software does not breach any terms of any material
agreement between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and any third
party. To the best knowledge of the Company, the Company and its
subsidiaries have been granted under license agreements relating to the
Licensed Software (the "License Agreements") valid and subsisting license
rights with respect to all software comprising the Licensed Software. The
Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects
with each of the terms and conditions of each of the License Agreements.
(xvii) To the actual knowledge of the Company, Proprietary
Software and the Licensed Software does not infringe any United States
patent, copyright, or trade secret or any other intellectual property right
of any third party. The Company has used in its best efforts to protect
the source code as confidential and trade secret information of the
Company, including obtaining signed agreements with third parties that have
access to the source code.
(xviii) To the best knowledge of the Company, the Proprietary
Software was: (i) developed by the Company's employees working within the
scope of their employment at the time of such development; (ii) developed
by agents, consultants, contractors or others who have executed or will
execute appropriate instruments of assignment in favor of the Company as
assignee that have conveyed to the Company ownership of all of their
intellectual property rights or user rights in the Proprietary Software; or
(iii) acquired by the Company in connection with acquisitions in which the
Company obtained appropriate representations and warranties from the
transferring party relating to the title to such Proprietary Software. To
the best knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries has received notice from any third party claiming any right,
title or interest in the Proprietary Software and the Proprietary Software
is free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances.
(xix) The Prospectus that has been translated into German and
that is required for obtaining the listing of the Common Stock on the New
Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (the "German Prospectus") conforms
in all material respects to the Prospectus, and does not
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contain an 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
mislead; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not
apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in
conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on
behalf of an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use
therein;
(b) Each of the Selling Stockholders severally represents and warrants to,
and agrees with, each of the Underwriters and the Company that:
(i) All consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary
for the execution and delivery by such Selling Stockholder of this
Agreement, the International Underwriting Agreement and the Power of
Attorney and the Custody Agreement hereinafter referred to, and for the
performance by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and under the
International Underwriting Agreement, have been obtained; and such Selling
Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this
Agreement, the International Underwriting Agreement, the Power of Attorney
and the Custody Agreement and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the
Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and under the
International Underwriting Agreement;
(ii) The sale of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder
hereunder and under the International Underwriting Agreement and the
compliance by such Selling Stockholder with all of the provisions of this
Agreement, the International Underwriting Agreement, the Power of Attorney
and the Custody Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein
and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or
violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default
under, any statute, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or
other material agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is
a party or by which such Selling Stockholder is bound, or to which any of
the property or assets of such Selling Stockholder is subject, nor will
such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of
Incorporation or By-laws of such Selling Stockholder if such Selling
Stockholder is a corporation, the Partnership Agreement of such Selling
Stockholder if such Selling Stockholder is a partnership or any statute or
any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body
having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or the property of such
Selling Stockholder;
(iii) Such Selling Stockholder has, and immediately prior to the
First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) such Selling
Stockholder will have, good and valid title to the Shares to be sold by
such Selling Stockholder hereunder and under the International Underwriting
Agreement, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims
other than as imposed by the Act, this Agreement or the International
Underwriting Agreement; and, upon delivery of such Shares and payment
therefor pursuant hereto and thereto, good and valid title to such Shares,
free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, will pass to
the several Underwriters or the International Underwriters, as the case may
be;
(iv) During the period beginning from the date hereof and
continuing to and including the date 180 days after the date of the
Prospectus, such selling stockholder shall not offer, sell, contract to
sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided hereunder or under the
International Underwriting Agreement, any securities of the Company that
are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any
securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent
the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities
(other than pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon
the conversion or exchange of
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convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this
Agreement), without the prior written consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co.;
(v) Such Selling Stockholder has not taken and will not take,
directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has
constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in
stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company
to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;
(vi) To the extent that any statements or omissions made in the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any
amendment or supplement thereto are made in reliance upon and in conformity
with written information furnished to the Company by such Selling
Stockholder expressly for use therein, such Preliminary Prospectus and the
Registration Statement did, and the Prospectus and any further amendments
or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they
become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will
conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the
rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading;
(vii) In order to document the Underwriters' compliance with the
reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 1982 with respect to the transactions herein
contemplated, such Selling Stockholder will deliver to you prior to or at
the First Time of Delivery (as hereinafter defined) a properly completed
and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 (or other
applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations
in lieu thereof);
(viii) Certificates in negotiable form representing all of the
Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and under the
International Underwriting Agreement have been placed in custody under a
Custody Agreement, in the form heretofore furnished to you (the Custody
Agreement ), duly executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder to
SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, as custodian (the "Custodian"), and such Selling
Stockholder has duly executed and delivered a Power of Attorney, in the
form heretofore furnished to you (the Power of Attorney ), appointing the
persons indicated in Schedule II hereto, and each of them, as such Selling
Stockholder's attorneys-in-fact (the "Attorneys-in-Fact") with authority to
execute and deliver this Agreement and the International Underwriting
Agreement on behalf of such Selling Stockholder, to determine the purchase
price to be paid by the Underwriters and the International Underwriters to
the Selling Stockholders as provided in Section 2 hereof, to authorize the
delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and
otherwise to act on behalf of such Selling Stockholder in connection with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the International
Underwriting Agreement and the Custody Agreement; and
(ix) The Shares represented by the certificates held in custody
for such Selling Stockholder under the Custody Agreement are subject to the
interests of the Underwriters hereunder and the International Underwriters
under the International Underwriting Agreement; the arrangements made by
such Selling Stockholder for such custody, and the appointment by such
Selling Stockholder of the Attorneys-in-Fact by the Power of Attorney, are
to that extent irrevocable; the obligations of the Selling Stockholders
hereunder shall not be terminated by operation of law, whether by the death
or incapacity of any individual Selling Stockholder or, in the case of an
estate or trust, by the death or incapacity of any executor or trustee or
the termination of
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such estate or trust, or in the case of a partnership or corporation, by
the dissolution of such partnership or corporation, or by the occurrence of
any other event, except as provided in this Agreement, the International
Underwriting Agreement or the Custody Agreement; if any individual Selling
Stockholder or any such executor or trustee should die or become
incapacitated, or if any such estate or trust should be terminated, or if
any such partnership or corporation should be dissolved, or if any other
such event should occur, before the delivery of the Shares hereunder,
certificates representing the Shares shall be delivered by or on behalf of
the Selling Stockholders in accordance with the terms and conditions of
this Agreement, of the International Underwriting Agreement and of the
Custody Agreements; and actions taken by the Attorneys-in-Fact pursuant to
the Powers of Attorney shall be as valid as if such death, incapacity,
termination, dissolution or other event had not occurred, regardless of
whether or not the Custodian, the Attorneys-in-Fact, or any of them, shall
have received notice of such death, incapacity, termination, dissolution or
other event.
