Founder and shareholder agreements

Work and deliverables

We translate the agreed commercial terms into governance, transfer, funding, information and dispute provisions, coordinated with the company’s constitutional documents. Unresolved economics are identified for the founders to decide.

1. Confirm the ownership position and the commercial decisions already agreed.
2. Record unresolved questions about roles, funding, authority and departures.
3. Prepare the agreed draft and compare it with the constitutional documents.
4. Track negotiation decisions and hand over the execution and implementation actions.

Keep a decision log showing who agreed each commercial point and which draft reflects it. A proposed term should not be presented as settled merely because it appears in a document.

Documents for the initial assessment

• Capital table
• contribution history
• articles
• term sheet
• roles
• IP ownership
• funding plans
• intended exit and succession terms.

Explain contributions already made separately from future commitments. Identify existing investor rights, side letters and restrictions that could affect the proposed agreement. Keep issued holdings distinct from options or other potential rights when describing ownership.

An issue to settle before committing

Equal ownership does not resolve a deadlock. Decide how reserved matters, operational authority and a founder’s departure will be handled while interests are aligned.

For example, two founders may agree equal holdings while one works full time and the other retains an outside role. Discuss operating authority, information access, future funding and what happens if either role changes. The drafting brief should capture those choices rather than infer them from the ownership ratio.

Mandate and fees

Valuation, tax structuring, securities issuance and investor negotiations are separately scoped.

Legal work uses a written matter-specific proposal. Do not send confidential documents through the public form; begin with a brief description and any material date.

The completion pack identifies the agreed draft, outstanding commercial decisions, execution requirements to be addressed and any corporate documents needing separate action. Changes to the articles, share transactions and tax advice are included only where specified. The investment journey connects these documents to a broader fundraising process.