Negotiation of a Unanimous Shareholder Agreement
Contact Neufeld Legal PC at 403-400-4092 / 905-616-8864 or Chris@NeufeldLegal.com
Do you know what your priorities are in negotiating a unanimous shareholders agreement.
Given the long-term significance of unanimous shareholder agreements, with much of its potential impact not being immediately evident and all too often requiring a tougher position being advocated by one's corporate lawyer who can challenge the positive beliefs in business' potential and the continuance of a good relationship between shareholders (and officers, directors, lenders, creditors, suppliers, customers, etc.). For there are a broad array of serious business and legal issues that are intended to be dealt with through the unanimous shareholders agreement, each with its own set of considerations and pitfalls, such that they need to be properly addressed in the negotiating and drafting of the unanimous shareholders agreement; otherwise, shareholders can all too often find themselves running into the impediments that they have allowed to be included (or excluded) from the unanimous shareholders agreement.
Properly negotiating a unanimous shareholders agreement with the input and direction of an experienced corporate lawyer cannot be understated. Nevertheless, far to many shareholders allow themselves to agree upon simplistic and/or generic unanimous shareholders agreements, not realizing the benefit that comes from the additional time and effort being put into the negotiation of a unanimous shareholders agreement.
As this website clearly eludes to in no uncertain terms, an inadequate unanimous shareholders agreement poses considerable problems, not the least of which is creating the false belief that you have adequate legal protections in the event that problems arise with the corporation and your fellow shareholders. Operating under this fiction can be a major problem, given that shareholders allow bad situation to unnecessarily worsen because they think there is a way to correct it even though such a solution may not exist in the agreement or the solution is more extreme than the shareholders would be prepared to implement.
As such, dealing with the contractual arrangements at the initial negotiations is of paramount importance. And this means working with an experienced lawyer well versed in unanimous shareholders agreements, such that you can be advised as to the real issues and appropriate considerations when working to complete the agreement.
With over twenty years of legal experience in reviewing and drafting unanimous shareholders agreements, combined with a perceptive business approach to the analysis and development of those agreements, we provide unparalleled review services of unanimous shareholders agreements. And unfortunately corporate shareholders really need those services, given how inadequate most unanimous shareholders agreements are. Instead they are given a false sense of security since another lawyer drafted the agreement, even though in all likelihood it was merely a copied template that they received, which shows little more that than replace names and shareholdings.
At Neufeld Legal PC, we operate from a long term business perspective and work to construct a highly particularized agreement that reflects what the corporate shareholders really want and need. This applies to both the review and the construction of unanimous shareholders agreements, making all the difference with respect to the company's operation and future.
For knowledgeable and experienced legal representation in negotiating and drafting a shareholders agreement that advances your business interests and those of the corporation, contact us at 403-400-4092 [Alberta], 905-616-8864 [Ontario] or Chris@NeufeldLegal.com.
Contact us via email at chris@neufeldlegal.com or call 403-400-4092 / 905-616-8864.