Corporate Governance & Shareholder Disputes

 

Directors, officers and owners of a business contribute to its growth and development. In closely held businesses, the roles of partners, members of limited liability companies and corporate shareholders implicate special fiduciary duties. When disputes arise among these key players, it is often imperative to resolve or eliminate differences quickly and effectively to minimize impact on the core mission of the enterprise.

Our lawyers have decades of experience handling differences that arise among shareholders, directors and officers of private, closely held companies with revenues ranging from several million to hundreds of millions of dollars. Cases we handle can involve dissolution of partnerships, claims of mismanagement by corporate leaders, removal of individual partners, disputes regarding fiduciary responsibility or decision-making, and response to assertions by shareholders regarding disclosures or other alleged infringement of their rights.

Disputes we advise on include:

  • Shareholder derivative suits
  • Direct shareholder claims
  • Closely held business disputes
  • Corporate divorce
  • Breach of fiduciary duty
  • Minority shareholder freeze-out claims
  • Partnership disputes

Clients turn to us as trusted advisors on governance and shareholder cases because of our ability to compile the facts and analyze them in the context of strategic implications for the business. We appreciate how disputes among key stakeholders can create significant business disruption or raise uncertainty in the minds of employees, customers, suppliers and other shareholders or investors.

We quickly identify key issues and develop a resolution strategy that protects financial interests, restricts future liability, avoids reputational damage and preserves overall business value.

 

  • Won favorable jury verdict in dispute among owners of large closely held business.
  • Handled disputes among shareholders and directors of private, closely held companies with revenues ranging from several million to hundreds of millions of dollars.
  • Represented officers and directors of public companies against allegations of breach of duties.
  • Advised majority and minority shareholders regarding litigation avoidance.
  • Represented a business denied an operating license due to claims of breach of fiduciary duty connected with a background check. We demonstrated the information in dispute was known to the claimants and not the cause for denial of the license. We negotiated a significantly reduced settlement.
  • Represented a consulting firm in connection with claims from a former member and successfully resolved the claim pre-litigation.