Our family business clients include companies, limited liability partnerships, joint ventures, and traditional partnerships.
We combine our expertise in partnership and shareholder disputes with our extensive experience of the particular dynamics involved in family businesses and their unique challenges.
Whilst it is sometimes necessary to litigate disputes through the courts, we also understand the importance for many family businesses of negotiating more nuanced solutions, arising from concerns such as privacy, confidentiality, succession, and maintaining family relationships where possible. We work with our clients to provide commercial and pragmatic solutions to complex legal and practical problems. We are mindful of the logistical challenges posed by family trusts and ownership of valuable assets such as property, land and farming businesses.
Collaboration is a key part of our service. We work closely with our Tax, Corporate, Real Estate and Employment colleagues to provide clients with the expert advice that they need.
Areas of focus
Our key areas of focus include:
- Dissolution and termination of partnerships
- Dealing with exclusion from Management
- Unfair prejudice petitions and company shareholder and director actions
- Ownership of land and assets - by individuals, companies or partnerships
- Retirement and dismissal of partners, exits from companies, LLPs and joint ventures
- Partition and division of assets and property
- Succession planning and succession disputes
- Proprietary estoppel claims
- Probate and inheritance issues