2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company
and each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, to sell
to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders,
at a purchase price per share of $16.00, the number of Firm Shares (to be
adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying
the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be sold by the Company and each of the
Selling Stockholders as set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II
hereto by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Firm
Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of
such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the
aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased by all of the Underwriters from
the Company and all of the Selling Stockholders hereunder and (b) in the event
and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase
Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each
of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not
jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth
in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares
as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as
to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of
Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of
Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator
of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters
are entitled to purchase hereunder.
The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at
their election up to 480,000 Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share
set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering
overallotments in the sale of the Firm Shares. Any such election to purchase
Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company,
given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement,
setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the
date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but
in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4
hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than
two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.
3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the
several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms
and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.
4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in
definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in
such names as Goldman, Sachs & Co. may request upon at least forty-eight
hours' prior notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders,
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shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company and the Selling
Stockholders to Goldman, Sachs & Co., for the account of such Underwriter,
against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price
therefor by wire transfer to an account designated by the Company and the
Custodian in Federal (same day) funds. The Company will cause the
certificates representing the Shares to be made available for checking and
packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as
defined below) with respect thereto at the office of Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
85 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004(the Designated Office ). The time
and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm
Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on May 21, 1997 or such other time
and date as Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the Company may agree upon in writing,
and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the
date specified by Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the written notice given by
Goldman, Sachs & Co. of the Underwriters' election to purchase such
Optional Shares, or such other time and date as Goldman, Sachs & Co. and
the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of
the Firm Shares is herein called the First Time of Delivery , such time and
date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of
Delivery, is herein called the Second Time of Delivery , and each such time
and date for delivery is herein called a Time of Delivery .
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on
behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 hereof, including the
cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the
Underwriters pursuant to Section 7(j) hereof, will be delivered at the
offices of King & Spalding, 191 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
(the Closing Location ), and the Shares will be delivered at the
Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at
the Closing Location at 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York
Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the
final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding
sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the
purposes of this Section 4, New York Business Day shall mean each Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking
institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or
executive order to close.
5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file
such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the
Commission's close of business on the second business day following the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier
time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no
further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or
Prospectus which reasonably shall be disapproved by you promptly after
reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice
thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has
been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any
amended Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof;
to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance
by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or
suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or prospectus, of the
suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any
jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any
such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or
supplementing of the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional
information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any
order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or
prospectus or suspending any such qualification, promptly to use its best
efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;
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(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may
reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the
securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with
such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in
such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the
distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the
Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to
file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;
(c) Prior to 12:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business
Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to
furnish the Underwriters with copies of the Prospectus in New York City in
such quantities as you may from reasonably request, and, if the delivery of
a prospectus is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months
after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering
or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall have occurred as
a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would
include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus
is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be
necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order
to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and
furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities
as many copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an
amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct
such statement or omission or effect such compliance, and in case any
Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus in connection with sales of
any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue
of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such
Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many copies as
you may reasonably request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus
complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as
practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the
effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c)
under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries
(which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the
rules and regulations thereunder (including, at the option of the Company,
Rule 158);
(e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to
and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, not to
offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided
hereunder and under the International Underwriting Agreement, any
securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares,
including but not limited to any securities that are convertible into or
exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such
substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock
option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible
or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement),
without the prior written consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co.;
(f) To furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the
end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and
statements of income, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company
and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public
accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first
three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter
ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement),
consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its
subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail;
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(g) During a period of three years from the effective date of the
Registration Statement, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other
communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to
deliver to you (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and
financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any
national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the
Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the
business and financial condition of the Company as you may from time to
time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated
basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are
consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the
Commission);
(h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares
pursuant to this Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement in
the manner specified in the Prospectus under the caption Use of Proceeds ;
(i) To use its best efforts to list for quotation the Shares on the
National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations National
Market System ( NASDAQ );
(j) To file with the Commission such reports on Form SR as may be
required by Rule 463 under the Act; and
(k) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall
file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance
with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this
Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the
Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or
give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule
111(b) under the Act.
6. (a) The Company covenants and agrees with each of the Selling
Stockholders and the several Underwriters that (a) the Company will pay or
cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of
the Company's counsel and accountants in connection with the registration
of the Shares under the Act and all filing fees and other expenses in
connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration
Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and
supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the
Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any
Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the International
Underwriting Agreement, the Agreement between Syndicates, the Selling
Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including
compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the
offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) all expenses in
connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under
state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the
fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with
such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) all
fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on NASDAQ; (v) the
filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the
Underwriters in connection with, securing any required review by the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. of the terms of the sale
of the Shares; (vi) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vii) the
cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; and (viii) all other
reasonable costs and expenses incident to the performance of its
obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in
this Section.
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(b) The Company further covenants and agrees with each of the Selling
Stockholders and the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or
cause to be paid (i) the fees and expenses of Alston & Bird LLP as counsel
for such Selling Stockholder and (ii) the fees and expenses of the
Attorneys-in-Fact and the Custodian. It is understood, however, that each
Selling Stockholder shall pay all other expenses and all taxes incurred by
him in connection with the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by
such Selling Stockholder to the Underwriters hereunder. Except as provided
in this Section and Sections 8 and 11 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all
of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, stock
transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising
expenses connected with any offers they may make.
7. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be
delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to
the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of
the Company and of the Selling Stockholders herein are, at and as of such Time
of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company and the Selling
Stockholders shall have performed all of its and their obligations hereunder
theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(b) within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing
by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section
5(a) hereof; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Rule
462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M.,
Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part
thereof shall have been issued and, to the best knowledge of the Company,
no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by
the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of
the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable
satisfaction;
(b) King & Spalding, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have
furnished to you such opinion or opinions (a draft of each such opinion is
attached as Annex II(a) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, with respect
to the matters covered in paragraphs (i), (ii), (vi), (x) and (xii) of
subsection (c) below as well as such other related matters as you may
reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and
information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such
matters;
(c) Alston & Bird LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished
to you their written opinion (a draft of each such opinion is attached as
Annex II(b) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance
satisfactory to you, to the effect that:
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State
of Delaware, with corporate power and authority to own its properties
and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;
(ii) As of the date specified therein, the Company had an
authorized capitalization as set forth under the heading
"Capitalization" in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of
capital stock of the Company (including the Shares being delivered at
such Time of Delivery) have been duly and validly authorized and
issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; and the Shares conform to
the description of the Stock contained under the caption "Description
of Capital Stock" in the Prospectus;
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(iii) The Company has been duly qualified as a foreign
corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing
under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases
properties or conducts any business so as to require such
qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by
reason of failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction (such
counsel being entitled to rely in respect of the opinion in this
clause upon certificates of appropriate officials in such
jurisdictions and in respect of matters of fact upon certificates of
officers of the Company, provided that such counsel shall state that
no facts have come to their attention that lead them to believe that
both you and they are not justified in relying upon such
certificates);
(iv) each United States subsidiary of the Company has been
duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good
standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; and all
of the issued shares of capital stock of each such subsidiary have
been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-
assessable, and (except for directors' qualifying shares) are owned
directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens,
encumbrances, equities or claims (such counsel being entitled to rely
in respect of the opinion in this clause upon opinions of local
counsel and in respect to matters of fact upon certificates of
officers of the Company or its subsidiaries, provided that such
counsel shall state that no facts have come to their attention that
lead them to believe that both you and they are not justified in
relying upon such opinions and certificates);
(v) To the best of such counsel's knowledge and other than as
set forth in the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental
proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is
a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the
Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the
aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current consolidated
financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of
the Company and its subsidiaries; and, to the best of such counsel's
knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by
governmental authorities or threatened by others;
(vi) This Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement
have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;
(vii) The issue and sale of the Shares being delivered at such
Time of Delivery by the Company and the compliance by the Company with
all of the provisions of this Agreement and the International
Underwriting Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein
and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach
or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a
default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement
or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel to which the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or
assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject and that,
in each instance, is an exhibit to the Registration Statement (each, a
"Material Agreement"), except for any such conflict, breach, violation
or default which would not have a material adverse effect on the
business, financial condition or results of operations of the Company
and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, nor will such action result in
any violation of the provisions of the
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Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any statute
or any order, rule or regulation known to such counsel of any court or
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or
any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties;
(viii) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration
or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or
body is required on the part of the Company for the issue and sale of
the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and the International Underwriting
Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the Act and the
Exchange Act, and such consents, approvals, authorizations,
registrations or qualifications as may be required under state or
foreign securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the offer, sale
and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters and the
International Underwriters;
(ix) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in
violation of its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or, to the
best of such counsel's knowledge, in default in the performance or
observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or
condition contained in any Material Agreement;
(x) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
Description of Capital Stock -- Common Stock" (other than the first
sentence thereof), insofar as such statements purport to constitute a
summary of the terms of the Stock are accurate, complete and fair;
(xi) The Company is not an investment company or an entity
controlled by an investment company , as such terms are defined in
the Investment Company Act of 1940; and
(xii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and each
amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to such Time
of Delivery (other than the financial statements and the notes thereto
and related schedules and other financial data therein, as to which
such counsel need express no opinion) as of their respective effective
dates and as of such Time of Delivery comply as to form in all
material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the
rules and regulations thereunder.
In addition, such counsel shall state that they have reviewed
certain corporate records and other documents of the Company and the
Selling Stockholders and have participated in conferences with
officers and other representatives of the Company, the Selling
Stockholders and their representatives, your representatives, the
Company's independent public accountants and your counsel at which the
contents of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and related
matters were discussed and revised. Although such counsel have not
independently verified, and are not passing upon and do not assume any
responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the
information and statements contained in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus, on the basis of the foregoing, no facts have come to
their attention that lead them to believe that the Registration
Statement, as of its effective date, contained any untrue statement of
a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, or that the Prospectus, as of its issue date and as of
such Time of Delivery, contained any untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make
the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading; provided, however, that
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such counsel need express no belief regarding the financial statements
and the notes thereto and the related schedules and other financial
data contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may state that they
express no opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction outside the
United States.
(d) Oppenhoff and Radler, special counsel for the Company, shall have
furnished to you their written opinion, dated such Time of Delivery, in
form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that each subsidiary
of the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of
incorporation; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each such
subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid
and non-assessable, and (except for directors' qualifying shares) are owned
directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens,
encumbrances, equities or claims (such counsel being entitled to rely in
respect of the opinion in this clause upon opinions of local counsel and in
respect to matters of fact upon certificates of officers of the Company or
its subsidiaries, provided that such counsel shall state that no facts have
come to their attention that lead them to believe that both you and they
are not justified in relying upon such opinions and certificates);
(e) Alston & Bird LLP, counsel for the Selling Stockholders, shall
have furnished to you their written opinion with respect to each of the
Selling Stockholders, dated the First Time of Delivery, in form and
substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:
(i) A Power of Attorney and a Custody Agreement have been duly
executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder and
constitute valid and binding agreements of such Selling Stockholder in
accordance with their terms (except to the extent that the rights and
remedies created thereby may be limited by applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization and similar laws affecting rights and
remedies of creditors generally);
(ii) This Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement
have been duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling
Stockholder; and the performance by such Selling Stockholder of all of
the provisions of this Agreement and the International Underwriting
Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will
not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any terms or
provisions of, or constitute a default by any Selling Stockholder
under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or
other material agreement or instrument known to such counsel to which
such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling
Stockholder is bound, or to which any of the property or assets of
such Selling Stockholder is subject, nor will such action result in
any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or
By-laws of such Selling Stockholder if such Selling Stockholder is a
corporation, the Partnership Agreement of such Selling Stockholder if
such Selling Stockholder is a partnership or any order, rule or
regulation known to such counsel of any court or governmental agency
or body having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or the
property of such Selling Stockholder;
(iii) To the knowledge of such counsel, no consent, approval,
authorization or order of any court or governmental agency or body is
required on the part of such Selling
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Stockholder for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement in
connection with the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder
hereunder or thereunder, except such as have been obtained under the
Act and the Exchange Act and such as may be required under state
securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the offer, sale and
distribution of such Shares by the Underwriters or the International
Underwriters;
(iv) To the knowledge of such counsel, each of the Selling
Stockholders has full right, power and authority to sell, assign,
transfer and deliver to the Underwriters the Shares to be sold by such
Selling Stockholder, and upon delivery of such Shares to or for the
account of the Underwriters (whom such counsel may assume to be bona
fide purchasers as defined in Section 8-302 of the Uniform Commercial
Code) against payment therefor as provided in the Underwriting
Agreement, each of such Selling Stockholders will have transferred all
rights and interests therein to the Underwriters, free and clear of
all contractual liens, pledges, encumbrances, charges, equities,
security interests and restrictions.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may state that they
express no opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction outside the
United States and may rely upon a certificate of such Selling
Stockholder in respect of matters of fact as to ownership of, and
liens, encumbrances, equities or claims on the Shares sold by such
Selling Stockholder, provided that such counsel shall state that they
believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon such
certificate;
(f) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of
this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of
any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent
to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, Ernst &
Young, LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the
respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to
you, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto (the executed copy of the
letter delivered prior to the execution of this Agreement is attached as
Annex I(a) hereto and a draft of the form of letter to be delivered on the
effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration
Statement and as of each Time of Delivery is attached as Annex I(b)
hereto);
(g)(i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have
sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements
included in the Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from
fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by
insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order
or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus,
and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or
long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or
any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general
affairs, management, financial position, stockholders' equity or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth
or contemplated in the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case
described in Clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives
so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to
proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being
delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner
contemplated in the Prospectus;
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(h) On or after the date hereof there shall not have occurred any of
the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in
securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or on NASDAQ; (ii) a
suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company's securities on
NASDAQ; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities
declared by either Federal or New York or Georgia State authorities; or
(iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States
or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, if
the effect of any such event specified in this Clause (iv) in the judgment
of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed
with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at
such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the
Prospectus;
(i) The Shares to be sold by the Company and the Selling Stockholders
at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed for quotation on
NASDAQ;
(j) The Company has obtained and delivered to the Underwriters
executed copies of an agreement from certain stockholders of the Company,
substantially to the effect set forth in Subsection 5(e) hereof in form and
substance satisfactory to you;
(k) The Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have furnished or
caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of
officers of the Company and of the Selling Stockholders, respectively,
satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and
warranties of the Company and the Selling Stockholders, respectively,
herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the
Company and the Selling Stockholders of all of their obligations hereunder
to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set
forth in subsections (a) and (g) of this Section and as to such other
matters as you may reasonably request; and
(l) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section
5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York
Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement.
