Last Updated April 12, 2024
What is a Shareholder Agreement?
A Shareholder Agreement is a contract that establishes the rules that govern the shareholders’ relationship to a corporation or company and to one another.
A shareholder owns portions of equity, known as shares, in a corporation. Depending on how well the company performs, a share’s worth may fluctuate, and a shareholder may profit or lose money. All shareholders must review and sign the Shareholder Agreement.
Use this agreement to specify what powers a shareholder has in a corporation, such as:
- Whether they appoint or elect company directors
- Decisions about business operations and finances
- Control over the use of corporate property and assets
- Management of redeeming and issuing shares
How do I draft a Shareholder Agreement?
The information you’ll need to complete a Shareholder Agreement includes:
- Corporation and shareholder information: Names and addresses
- Share ownership details: The type and number of shares each shareholder owns, and what happens when a shareholder dies
- Additional share details: If shareholders are restricted from transferring shares and how to set the value of shares
- Corporate management: Which areas shareholders maintain control over, including business operations, finances, capital, assets, and share issues
- Contract duration: When the agreement begins and ends
- Capital requirements: How to allocate additional funds when needed
- Dispute resolution: Whether to include clauses that address conflict of interest or disputes
LawDepot’s Shareholder Agreement template makes drafting a contract easy. Our questionnaire asks whether you’d like to address certain issues, and, if so, our template automatically adds clauses to suit your needs. We also offer detailed explanations of certain clauses as you go through the questionnaire.
Do I need to register my Shareholder Agreement?
Generally, you don’t need to register your Shareholder Agreement, however, this document may be useful when you create a register of shareholders. Keep this document updated with shareholder details such as names, addresses, and shares held. Refer to your Shareholder Agreement when creating and maintaining your formal register of shareholders. The Corporations Act 2001 requires businesses to notify the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) of any changes to member and share structure details.
What’s the difference between a Shareholder Agreement and the Company Constitution?
Although these two documents both address a company’s internal rules, they have many differences between them. For instance, a company may keep its Shareholder Agreement private, but its Company Constitution (also known as the Articles of Association) must be available to the public. Further, under the Corporations Act 2001, Australian law requires companies to create a Company Constitution during the incorporation process but doesn’t require all companies to create a Shareholder Agreement.
The Shareholder Agreement mainly outlines the relationship between shareholders and their corporation. In contrast, the Company Constitution outlines:
- Members’ liability
- Directors’ rights and responsibilities
- Decision-making processes
- Shares, dividends, and other distributions
- Administration arrangements
- Indemnity and insurance
If you’re creating both documents, be sure that your Shareholder Agreement aligns with the rules set out in your Company Constitution. This way, you won’t have conflicting rules that cause you to question which document should override the other.
What are the buy and sell provisions in a Shareholder Agreement?
There are different ways that shareholders can customise the buy and sell provisions for shares in their contract. As such, these terms will vary depending on the nature of your business and the needs of your members.
LawDepot’s Shareholder Agreement template provides options such as:
- Requiring shareholders to buy more shares when the corporation needs funds
- Prohibiting shareholders from selling shares
- Giving shareholders the option to buy the shares of another shareholder that dies or becomes incapacitated
- Including a shotgun clause, right of first refusal clause, or tag-along clause (read more about these clauses in our questionnaire)
What happens without a Shareholder Agreement?
Without a formal agreement that provides plans for conflict resolution, shareholders might have a difficult time resolving disputes. For instance, our Shareholder Agreement allows shareholders to agree to use a mediator or arbitrator to help them resolve conflicts if and when they occur.
A Shareholder Agreement is a legally binding document, which means that the parties have a contractual obligation to uphold its terms and conditions. It also creates a record of the parties’ agreement to their obligations which can help during conflict resolution.
By creating a Shareholder Agreement during the incorporation process, parties can minimize future uncertainties.