COMMERCIAL LAW

Shareholders

Every business can experience disagreements and disputes from time to time, so it’s essential to ensure there is watertight and comprehensive documentation which allows problems to be resolved amicably. A Shareholders Agreement is a key contract which sets out the bespoke arrangements which are specific to your company. Issues such as deadlock, losses and mismanagement, expansion, business expectations and exit should be clearly documented within a Shareholder Agreement.

Our legal team of commercial law experts can help you to draft a new Shareholders Agreement that reflects the needs of your business. We can also review an existing Shareholders Agreement to check for missing information or weak points.

For more information about our commercial law services please call us on +44 (0)20 3475 6751 or email info@carterbond.co.uk

More information on Shareholders Agreements

Does your business have a shareholders agreement in place? We can help with drafting or updating your shareholder agreement, as well as answering any questions.

Sometimes referred to as a stockholder’s agreement, a shareholders agreement describes the operation of the company and sets out in writing the obligations and rights of the shareholders. It also covers the sale of the shares in the company. A shareholders agreement is specific to your company and supersedes the standard articles of association.

A shareholders agreement is not legally compulsory, but if there are two or more shareholders in the business, it’s strongly recommended. You won’t need to file the shareholders agreement at Companies House.

What to include

A shareholders agreement can be created at any point during the lifetime of the company; it can also be reviewed and updated. It’s therefore advisable not to defer creating an agreement because of anticipated changes because in the event of a disagreement, it may be crucial.

Some of the areas you might want to consider for inclusion in your shareholders agreement are:

  • Process for new shareholders to join
  • Process for the issue of new shares
  • How shares can be bought or sold, including forced sales
  • Any restrictions which apply to the transfer of shares
  • The dividend policy for the business, including what proportion of profits will be retained
  • Changes to the Articles of Association
  • Using company assets to facilitate borrowing, or large-value loans
  • The make-up of the board of directors and the terms of their remuneration
  • How the value of shares will be calculated
  • How the business can re-purchase shares back from a shareholder
  • Whether minority shareholders will be permitted a veto on key issues
  • The dispute resolution process if the share value cannot be agreed
  • The activities the company will partake in
  • Future borrowing and funding
  • Any decisions which require a unanimous decision from all shareholders
  • Disposal or acquisition of premises
  • How illness or other interruptions to a shareholder’s capability will be managed
  • Removal or appointment of directors
  • Winding up of the company
  • Process for resolving a management deadlock on operational or strategic issues
  • Timescales and exit routes

Whether you are considering updating your shareholders agreement or creating a brand new agreement, we can help to ensure the document is legally viable and executable.

YOUR COMMERCIAL LAW TEAM

Preea Jutla

Commercial Solicitor

e: preea@carterbond.co.uk
t: +44 0203 649 9016

Hammad Naveed

Senior Associate Solicitor

e: hammad@carterbond.co.uk
t: +44 020 3475 2729
m: +44 07377 190 406

Reena Popat

Managing Partner

e: reena@carterbond.co.uk
t: +44 020 3475 2724 
m: +44 07931 347 854

Kate Beech

Partner, Corporate Commercial

e: kate@carterbond.co.uk
t: +44 020 3093 0872
m: +44 07908 078 025

Paul Harris

Senior Associate Solicitor

e: paul@carterbond.co.uk
t: +44 020 3093 0873

COMMERCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

We were awarded the ‘Commercial Lawyers – London’, in the 2020 UK Enterprise Awards

We have advised a start up social media company secure a lucrative services agreement with one of the largest broadcasting companies in the MENA region

Advised clients on all types of commercial contracts ranging from supplier contracts, distribution contracts, manufacturing agreeements, joint ventures and more with a combined value of over £1bn

WHY CARTER BOND
Partner Led

Unlike many law firms when we say partner or barrister led, we mean partner or barrister led. When clients work with us, they get constant access to the lead on their instruction. Yes, we have a team of solicitors and juniors for some of the groundwork and necessary research required by our clients, but this is when it makes financial sense to the client for us to do this. We provide constant contact at no extra cost as part of our service as most of our lawyers have their own business, so they know first-hand how important having a proactive, responsible and trusted partner on their side can be. And also how to work to a financial budget, and the way that legal decisions impact the wider organisation, which often requires balancing risks and competing interests.

Proactive Contact

Many ask us ‘what’s different about you?’ and we like to reply, ‘because we go the extra mile’. We see our work as building and maintaining good business relationships rather than just earning fees. How we do this is by keeping in constant contact with our clients and intermediaries. From pre to post instruction we ensure that our clients are informed of all legal issues that may impact their business and therefore lives. That is why we provide daily or weekly updates to ALL of our clients whether there is anything to tell them or not (we don’t charge for this we just see it as part of our service). We like our clients to rest peacefully knowing that when we are instructed, and we say ‘we will take it from here’ they know we mean it.

City quality, outer City fees

The world is changing, and many individuals are realising that lifestyle is as vital to them as is income. We are the lucky ones who can hand pick lawyers who can provide the best quality advice but at outer city costs. Our offices are in North West London which may not be the most salubrious in the market but at the same time this allows us to charge our clients for what they pay for, our advice NOT our office space.

ALL our lawyers have previously worked in large city-based law firms and continue to practise and offer  the same high level service  they provided to clients in the City but without the pressure and demands often dictated by City law firm. This allows us to be competitive on our fees without compromising our service.

All in all, our clients win, which is the way we like it.

Our knowledge and resources are yours

All our clients benefit from the same high level of care and attention whether the instruction is big or small. At the outset of each matter, we discuss the entire process with our clients, including the costs, potential outcomes and issues associated. This is to ensure clients are fully aware, knowledgeable and are in control always. Supporting and ensuring we provide the highest level of services, we offer our constant contact process with the partner or barrister leading  your file, a document log in for matters which are for larger and more complicated instructions and on-going support post transaction should our clients require it. Our aim is not just to get the work done, but to make our clients’ lives easier as we do it, which is why we ensure that our clients have regular access to the resources they need from us.

KIND WORDS

“Cannot recommend highly enough!”

Richard Stewart, Brambling Properties
Richard Stewart,

“Very professional.”

Rakesh Dua, Dua & Co Chartered Accountants
Rakesh Dua,

“Their legal knowledge coupled with excellent client delivery is unique to the marketplace.”

Trushār Patel, Love Vivacity
Trushār Patel,

“Fantastic service!”

Faith Yildirim, Forever Forever Limited
Faith Yildirim,

“Excellent and efficient service.”

David Rogers, Fairlop Properties
David Rogers,

“I would definitely recommend Carter Bond to all.”

Deepesh Hirani, Infatech Security Systems
Deepesh Hirani,

“Excellent service and advice.”

Dipak Hirani, Corecon Limited
Dipak Hirani,

“I would highly recommend the services of Carter Bond for any type of corporate or commercial work.”

Enis Rafat, MIYA Solicitors
Enis Rafat,

“Very impressed with the high calibre team and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.”

Thipa Moorthy, Subara Block Management
Thipa Moorthy,

“Very good and quick service.”

James Batchelor, JHJ Property Investments Ltd
James Batchelor,
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Why you need a shareholders agreement

Why you need a shareholders agreement

6 Things your solicitor can teach you about business

6 Things your solicitor can teach you about business

How to dismiss a company director

How to dismiss a company director

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