8. (a) The Company, Wolf J. Gaede and Dr. Joachim Hertel, jointly and
severally, will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any
losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such
Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus, or any
amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred; provided, however, that the Company, Wolf J. Gaede and Dr.
Joachim Hertel shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any
such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement,
the Prospectus or the German Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement
in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co.
expressly for use therein; provided, further, that the liability of Wolf J.
Gaede and Dr. Joachim Hertel pursuant to this
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subsection (a) shall not exceed the net proceeds from the sale of Shares by
such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement and the International
Underwriting Agreement.
(b) Each of the Selling Stockholders (except for Wolf J. Gaede and Dr.
Joachim Hertel) will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against
any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such
Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus, or any
amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus or any such amendment or
supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by such Selling Stockholder expressly for use
therein; and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred; provided, however, that such Selling Stockholder shall not be
liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or
liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German
Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on
behalf of any Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use
therein; provided, further, that the liability of such Selling Stockholders
pursuant to this subsection (b) shall not exceed the net proceeds from the
sale of Shares by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement and
the International Underwriting Agreement.
(c) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and
each Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities
to which the Company or such Selling Stockholders may become subject, under
the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon
an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or the German Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement
thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission
to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent,
but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German
Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on
behalf of such Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use
therein; and will reimburse the Company and each Selling Stockholder for
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company or such
Selling Stockholder in connection with investigating or defending any such
action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
(d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection
(a), (b) or (c) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such
indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made
against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the
indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission
so to notify the
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indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may
have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case
any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall
notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying
party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it
shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified,
to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such
indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the
indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice
from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to
assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to
such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of
other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by
such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than
reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the
written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or
compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any
pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification
or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified
party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such
settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of
the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or
claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault,
culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is
unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under
subsection (a), (b) or (c) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages
or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then
each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by
such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and
the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other
from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by
the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if
the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection
(d) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount
paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the
relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand
and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or
omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the
Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other
shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from
the offering of the Shares purchased under this Agreement (before deducting
expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders bear to the
total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters
with respect to the Shares purchased under this Agreement, in each case as
set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative
fault 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 Company or the Selling Stockholders on the one hand or the
Underwriters on the other and the parties' relative intent, knowledge,
access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement
or omission. The Company, each of the Selling Stockholders and the
Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions
pursuant to this subsection (e) 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 which does not take account of the
equitable considerations referred to above
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in this subsection (e). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party
as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (e) shall be deemed
to include 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 subsection (e), 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 which 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 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from
any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The
Underwriters' obligations in this subsection (e) to contribute are several
in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
(f) The obligations of the Company and the Selling Stockholders under
this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and
the respective Selling Stockholders may otherwise have and shall extend,
upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls
any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the
Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability
which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon
the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company
and to each person, if any, who controls the Company or any Selling
Stockholder within the meaning of the Act.
9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the
Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you
may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to
purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six
hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the
purchase of such Shares, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders
shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to
procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such
Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed
periods, you notify the Company and the Selling Stockholders that you have
so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company and the Selling
Stockholders notify you that they have so arranged for the purchase of such
Shares, you or the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have the
right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven
days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or
arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments to the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby
be made necessary. The term "Underwriter" as used in this Agreement shall
include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if
such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to
such Shares.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of
the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the
Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above,
the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not
exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be
purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company and the Selling
Stockholders shall have the right to require each non-defaulting
Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed
to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require
each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on
the number of Shares which such Underwriter
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<PAGE>
agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter
or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing
herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its
default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of
the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the
Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above,
the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-
eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such
Time of Delivery, or if the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall not
exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-
defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of
Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the
Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without
liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company or
the Selling Stockholders, except for the expenses to be borne by the
Company and the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters as provided in
Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 8
hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from
liability for its default.
10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties
and other statements of the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the several
Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them,
respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect,
regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof)
made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any
Underwriter, or the Company, or any of the Selling Stockholders or any officer
or director or controlling person of the Company, or any controlling person of
any Selling Stockholder, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the
Shares.
11. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof,
neither the Company nor the Selling Stockholders shall then be under any
liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof; but,
if for any other reason, any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the
Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided herein, the Company and each of
the Selling Stockholders pro rata (based on the number of Shares to be sold by
the Company and such Selling Stockholder hereunder) will reimburse the
Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by
you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the
Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the
Shares not so delivered, but the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall then
be under no further liability to any Underwriter in respect of the Shares not so
delivered except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof.
12. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the
Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any
statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or
given by you jointly or by Goldman, Sachs & Co. on behalf of you as the
representatives; and in all dealings with any Selling Stockholder hereunder, you
and the Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request,
notice or agreement on behalf of such Selling Stockholder made or given by any
or all of the Attorneys-in-Fact for such Selling Stockholder.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in
writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or
facsimile transmission to you as the representatives in care of Goldman, Sachs &
Co., 85 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004, Attention: Registration
Department; if to any Selling Stockholder shall be delivered or sent by mail,
telex or facsimile transmission to counsel for such Selling Stockholder at its
address set forth in Schedule II hereto; and if to the Company
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<PAGE>
shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the
address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Jerry
W. Braxton; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to
Section 8(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile
transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters'
Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be
supplied to the Company or the Selling Stockholders by you upon request. Any
such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect at the time
of receipt thereof.
13. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit
of, the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and, to the
extent provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof, the officers and directors of the
Company and each person who controls the Company, any Selling Stockholder or any
Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors
and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by
virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any
Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such
purchase.
