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Business Law

Many businessmen and businesswomen do not trade in isolation. They form partnerships, LLPs, or companies. We can assist in formalising those relationships with partnership agreements, members agreements, shareholder agreements, share options, retirement deeds, joint venture agreements or whatever. It is always better to do this sooner rather than later to ensure everyone knows how such arrangements will work, rather than relying on trust, or luck. They can be as simple, or as complex as you want; tailored to your requirements.

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Our Approach

A sound business is built on solid agreements. At Jackamans our team of experts will help you put together the best possible documentation – whether they be with partners, shareholders or the wider business world – to help ensure your success.

Our commercial specialists have a wealth of experience of working with businesses from diverse sectors and are skilled at helping you to spot opportunities, while also giving you sound legal advice.

Well-structured agreements pave the way for harmonious business relationships, not just between partners, employees and shareholders, but in all on-going business relationships; with agencies and distribution companies, marketing firms, as well as agreements with suppliers and customers.

 

Expertise

  • Copyright
  • Intellectual property
  • Transfers of IPR
  • Licensing

FAQs

What are the general duties of directors?

The Companies Act 2006 places a number of duties on directors to behave in a certain way when acting on behalf of a company. As these duties have certain penalties for breach, it is worth reminding ourselves of what those duties are and what they entail. There are seven of them:

The general duties are specified in sections 171 to 177 and are owed by a director of a company to the company. The act makes it clear that a person who ceases to be a director continues to be subject

(a) to the duty in section 175 (duty to avoid conflicts of interest) as regards the exploitation of any property, information or opportunity of which he became aware at a time when he was a director, and

(b) to the duty in section 176 (duty not to accept benefits from third parties) regarding things done or omitted by him before he ceased to be a director.  To that extent those duties apply to a former director as to a director, subject to any necessary adaptations.

The general duties apply to shadow directors (i.e. persons who behave as a director even though they are not registered as one at Companies House).

The 7 duties

  • Duty to act within powers
  • Duty to promote the success of the company
  • Duty to exercise independent judgement
  • Duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence
  • Duty to avoid conflicts of interest
  • Duty not to accept benefits from third parties
  • Duty to declare interest in proposed transaction or arrangement

For further information please click here General duties of directors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please can you clarify the law relating to declaring my business interests?

The Companies Act 2006 divides the duty of directors to declare their interests in transactions and arrangements into two provisions:

  • Section 177 relates specifically to directors declaring their interests in transactions or arrangements which are proposed but have not yet been entered into by the company.
  • Section 182 deals with declaration of interests in relation to existing transactions or arrangements that the company has already entered into.
  • There are one or two caveats. No declaration needs to be made unless there is a conflict of interest, or the situation may lead to one. There is also no need to disclose anything the other directors already know about or ought reasonably to have known. No declaration is required where the director is not aware of his interest or where the director is not aware (or could not reasonably be aware) of the transaction or arrangement in question.

The declaration must be made as soon as is reasonably practicable and relate to both the nature and extent of the director’s direct or indirect interest. In other words, what the interest might be (a shareholding in the company or a supplier) and what the interest is (a controlling interest or say only 5% of the company or supplier). Further declarations have to be made if an earlier declaration proves to be or becomes inaccurate or incomplete.

For further information click this link Declaring directors’ interests

 

Business Law Team

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