Phil Cookson 2
Dispute resolution

Director and Shareholder Disputes

When disputes involving directors and shareholders are not swiftly resolved, they often have a draining effect on the success of the business and can lead to its demise. Therefore, getting the right advice as early on as possible is crucial.

At Roythornes, our specialist team of commercial dispute solicitors advise businesses of all sizes from across all sectors, from start-ups and SMEs to large established companies. We have an in-depth understanding of the risks and rewards associated with running a successful business. When a dispute arises it can be frustrating to be pushed off course; however, dealing with the dispute as soon as possible is the key to preventing significant disruption to the business.

We can help you with

  • Disputes over the direction of the business and strategy
  • Breach of directors’ duties, such as conflicts of interest
  • Breach of a Shareholders’ Agreement or Articles of Association
  • Poor performance
  • Service contract disputes
  • Board meeting decisions and disputes
  • Exit and retirement packages
  • Removing directors or shareholders
  • Salary and dividend disputes
  • Minority shareholder action
  • Enforcing shareholder rights
  • Restructuring disputes
  • Disputes about dissolving a company and other insolvency disputes
  • Any other dispute involving the directors and/or shareholders of a company

Get in touch with our director and shareholder dispute solicitors

For further information about resolving a commercial dispute involving directors and/or shareholders, get in touch with our solicitors in Alconbury, Peterborough, Spalding, Nottingham or Birmingham.

Our approach to resolving shareholder and director disputes

There are many reasons why a director or shareholder dispute may arise – perhaps you and the other members have shared objectives but varying views on how to achieve your goals; perhaps your commercial visions do not match up at all; or perhaps someone has gone rogue, posing a threat. Whatever the reason, we are here to provide expert advice and guide you towards a positive resolution.

We take a constructive approach to resolving commercial disputes involving directors and shareholders focused on negotiation and exploring non-contentious options for resolving the matter.

With our assistance, most directors and shareholders are able to reach an agreement without the need for court proceedings which has a wide range of benefits, including:

  • Minimising the costs of dealing with the dispute – the costs of court proceedings can quickly spiral out of control and there is always a risk of the costs outweighing the benefits of litigation
  • Reducing the pressure on your business – pursuing disputes takes resources that could be better utilised elsewhere. Court proceedings can be much more time-consuming than resolving the matter informally through negotiation
  • Keep the dispute private – why take the risk of damaging your business’s reputation through public court proceedings when a positive agreement could be made privately out-of-court
  • Avoid lowering morale amongst other members and employees – low morale can damage engagement and the productivity of your business

Why choose Roythornes for advice about director and shareholder disputes?

Our dedicated team have been serving businesses across Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire for over 85 years. Our litigation team is led by Phil Cookson, a partner and solicitor with 25 years of experience in this area.

We are proud to offer an established end-to-end corporate and commercial law service for the benefit of your business at all its stages, from formation or acquisition to sale, liquidation or transfer. We have first-hand experience of the impact protracted disputes can have on a business; our skill is to help directors and shareholders enforce all their rights and protect their commercial interests under the business’s policies, procedures and contracts and within the wider legal framework. We often form long-term partnerships with our clients for our ability to adapt our advice as their businesses grow and evolve.

We are not just legal experts, our team has a high level of commercial awareness and ability to apply technical legal concepts in the context of individual businesses.

We are fully committed to helping businesses find constructive resolutions to disputes wherever possible and can provide advice about using forms of alternative dispute resolution such as business mediation where appropriate.

Get in touch with our director and shareholder dispute solicitors

For further information about resolving a commercial dispute involving directors and/or shareholders, get in touch with our solicitors in Alconbury, Peterborough, Spalding, Nottingham or Birmingham.