14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the
term "business day" shall mean any day when the Commission's office in
Washington, D.C. is open for business.
15. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
16. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties
hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an
original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same
instrument.
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<PAGE>
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and
return to us seven counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you,
on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof
shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters, the
Company and each of the Selling Stockholders. It is understood that your
acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to
the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters (U.S.
Version), the form of which shall be submitted to the Company and the Selling
Stockholders for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as
to the authority of the signers thereof.
Any person executing and delivering this Agreement as Attorney-in-Fact for
a Selling Stockholder represents by so doing that he has been duly appointed as
Attorney-in-Fact by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to a validly existing and
binding Power of Attorney which authorizes such Attorney-in-Fact to take such
action.
Very truly yours,
LHS GROUP INC.
By: /s/ Wolf J. Gaede
------------------
Wolf J. Gaede
Executive Vice President
Selling Stockholders Named on Schedule II
By: /s/ Wolf J. Gaede
------------------
Wolf J. Gaede
Attorney-in-Fact
As Attorney-in-Fact acting on behalf of each
of the Selling Stockholders named in Schedule
II to this Agreement.
Accepted as of the date hereof:
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC
Cowen & Company
By: /s/ Goldman, Sachs & Co.
-------------------------
(Goldman, Sachs & Co.)
On behalf of each of the Underwriters
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<PAGE>
SCHEDULE I
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NUMBER OF OPTIONAL
SHARES TO BE
TOTAL NUMBER OF PURCHASED IF
FIRM SHARES MAXIMUM OPTION
UNDERWRITER TO BE PURCHASED EXERCISED
-----------
<S> <C> <C>
Goldman, Sachs & Co. 1,212,830 181,926
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC 741,185 111,177
Cowen & Company 741,185 111,177
Alex. Brown & Sons Incorporated 124,800 18,720
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities 124,800 18,720
Everen Securities, Inc. 124,800 18,720
Lehman Brothers Inc. 124,800 18,720
Montgomery Securities 124,800 18,720
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated 124,800 18,720
Dain Bosworth Incorporated 79,200 11,880
Interstate/Johnson Lane Corporation 79,200 11,880
Edward D Jones & Co. 79,200 11,880
Scott & Stringfellow, Inc. 79,200 11,880
Stephens Inc. 79,200 11,880
Total 3,840,000 576,000
</TABLE>
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<PAGE>
SCHEDULE II
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Number of Optional
Shares to be
Number of Sold if
Firm Shares Maximum Option
to be Sold Exercised
<S> <C> <C>
The Company 3,316,000 576,000
The Selling Stockholder(s)(a):
Eberhard Czempiel 36,000 0
Wolf J. Gaede 8,000 0
Manfred Hellwig 160,000 0
Dr. Joachim Hertel 240,000 0
Otto Wipprecht 80,000 0
Total 3,840,000 576,000
</TABLE>
(a) The Selling Stockholders are represented by Alston & Bird LLP, One
Atlantic Center, 1201 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309 and have
appointed Wolf J. Gaede as the Attorney-in-Fact for the Selling
Stockholders.
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ANNEX I
DESCRIPTION OF COMFORT LETTER
FOR REGISTRATION STATEMENTS ON FORM S-1
Pursuant to Section 7(e) of the Underwriting Agreement, the accountants
shall furnish letters to the Underwriters to the effect that:
(i) They are independent certified public accountants with respect to
the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the
applicable published rules and regulations thereunder;
(ii) In their opinion, the financial statements and any supplementary
financial information and schedules (and, if applicable, financial
forecasts and/or pro forma financial information) examined by them and
included in the Prospectus or the Registration Statement comply as to form
in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the
Act and the related published rules and regulations thereunder; and, if
applicable, they have made a review in accordance with standards
established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants of
the unaudited consolidated interim financial statements, selected financial
data, pro forma financial information, financial forecasts and/or condensed
financial statements derived from audited financial statements of the
Company for the periods specified in such letter, as indicated in their
reports thereon, copies of which have been furnished separately to the
representatives of the Underwriters (the "Representatives");
(iii) They have made a review in accordance with standards
established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants of
the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income, consolidated
balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows included in the
Prospectus as indicated in their reports thereon copies of which have been
separately furnished to the Representatives and on the basis of specified
procedures including inquiries of officials of the Company who have
responsibility for financial and accounting matters regarding whether the
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements referred to in
paragraph (vi)(A)(i) below comply as to form in all material respects with
the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related published
rules and regulations, nothing came to their attention that caused them to
believe that the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do
not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable
accounting requirements of the Act and the related published rules and
regulations;
(iv) The unaudited selected financial information with respect to the
consolidated results of operations and financial position of the Company
for the five most recent fiscal years included in the Prospectus agrees
with the corresponding amounts (after restatements where applicable) in the
audited consolidated financial statements for such five fiscal years which
were included or incorporated by reference in the Company's Annual Reports
on Form 10-K for such fiscal years;
(v) They have compared the information in the Prospectus under
selected captions with the disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K and on
the basis of limited procedures specified in such letter nothing came to
their attention as a result of the foregoing procedures that caused them to
believe that this information does not conform in all material respects
with the disclosure requirements of Items 301, 302, 402 and 503(d),
respectively, of Regulation S-K;
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<PAGE>
(vi) On the basis of limited procedures, not constituting an
examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards,
consisting of a reading of the unaudited financial statements and other
information referred to below, a reading of the latest available interim
financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, inspection of the
minute books of the Company and its subsidiaries since the date of the
latest audited financial statements included in the Prospectus, inquiries
of officials of the Company and its subsidiaries responsible for financial
and accounting matters and such other inquiries and procedures as may be
specified in such letter, nothing came to their attention that caused them
to believe that:
(A) (i) the unaudited consolidated statements of income, consolidated
balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows included in the
Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related published
rules and regulations, or (ii) any material modifications should be made to
the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income, consolidated
balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows included in the
Prospectus for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles;
(B) any other unaudited income statement data and balance sheet items
included in the Prospectus do not agree with the corresponding items in the
unaudited consolidated financial statements from which such data and items
were derived, and any such unaudited data and items were not determined on
a basis substantially consistent with the basis for the corresponding
amounts in the audited consolidated financial statements included in the
Prospectus;
(C) the unaudited financial statements which were not included in the
Prospectus but from which were derived any unaudited condensed financial
statements referred to in Clause (A) and any unaudited income statement
data and balance sheet items included in the Prospectus and referred to in
Clause (B) were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with the
basis for the audited consolidated financial statements included in the
Prospectus;
(D) any unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed financial
statements included in the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all
material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act
and the published rules and regulations thereunder or the pro forma
adjustments have not been properly applied to the historical amounts in the
compilation of those statements;
(E) as of a specified date not more than five days prior to the date
of such letter, there have been any changes in the consolidated capital
stock (other than issuances of capital stock upon exercise of options and
stock appreciation rights, upon earn-outs of performance shares and upon
conversions of convertible securities, in each case which were outstanding
on the date of the latest financial statements included in the Prospectus)
or any increase in the consolidated long-term debt of the Company and its
subsidiaries, or any decreases in consolidated net current assets or
stockholders' equity or other items specified by the Representatives, or
any increases in any items specified by the Representatives, in each case
as compared with amounts shown in the latest balance sheet included in the
Prospectus, except in each case for changes, increases or decreases which
the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are described
in such letter; and
(F) for the period from the date of the latest financial statements
included in the Prospectus to the specified date referred to in Clause (E)
there were any decreases in consolidated
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<PAGE>
net revenues or operating profit or the total or per share amounts of
consolidated net income or other items specified by the Representatives, or
any increases in any items specified by the Representatives, in each case
as compared with the comparable period of the preceding year and with any
other period of corresponding length specified by the Representatives,
except in each case for decreases or increases which the Prospectus
discloses have occurred or may occur or which are described in such letter;
and
(vii) In addition to the examination referred to in their report(s)
included in the Prospectus and the limited procedures, inspection of minute
books, inquiries and other procedures referred to in paragraphs (iii) and
(vi) above, they have carried out certain specified procedures, not
constituting an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards, with respect to certain amounts, percentages and financial
information specified by the Representatives, which are derived from the
general accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries, which
appear in the Prospectus, or in Part II of, or in exhibits and schedules
to, the Registration Statement specified by the Representatives, and have
compared certain of such amounts, percentages and financial information
with the accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries and have
found them to be in agreement.
