When starting a new business, one of the most important decisions you can make is choosing the most appropriate business structure to operate the business.  Getting the structure right at the start is important because getting it wrong can have costly or even disastrous consequences later. Unfortunately, this important consideration is often overlooked. Spending the time and money to consider the issue should be an essential element of setting up a new business and should be part of the business plan. From the outset, we provide high quality advice in consultation with your accountant on the most effective structure for your business and personal goals. It is important to obtain both legal and accounting advice to choose the most appropriate structure.

When we advise on the best structure for your needs, we also consider how to regulate the relationship between the various parties that may be involved in the ownership and operation of the business. We also consider provisions for eventually ending your association with the business.

When there are multiple people involved in running a business, it is important to properly document the obligations of each of the parties and what will happen if one of them leaves the business. We are often called in to pick up the pieces when a business relationship goes bad. Too often, there was inadequate documentation setting out the rights and obligations of the parties and how to deal with disputes and deadlocks.

We can provide assistance in the drafting and negotiation of partnership agreements, unit holder agreements and shareholder agreements. Carefully drafted and tailored agreements can save a lot of heartache.