Partnership & Shareholder Agreements

Are you carrying on business with another person? You should have a formal agreement regulating the way all participants in the business interact with each other on issues such as control, ownership, liability and commercial decision making.

Can your partner spend the businesses’ money without first having to check with you? Who has effective control of the company? Do you have a right to appoint a director? Are you entitled to see the company's financial records? These are just some of the issues that can be dealt with in a stakeholder agreement.

We assist the stakeholders in a new business venture to examine the key issues that may arise as the business matures. This initial process is much like a ‘pre-nuptial’ arrangement. Everyone is excited at the outset and the possibilities are endless. As in marriages though, disputes often occur. An effective stakeholder agreement should set out how such disputes will be dealt with to minimise the impact on the business. It is also helpful to have a well documented procedure for the sale of stakeholder interests where a dispute cannot be resolved or to allow the exit of a party from the business.

There are many issues that can be dealt with in these types of agreements. We are experienced in preparing both simple and complex stakeholder agreements for a variety of purposes.