While a buy-sell agreement typically addresses the sale of shares among co-owners of a business, a shareholder agreement may address a wider range of issues, including the management and control of the business, the distribution of profits, and the appointment of directors and officers.
If you don't have a binding buy-sell agreement in place, your business is at risk. Without a clear succession plan, disputes can arise among partners—or their surviving spouses—that lead to loss of valuable time, increased expenses, and costly litigation.
However, the effectiveness of shareholders' agreements in preventing litigation often diminishes over time as the agreements stop reflecting current circumstances. Likewise, poor draftsmanship or one-sided provisions can similarly hinder the effectiveness of a shareholders' agreement in avoiding future litigation.
While a buy-sell agreement typically addresses the sale of shares among co-owners of a business, a shareholder agreement may address a wider range of issues, including the management and control of the business, the distribution of profits, and the appointment of directors and officers.
A shareholders' agreement is an agreement entered into between all or some of the shareholders in a company. It regulates the relationship between the shareholders, the management of the company, ownership of the shares and the protection of the shareholders. They also govern the way in which the company is run.
With a sale of shares, the seller of the shares transfers their shares in a private company to a purchaser. The sale needs to be in ance with the Companies Act 71 of 2008, the Memorandum of Incorporation of the Company as well as in ance with any existing shareholders agreement entered into.
Unless the articles of incorporation of the company impose an effective restriction or the shareholder has entered into a legally binding agreement not to transfer or otherwise deal with the shares, the shareholder is permitted to sell or donate shares to anyone they so desire.
The articles of association and shareholders' agreement may also specify that existing shareholders have the right of first refusal when a shareholder wishes to sell their shares. This means the shares must be offered to existing shareholders before they can be sold to anyone else.
We have 5 steps. Step 1: Decide on the issues the agreement should cover. Step 2: Identify the interests of shareholders. Step 3: Identify shareholder value. Step 4: Identify who will make decisions - shareholders or directors. Step 5: Decide how voting power of shareholders should add up.