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<PAGE>
EXHIBIT 1.2
LHS GROUP INC.
COMMON STOCK
PAR VALUE $.01 PER SHARE
_______________
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
(INTERNATIONAL VERSION)
_______________
May 15, 1997
Goldman Sachs International,
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC
Cowen & Company
As representatives of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Goldman Sachs International
Peterborough Court,
133 Fleet Street,
London EC4A 2BB, England
Ladies and Gentlemen:
LHS Group Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), proposes, subject
to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto (the "Underwriters") an aggregate of 829,000 shares
and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 144,000 additional shares of
Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Stock") of the Company and the
stockholders of the Company named in Schedule II hereto (the "Selling
Stockholders") propose, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to
sell to the Underwriters an aggregate of 131,000 shares of Stock. The aggregate
of 960,000 shares to be sold by the Company and the Selling Stockholders is
herein called the "Firm Shares" and the aggregate of 144,000 additional shares
to be sold by the Company is herein called the "Optional Shares". The Firm
Shares and the Optional Shares which the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant
to Section 2 hereof are herein collectively called, the "Shares".
It is understood and agreed to by all parties that the Company and the
Selling Stockholders are concurrently entering into an agreement, a copy of
which is attached hereto (the "U.S. Underwriting Agreement"), providing for the
sale by the Company and the Selling Stockholders of up to a total of 4,721,000
shares of Stock (the "U.S. Shares") including the overallotment option
thereunder, through arrangements with certain underwriters in the United States
(the "U.S. Underwriters"), for whom Goldman, Sachs & Co., Robertson, Stephens &
Company LLC and Cowen & Company are acting as representatives. Anything herein
and therein to the contrary notwithstanding, the respective closings under this
Agreement and the U.S. Underwriting Agreement are hereby expressly made
conditional on one another. The Underwriters hereunder and the U.S.
Underwriters are simultaneously entering into an Agreement between U.S. and
International Underwriting Syndicates (the "Agreement between Syndicates") which
provides, among other things,
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<PAGE>
for the transfer of shares of Stock between the two syndicates and for
consultation by the Lead Managers hereunder with Goldman, Sachs & Co. prior to
exercising the rights of the Underwriters under Section 7 hereof. Two forms of
prospectus are to be used in connection with the offering and sale of shares of
Stock contemplated by the foregoing, one relating to the Shares hereunder and
the other relating to the U.S. Shares. The latter form of prospectus will be
identical to the former except for certain substitute pages as included in the
registration statement and amendments thereto as mentioned below. Except as used
in Sections 2, 3, 4, 9 and 11 herein, and except as the context may otherwise
require, references hereinafter to the Shares shall include all of the shares of
Stock which may be sold pursuant to either this Agreement or the U.S.
Underwriting Agreement, and references herein to any prospectus whether in
preliminary or final form, and whether as amended or supplemented, shall include
both of the U.S. and the international versions thereof.
In addition, this Agreement incorporates by reference certain provisions
from the U.S. Underwriting Agreement (including the related definitions of
terms, which are also used elsewhere herein) and, for purposes of applying the
same, references (whether in these precise words or their equivalent) in the
incorporated provisions to the "Underwriters" shall be to the Underwriters
hereunder, to the "Shares" shall be to the Shares hereunder as just defined, to
"this Agreement" (meaning therein the U.S. Underwriting Agreement) shall be to
this Agreement (except where this Agreement is already referred to or as the
context may otherwise require) and to the representatives of the Underwriters or
to Goldman, Sachs & Co. shall be to the addressees of this Agreement and to
Goldman Sachs International ("GSI"), and, in general, all such provisions and
defined terms shall be applied mutatis mutandis as if the incorporated
provisions were set forth in full herein having regard to their context in this
Agreement as opposed to the U.S. Underwriting Agreement.
1. The Company and each of the several Selling Stockholders hereby make
to the Underwriters the same representations, warranties and agreements as are
set forth in Section 1 of the U.S. Underwriting Agreement, which Section is
incorporated herein by this reference.
2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company
and each of the Selling Stockholders agree, severally and not jointly, to sell
to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders,
at a purchase price per share of $16.00, the number of Firm Shares (to be
adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying
the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be sold by the Company and each of the
Selling Stockholders as set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II
hereto by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Firm
Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of
such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the
aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased by all the Underwriters from the
Company and all the Selling Stockholders hereunder and (b) in the event and to
the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase
Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each
of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not
jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth
in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares
as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as
to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of
Optional Shares by a fraction the numerator of which is the maximum number of
Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator
of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters
are entitled to purchase hereunder.
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The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at
their election up to 120,000 Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share
set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering
overallotments in the sale of the Firm Shares. Any such election to purchase
Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company,
given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement,
setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the
date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but
in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4
hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than
two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.
3. Upon the authorization by GSI of the release of the Firm Shares, the
several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms
and conditions set forth in the Prospectus and in the forms of Agreement among
Underwriters (International Version) and Selling Agreements, which have been
previously submitted to the Company by you. Each Underwriter hereby makes to
and with the Company and the Selling Stockholders the representations and
agreements of such Underwriter as a member of the selling group contained in
Sections 3(d) and 3(e) of the form of Selling Agreements.
