Shareholder Dispute
- Representation of Shareholders and Managing Directors
- Avoiding Disputes Through Customized Articles of Association
- Contentious Shareholder Meetings
- Enforcement of Information Rights (e.g., Access to Books)
We offer expertise in shareholder disputes for all types of companies. For SMEs, these are usually natural persons, often family businesses, sometimes freelancers, and for (international) large corporations, they are mostly corporate entities entering into participations (joint ventures).
For over 30 years, we have been accompanying, advising, and representing a large number of shareholders in their disputes with fellow shareholders as attorneys. Increasingly, we also represent executives confronted with the problem of disputes among the shareholders of the company they manage (see also: Liability of Executives).
Alexander Singer, before his tenure as an attorney, was himself the managing shareholder of a larger corporate group for many years and has experienced shareholder disputes firsthand.
Experience shows: Many think afterwards, the clever think along, the wise think ahead!
In this spirit, you should have your company agreements for:
- company formations,
- succession arrangements,
- corporate acquisitions, and
- establishment of PPP models,
drafted by entrepreneurial-minded business lawyers, ensuring that these agreements:
- largely prevent shareholder disputes by sufficiently considering the different interests of various shareholders,
- provide a procedure in case of emerging shareholder disputes to prevent escalation, and
- establish clear rules on what should happen if a shareholder dispute actually breaks out.
Now Available for Download: The Singer Fössl Checklist for Preventing Shareholder Dispute (content available exclusively in German).
50% of all entrepreneurs risk their company in the struggle for power and money!
Whether you are a majority shareholder or minority shareholder, or a managing director of a company whose shareholders are in dispute, when a shareholder dispute arises, the professional support of a business lawyer specialized in shareholder disputes is necessary to enforce your (minority) rights and to keep your time expenditure as well as court and attorney fees within reasonable limits.
As entrepreneurs and attorneys, we have conducted numerous court proceedings and advise you before you get involved in one, so that you can best assess your risk and your chances.
In 2009, the book “GESELLSCHAFTERSTREIT vermeiden oder gewinnen” by Alexander Singer was published by Manz (according to Austrian law).
In November 2019, the book “Gesellschafterstreit vermeiden oder gewinnen” by Alexander Singer and attorney Dr. Florian Kreis, Regensburg, was published by Haufe (according to German law).
Alexander Singer and Nora Michtner regularly give lectures on shareholder disputes and current case law – also at universities, in bar associations, and in front of tax advisors, auditors, and notaries.
Current decisions on shareholder disputes can be found on our Blog Shareholder Dispute (content available exclusively in German).
We are at your disposal for further information and to analyze your situation.
