Shareholders Agreement Lawyers
Shareholders Agreements are a broad family of documents that by design govern the relationship between shareholders.
Complex? Conceptually not really – the clue is in the name.
They are agreements between shareholders and the term covers a wide range of documentation, including investment or co–investment agreements, joint venture agreements, and those documents that are known simply as shareholders agreements.
All of these legal documents fall within a broad family and can be called shareholder’s agreements.
In practice, and perhaps being very general, the term is used to describe agreements between shareholders in circumstances where the relationship is usually unsupported by material structures or investment finance (see Investment Agreements).
Typically this means family businesses, corporate businesses that have a greater partnership culture, and fledgling and growing businesses, that haven’t yet had a material (£m’s) investment event.
The Corporate Team at Beyond Corporate advises and executes technically with a strong understanding of the relationship dynamics between shareholders, as well as the relative financial investment and risks.
Our Approach to Shareholder Agreements
Our approach to shareholder agreements understands the fluctuating dynamics as businesses grow and asks the right questions:
- What’s the relationship between the shareholders?
- Are minority shareholders and majority shareholders passive or active?
- What is everyone’s day-to-day involvement, and who is driving the business strategy?
- Should they be fettered by a raft of protections for minority shareholders?
- When does passive investment protection become proactive management direction?
- Should dominant shareholders be given free rein? If so, how should fellow shareholders be protected?
- What does everyone bring to the party? Are most decisions made with unanimous consent, or are disputes between shareholders common?
- What happens if an active shareholder or passive shareholder disengages, or a member of the board of directors leaves? Is a transfer of shares required?
- What if the relationships and plan have been built on continuous involvement and then initial shareholders choose to exit? Should leavers and company directors accrete value, or not?
- Is the limited company a people business/asset-rich business/liquid business? What approach and what costs are proportionate?
How Our Team Can Help
We act for corporate businesses, business owners, senior and junior management teams, across all sectors, dealing with and providing strategic commercial and practical advice designed for real-world commercial situations.
We deal with:
- Real estate joint ventures
- Corporate joint ventures
- Investment agreements
- Corporate shareholders agreements
- Partnership agreements
- Professional partnership and shareholder agreements
The Beyond Corporate Team Is Here to Help
Within the team, our advice on shareholder or partnership relationships is led by senior lawyers with their own experience in real-world situations.
The team as a whole focuses on the core commercial and emotional relationship and dynamics between the shareholders and provides an elegant approach to the process.
We advise on what works for what situations, and also what doesn’t.
We also consider the why of the shareholders and shareholder disputes we manage and are mindful that behind the corporate story is a need to meet people objectives, plus investment objectives and develop people-centric relationships to continue the business direction.
Get in Touch with Our Shareholder Agreement Lawyers Today
Whether you are a large corporation, owner-manager or just starting your business journey, our lawyers are here to help. Our experts have years of experience in shareholder agreements so no matter your issue, you can rest assured that our team will be with you every step of the way.
To speak with one of our lawyers, call us on 0333 202 6433 or email us at [email protected].