4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in
definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such
names as GSI may request upon at least forty-eight hours' prior notice to the
Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be delivered by or on behalf of the
Company and the Selling Stockholders to GSI, for the account of such
Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase
price therefor by certified or official bank check or checks, payable to the
order of the Company and the Custodian in New York Clearing House (next day)
funds. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Shares to be
made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to
the Time of Delivery (as defined below) with respect thereto at the office of
GSI, 85 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004 (the Designated Office ). The
time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm
Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on May 21, 1997 or such other time and
date as GSI and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the
Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified by GSI in
the written notice given by GSI of the Underwriters' election to purchase such
Optional Shares, or such other time and date as GSI and the Company and the
Selling Stockholders may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery
of the Firm Shares is herein called the First Time of Delivery , such time and
date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of Delivery, is
herein called the Second Time of Delivery , and each such time and date for
delivery is herein called a Time of Delivery .
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf
of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 of the U.S. Underwriting Agreement,
including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents
requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 7(j) of the U.S. Underwriting
Agreement hereof, will be delivered at the offices of King & Spalding, 191
Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 (the Closing Location ), and the
Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery.
A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 4:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which
meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the
preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the
purposes of this Section 4, New York Business Day shall mean each Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking
institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or
executive order to close.
5. The Company hereby makes to the Underwriters the same agreements as
are set forth in Section 5 of the U.S. Underwriting Agreement, which Section is
incorporated herein by this reference.
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6. The Company, each of the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters
hereby agree with respect to certain expenses on the same terms as are set forth
in Section 6 of the U.S. Underwriting Agreement, which Section is incorporated
herein by this reference.
7. Subject to the provisions of the Agreement between Syndicates, the
obligations of the Underwriters hereunder shall be subject, in their discretion,
at each Time of Delivery, to the condition that all representations and
warranties and other statements of the Company and the Selling Stockholders
herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition
that the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have performed all of their
respective obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and additional
conditions identical to those set forth in Section 7 of the U.S. Underwriting
Agreement, which Section is incorporated herein by this reference.
8. (a) The Company, Wolf J. Gaede and Dr. Joachim Hertel, jointly and
severally, will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses,
claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may
become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or the German Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or
arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection
with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred; provided, however, that the Company, Wolf J. Gaede and Dr. Joachim
Hertel shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss,
claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus
or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with
written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through GSI
expressly for use therein; provided, further, that the liability of Wolf J.
Gaede and Dr. Joachim Hertel pursuant to this subsection (a) shall not exceed
the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares by such Selling Stockholder
pursuant to this Agreement and the U.S. International Underwriting Agreement.
(b) Each of the Selling Stockholders except Wolf J. Gaede and Dr. Joachim
Hertel will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses,
claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may
become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or the German Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or
arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the
extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus or any such amendment or
supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished
to the Company by such Selling Stockholder expressly for use therein; and will
reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred
by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such
action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that such
Selling Stockholder shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any
such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in
any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement,
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the Prospectus or the German Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company by any Underwriter through GSI expressly for use therein; provided,
further, that the liability of such Selling Stockholders pursuant to this
subsection (b) shall not exceed the net proceeds from the sale of Shares sold by
such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement and the U.S. Underwriting
Agreement.
(c) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each
Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which
the Company or such Selling Stockholder may become subject, under the Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus, or any
amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission
or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case
to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or Prospectus or any such amendment or
supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished
to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through GSI expressly for use
therein; and will reimburse the Company and each Selling Stockholder for any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company or such Selling
Stockholder in connection with investigating or defending any such action or
claim as such expenses are incurred.
(d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a),
(b) or (c) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified
party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in
writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the
indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to
any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such
action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the
indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be
entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly
with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense
thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who
shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the
indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such
indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the
indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such
subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in
each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with
the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No
indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party,
effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment
with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which
indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the
indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim)
unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional
release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action
or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault,
culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to
or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b)
or (c) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party
shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a
result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
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relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the
one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Shares. If,
however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not
permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the
notice required under subsection (d) above, then each indemnifying party shall
contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such
proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also
the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand
and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The
relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the
one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same
proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Shares purchased
under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the
Selling Stockholders bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions
received by the Underwriters with respect to the Shares purchased under this
Agreement, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the
Prospectus relating to such Shares. The relative fault 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 Company or the Selling Stockholders on
the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties' relative intent,
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
statement or omission. The Company, each of the Selling Stockholders and the
Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions
pursuant to this subsection (e) 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 which does not take account of the equitable considerations
referred to above in this subsection (e). The amount paid or payable by an
indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (e) shall be
deemed to include 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 subsection (e), 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 which 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 Act)
shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such
fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters' obligations in this subsection
(e) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting
obligations and not joint.
(f) The obligations of the Company and the Selling Stockholders under this
Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and the
respective Selling Stockholders may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the
same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter
within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under
this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective
Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and
conditions, to each officer and director of the Company (including any person
who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to
become a director of the Company) and to each person, if any, who controls the
Company or any Selling Stockholder within the meaning of the Act.
9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase
the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you
may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to
purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours
after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of
such Shares, then the
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Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be entitled to a further period of
thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties
satisfactory to you to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that,
within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company and the Selling
Stockholders that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the
Company and the Selling Stockholders notify you that they have so arranged for
the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company and the Selling Stockholders
shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more
than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made
necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other
documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any
amendments to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion
may thereby be made necessary. The term "Underwriter" as used in this Agreement
shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if
such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such
Shares.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the
Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company and
the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate
number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of
the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery,
then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to require
each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of shares which such
Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in
addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata
share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase
hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for
which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a
defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the
Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company and
the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate
number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the
aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or
if the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall not exercise the right
described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to
purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement
(or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligation of the
Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall
thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting
Underwriter or the Company or the Selling Stockholders, except for the expenses
to be borne by the Company and the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters as
provided in Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in
Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from
liability for its default.
10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties
and other statements of the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the several
Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them,
respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect,
regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof)
made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any
Underwriter, or the Company or any of the Selling Stockholders, or any officer
or director or controlling person of the Company or any controlling person of
any Selling Stockholders, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the
Shares.
11. (a) The Company has, together with Goldman, Sachs & Co. oHG,
Frankfurt/Main, and BHF-BANK Aktiengesellschaft, Frankfurt/Main, applied for
admission of (i) 20,050,000 shares of Common Stock that are currently
outstanding, (ii) up to 4,145,000 shares of Common Stock to be newly issued at
the First Time of Delivery, (iii) up to 720,000 shares of Common Stock under the
overallotment
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option and (iv) up to 2,954,500 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance
pursuant to stock options of the Company (collectively, the "Frankfurt Shares")
on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (the "FSE") to the Regulated Market (Geregelter
Markt) and quotation of the shares in the New Market (Neuer Markt).
