Shareholder Disputes
Confidential, decisive counsel on shareholder conflicts, minority actions, and deadlock resolution.
When ownership becomes contested.
Shareholder disputes threaten the businesses at their centre. We act for majority holders, minority investors, founders, families, and boards — with discretion, speed, and a clear commercial line.
We litigate when we must, negotiate when we can, and design exits that preserve enterprise value and personal relationships wherever possible.
- Minority protection & oppression claims
- Deadlock and exit engineering
- Board and control contests
- Family and founder disputes
How we approach this practice.
We represent majority and minority shareholders in derivative actions, unfair prejudice claims, and contests for corporate control, advising on fiduciary duties and navigating conflicts between management and activist investors with precision and discretion.
As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, we also provide robust defence for directors and senior executives facing allegations of mismanagement or breach of duty, working closely with D&O insurers to manage liability exposure.
Every angle of a shareholder conflict.
Statutory and contractual claims for minority shareholders, including oppression and unfair prejudice.
Contested board removals, requisitioned meetings, and control disputes.
Enforcement of shareholders' agreements — pre-emption, tag, drag, and reserved matters.
Deadlock buy-outs, valuation disputes, and structured separation processes.
Just-and-equitable winding-up petitions and defence strategies.
Sensitive counsel on family business and founder disputes with confidentiality at the centre.
A disciplined path from concept to close.
- 01Commercial Alignment
We start with the commercial map — economics, control, contributions, and outcome — before drafting a single clause.
- 02Structural Blueprint
A structuring memo sets out the vehicle, jurisdiction, tax treatment, and regulatory path, benchmarked against comparable matters.
- 03Documentation
Bespoke documentation drafted as an integrated instrument set — designed to survive later scrutiny.
- 04Approvals & Closing
Regulator engagement, condition-precedent management, and a disciplined closing choreography.
- 05Stewardship
Ongoing counsel through the life of the matter — governance, calendaring, and dispute-prevention.
Selected shareholder disputes.
A partial view of the mandates we have advised on — sanitised for confidentiality, but indicative of the scale and complexity of our work.
- 01
Acted for a minority investor in a listed group in an unfair prejudice petition resulting in a negotiated exit.
- 02
Represented founders in a deadlock buy-out arising out of a tech company shareholders' agreement.
- 03
Advised the family council of a leading regional group through a multi-generational shareholder dispute.
- 04
Defeated a contested requisitioned meeting seeking removal of the board of a listed institution.
Partners leading the practice.
Where this work connects.
Considering a matter? Speak with the partner who will run it.
A confidential, no-obligation conversation with a partner — usually within one business day.