As the Director of a company or shareholder, a simple thing like a Shareholders Agreement can prove to be extremely vital and meaningful. It can put a stop to much unpleasantness and disagreement but only if the agreement has been drawn up correctly by a solicitor and in accordance with agreed parameters.
We have seen cases where this has not been done correctly and then both shareholders and Directors can find themselves locked in fierce dispute. You need to talk to a solicitor and seek advice if you find yourself involved in disagreements between shareholders and Directors.
Your problem may be one of you wanting to do something beneficial for the company but find yourself blocked by the shareholders who are not in agreement with your thoughts and ideas.
We have also handled matters where Directors have been put forward for dismissal due to incorrect conduct; hence the shareholders have become involved. Then the intricacies of company Disciplinary Procedures can be brought into play.
No matter what your situation, as expert lawyers in the field of dispute resolution and mediation, we are on hand to help and support.
So, how can our specialist legal team team help in your situation? Primarily, we can ascertain:
· If there is a Shareholder Agreement in place, how it should be applied
· How the Shareholder Agreement should be drawn up if the company is a new one
· How best to resolve problems if the present Shareholder Agreement is under dispute
Often a Shareholder Agreement will not be put into place simply to save costs. This really is totally distorted economy as with no agreement in place, the intricacies of sorting out the problems can be extensive and thus costly and time consuming.
If your problem is that you do have a Shareholder Agreement in place but parties to the document are disagreeing with it, the only way forward is for us to interpret the paperwork correctly and fairly. Frequently shares will need to be valued and if you find yourself involved in this process, it is essential that you make use of the services of a company such as ours who can arrange for the valuation to be carried out accurately.
In the unlikely event that the Shareholder Agreement cannot be discovered then we would need to examine Articles of Association and Directors Service Contracts in an attempt to resolve any dispute.
Contact a solicitor now if you are looking for legal advice on a shareholders dispute or directors dispute.