(b) The Company hereby appoints Goldman, Sachs & Co. oHG as its listing
agent (the "Listing Agent") and BHF-BANK Aktiengesellschaft as co-listing agent
(the "Co-Listing Agent"; together with the Listing Agent, the "Listing Agents")
in respect of the Frankfurt Shares. The Listing Agents shall have the powers
and authority granted to and conferred upon it in this Section 11. The Listing
Agents, together with the Company, shall make all arrangements necessary to
obtain the listing and shall sign the German Prospectus.
(c) The Company hereby undertakes to provide the Listing Agents with such
information and documents as the Listing Agents shall reasonably request in
connection with the Frankfurt Shares and any publications to be made to holders
of Frankfurt Shares.
(d) Public notices to be made with respect to the Frankfurt Shares
according to the rules and regulations of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange shall be
made and arranged for by the Listing Agents acting on behalf and at the expense
of the Company provided that the Company has duly informed the Listing Agents of
the time and the contents of any such notice. The Listing Agents shall be under
no obligation to inquire as to whether any such notice must be given. The
Company shall reimburse the Listing Agent for all publication expenses incurred
by the Listing Agent in accordance with this Section 11(d).
(e) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Listing Agents against
any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, to which the Listing Agents may become
subject insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of its
services as Listing Agents, except such as may result from the Listing Agents
failing to act in accordance with sound business practices, and will reimburse
the Listing Agents for legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in
connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such
expenses are incurred, provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable
in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability
arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus or any such
amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by the Listing Agents or GSI expressly for
use therein.
(f) The Listing Agents will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and
each Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to
which the Company or such Selling Stockholder may become subject, under the Act
or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions
in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German Prospectus,
or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in
each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the German
Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by GSI or the
Listing Agents expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company and
each Selling Stockholder for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by
the Company or such Selling Stockholder in connection with investigating or
defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
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(g) Sections 8(d) and (e) shall apply mutatis mutandis in respect of the
Company and the Listing Agents.
12. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof,
neither the Company nor the Selling Stockholders shall then be under any
liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Section 6 and Section 8
hereof, but, if for any other reason any Shares are not delivered by or on
behalf of the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided herein, the
Company and each of the Selling Stockholders pro rata (based on the number of
Shares to be sold by the Company and such Selling Stockholder hereunder) will
reimburse the Underwriters through GSI for all out-of-pocket expenses approved
in writing by GSI, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably
incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and
delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company and the Selling
Stockholders shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter in
respect of the Shares not so delivered except as provided in Sections 6 and 8
hereof.
13. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the
Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any
statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or
given by you jointly or by GSI on behalf of you as the representatives of the
Underwriters; and in all dealings with any Selling Stockholder hereunder, you
and the Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request,
notice or agreement on behalf of such Selling Stockholder made or given by any
or all of the Attorneys-in-Fact for such Selling Stockholder.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in
writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or
facsimile transmission to the Underwriters in care of GSI, Peterborough Court,
133 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BB, England, Attention: Equity Capital Markets,
Telex No. 94012165, facsimile transmission No. (071) 774-1550; if to any Selling
Stockholder shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission
to counsel for such Selling Stockholder at its address set forth in Schedule II
hereto; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by registered mail,
telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the
Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice
to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by
mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set
forth in its Underwriters' Questionnaire, or telex constituting such
Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company or the Selling
Stockholders by GSI upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or
agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
14. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit
of, the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and, to the
extent provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof, the officers and directors of the
Company and each person who controls the Company, any Selling Stockholder or any
Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors
and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by
virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter
shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
15. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement.
16. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
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17. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties
hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an
original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same
instrument.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and
return to us seven counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you,
on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof
shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters, the Company
and the Selling Stockholders. It is understood that your acceptance of this
letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set
forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters (International Version), the
form of which shall be furnished to the Company and the Selling Stockholders for
examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority
of the signers thereof.
Any person executing and delivering this Agreement as Attorney-in-Fact for
a Selling Stockholder represents by so doing that he has been duly appointed as
Attorney-in-Fact by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to a validly existing and
binding Power of Attorney which authorizes such Attorney-in-Fact to take such
action
Very truly yours,
LHS Group Inc.
By: /s/ Wolf J. Gaede
------------------
Wolf J. Gaede
Executive Vice President
Selling Stockholders Named on Schedule II
By: /s/ Wolf J. Gaede
------------------
Wolf J. Gaede
Attorney-in-Fact
As Attorney-in-Fact acting on behalf of each of the
Selling Stockholders named in Schedule II to
this Agreement.
Accepted as of the date hereof:
Goldman Sachs International
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC
Cowen & Company
By: Goldman Sachs International
By: /s/ Pamela Torres
------------------
(Attorney-in-fact)
On behalf of each of the Underwriters
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SIGNATURE PAGE OF THE LISTING AGENTS
Accepted as of the date hereof:
By: /s/ Hanne Merott-Poulsen
-------------------------
(Attorney-in-fact)
on behalf of Goldman, Sachs & Co. oHG
in its capacity as Listing Agent
By: /s/ Rainer Lizon
---------------------------------------
By: /s/ Bernard Walbrecht
----------------------
(Attorneys-in-fact)
on behalf of BHF-BANK Aktiengesellschaft
in its capacity as Co-Listing Agent
-43-
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE I
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Number of Optional
Shares to be
Total Number of Purchased if
Firm Shares Maximum Option
Underwriter to be Purchased Exercised
-----------
<S> <C> <C>
Goldman, Sachs International 240,000 36,000
Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC 240,000 36,000
Cowen & Company 240,000 36,000
Banque Nationale de Paris 60,000 9,000
BHF Bank 60,000 9,000
ING Barings 60,000 9,000
Yamaichi International Europe 60,000 9,000
Total 960,000 144,000
</TABLE>
-44-
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE II
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Number of Optional
Shares to be
Total Number of Sold if
Firm Shares Maximum Option
to be Sold Exercised
<S> <C> <C>
The Company 829,000 144,000
The Selling Stockholder(s)(a):
Eberhard Czempiel 9,000 0
Wolf J. Gaede 2,000 0
Manfred Hellwig 40,000 0
Dr. Joachim Hertel 60,000 0
Otto Wipprecht 20,000 0
Total 960,000 144,000
</TABLE>
(a) The Selling Stockholders are represented by Alston & Bird, One Atlantic
Center, 1201 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309 and has appointed
Wolf J. Gaede as the Attorney-in-Fact for the Selling Stockholders.
-45-
