Transaction and shareholder disputes & investigations

We offer a range of services in connection with the acquisition and disposal of businesses, and with disputes between shareholders and joint venture partners.

Leveraging our expertise of resolving transaction disputes, before an agreement is signed, we can advise on the drafting of robust completion accounts or earn out mechanisms and processes. We assist in reducing ambiguity in the accounting aspects of purchase price adjustments and help minimise the risk of disputes arising post-deal. We also help to maximise the deal value during the completion accounts preparation process by advising on how terms of agreements can be used to full advantage.

We assist post-completion, whether advising parties in undertaking warranty compliance reviews and assisting with consequential warranty claims or in making submissions to an independent expert. Several of our team regularly act as independent expert in such disputes. We also have considerable experience in transaction related misrepresentation and professional negligence claims.

In addition to assisting with the accounting aspects of transactions our corporate investigations team undertakes forensic due diligence on target companies and individuals prior to the completion of deals. For transactions involving regulated entities, we have a team of specialists who can review compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.

Our shareholder dispute services help to resolve disputes between shareholders and joint venture partners. Such disputes may arise, for example, as a result of differences of opinion concerning contractual liabilities, suspected fraud or negligence and minority prejudice actions.

How we can support you
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Potential issues

• You have inadequate or ambiguous accounting definitions in an agreement
• You need advice on what is to be included/excluded from the completion accounts or earn out accounts
• There is a lack of clarity in the roles of each party and their advisers in the preparation, review and finalisation of these accounts
• You need help in preparing submissions to the independent accountant or answering an independent accountant's questions, whether in writing or at oral hearings
• You need advice in disputes between joint venture partners or shareholders
• You want to evaluate the strength of claims and counter-claims and develop arguments to support your position
• You need to assess whether a breach of warranty has occurred and/or quantify the loss flowing from that breach.