If you are already a shareholder in a company or thinking about going into business with others or if you are providing equity funding to help support or grow an existing business, you should always consider whether a shareholders’ agreement could add and protect the value of the business.
Hunt & Coombs corporate and commercial team advise on a large number of shareholders’ arrangements such as these each year for new and existing businesses, including local family businesses, SMEs, start-ups and for high net worth investors.
We can advise existing businesses where the founder shareholder/directors are looking to plan for business succession including:
- Catering for what will happen when they die; or
- They become ill and are incapable of working in the future.
So as to ensure continuity and agreement of succession planning for the future of the business.
For investors, we will guide you as to the investment and funding structure you are going into and the best way to protect your funds and ensure the correct legal framework is in place so that your return is protected.
For investee companies, we regularly advise founder shareholders and board members on the changes which may be required to the company’s constitution by the investor and on the terms of the investment agreement and loan note instrument.
Our Corporate and Commercial Lawyers have advised on shareholders’ agreements and investment agreements for a large number of clients including:
- Advising a 50 per cent holder in a group of property investment and development companies;
- Advising on the terms on an investment agreement and facility agreement for an investor in a new company acquiring and developing a site for the construction of a residential housing estate.
Joint ventures
You may be about to collaborate on an exciting new business venture. If so, you will need the right advice early on to ensure that each of the participators is focussed on the new venture and that it will have available to it all of the assets and funding it requires from those involved from the start. You will want to formalise how each of you will run and fund the venture going forwards and the returns you can expect to receive and when.
We have a wealth of experience advising on all forms of joint venture, from joint venture shareholders’ arrangements for founders and investors, contractual joint ventures, collaboration agreements and partnerships.
From our offices in Peterborough, Oundle, Huntingdon, St Neots and Cambridge we advise organisations of all sizes in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Northampton and beyond on Shareholder agreements, joint ventures and investment agreements.
To find out more about how our Corporate Commercial Team can help with shareholders’ agreements, joint ventures and investment agreements please call 01733 882 800 or email [email protected] with your enquiry.
