Minority shareholders in a closely held corporation can find themselves in a difficult position if the majority shareholder engages in oppressive, fraudulent, or illegal conduct.
Buying a business is a risky endeavor. What makes the process even more nerve-wracking is that a business is different from just about any other asset one can buy. When one purchases a house, car, or other tangible product, a buyer usually knows what they are getting, can inspect the […]
In June, I began a series of blogs regarding the most important legal considerations in the mergers and acquisition process. The first blog discussed the mergers and acquisition process at a global level generally laying out the six most important legal considerations in the process. In the second blog of […]
The controlling shareholder—i.e., the shareholder with a majority of the voting power— in a closely-held corporation has significant influence over the corporation’s management and affairs. As a result, minority shareholders—i.e., those without a controlling number of shares—in a closely-held corporation face unique risks from the controlling shareholder, such as oppression […]
In June, I began a series of blogs regarding the most important legal considerations in the mergers and acquisition process. The first blog discussed the mergers and acquisition process at a global level generally laying out the six most important legal considerations in the process. In the second blog of […]
Part III: Drafting Nondisclosure Agreements in the M&A Process In June, I began a series of blogs regarding the most important legal considerations in the mergers and acquisition process. The first blog discussed the mergers and acquisition process at a global level generally laying out the six most important legal […]
Part II: Engaging a Financial Advisor and the Drafting of the Engagement Letter Last month, I began a seven-part series on the legal consideration for buying, selling, or merging businesses, in which I introduced the mergers and acquisitions process, generally and briefly explaining the six most important steps: (1) engaging […]
You have created your business plan and now you are ready to put your plan into motion and start your own company. The next step is to consider which business structure suits your business. A business can be structured as a sole-proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, corporation, S-corporation, or a limited liability company. The limited liability company structure boasts many advantages, but also brings with it some disadvantages to consider.
You have a claim against a corporation and/or its officers, but you find out that the corporation is dissolved and there is a successor corporation in its place that appears to be essentially the same corporation. Now what? In Bernard v. Kee Mfg. Co., Inc., Florida’s Supreme Court adopted the […]
Under Florida law, the dissolution of a corporation can occur for many reasons. Section 607.1401, Florida Statutes, covers dissolution occurring by the actions of incorporators; section 607.1402, Florida Statutes, concerns dissolution by the board of directors and/or shareholders; and section 607.1420, Florida Statutes, governs administrative dissolution, which is an action commenced by the department of the Florida Secretary of State for various reasons. Whatever the cause for the dissolution, Florida law is clear on the process for winding up the corporation, including the allowable actions by agents, officers and directors subsequent to the dissolution. Specifically, those individuals may not carry on any business except that appropriate to wind up and liquidate the business and its affairs. Fla. Stat. § 607.1405(1). If a person enters into contracts or conducts other business in the name of a dissolved corporation then that person can be held personally liable for those contracts and business obligations. This blog post will discuss the extent of that personal liability and the remedies available to those damaged by corporate action subsequent to dissolution.