Triggering Events for Share Sales in Shareholder Agreements

This Right of First Refusal clause can be inserted into a Shareholder Agreement to govern how a shareholder disposes of its shares.

• If a shareholder receives an arm's length offer from a third party to purchase its shares, the selling shareholder must give the other shareholders a right of first refusal to buy the shares before selling them to the third party.
• The clauses are downloadable and customizable.
• These generic clauses can be used in any common law country.
• Available in MS Word format.

Grant a right of first refusal to another shareholder with this Right of First Refusal Agreement to Acquire Shares template.

• The Agreement grants one shareholder a first right of refusal to acquire shares owned by another shareholder ('granting shareholder').
• The right is granted pursuant to the winding up of a third shareholder (a company solely owned by the granting shareholder) and the transfer of the third shareholder's share interest to the granting shareholder.
• This is a generic legal form which is not specific to any country or region.
• The Right of First Refusal Agreement to Acquire Shares is available in MS Word format and is fully editable to fit your needs.

Should your company shareholder agreement include a shotgun clause? This article discusses these types of provisions from an owner-manager's perspective.

What is a "shotgun clause"?

A 'shotgun clause' or 'buy-sell clause' is a clause in a shareholder agreement which provides that if a shareholder wants to pull their investment out of the company, they can force the other shareholders to buy their shares.

Benefits and risks of a shotgun provision

The selling shareholder sets the price and the terms of sale, and the remaining shareholder(s) decide whether to accept the sale on that basis. In theory, a shotgun clause provides a fair mechanism for shareholder departure, due to the fact that the seller does not know whether or not the price and terms will be accepted. Therefore they must be reasonable in setting the price and terms.

In practice, however, a selling shareholder often tries to use the shotgun clause to their advantage, which can result in the receiving shareholder(s) turning to arbitration or the courts to settle the matter.

Practical limitations of shotgun clauses

The article discusses the limitations on shotgun clauses, and how to use them properly in your shareholder agreement.

Alternative methods of shareholder breakups

The writer discusses other methods of no-fault corporate divorce that can be used instead of a shotgun provision, such as drag-along, tag-along clauses, right of first refusal options, and auction or bidding processes.

Author Credit

This article was written by Phil Thompson, business lawyer and corporate counsel in Ontario, Canada.

Set restrictions on transfers of shares in a U.S. corporation with this Shareholder Agreement, with a Certificate of Agreed Value.

• Before offering shares to any other party, a shareholder must first offer them to the corporation.
• The corporation is obligated to purchase a shareholder's shares if the holder dies or becomes incapacitated, bankrupt, makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or if the shares are attached.
• The purchase value of the shares is determined by a certificate of agreed value signed by all of the shareholders and filed with the corporation.
• If the certificate of agreed value is older than 2 years, the book value of the shares will be used, as determined by the corporation's accountants.
• The USA Shareholder Agreement with Certificate of Agreed Value is a digital download that you can easily customize to fit your exact requirements.

Every corporation with more than 1 shareholder should have a shareholder agreement in place, like this Unanimous Shareholder Agreement for Alberta corporations.

• A shareholder may transfer its shares to an affiliate provided that the affiliate agrees to be bound by the terms of the Agreement. If the affiliate ceases to be an affiliate, the shares will be transferred back to the original shareholder.
• If shareholder guarantees are required to secure the corporation's debt, each shareholder will provide its guarantee for a proportionate share in relation to his/her shareholdings. If a shareholder disposes of his interest in the corporation, the corporation will use best efforts to release and discharge his guarantee.
• The corporation has a right of first refusal to purchase the shares of any shareholder wishing to dispose of his shareholdings. The founding shareholders have a right of second refusal, and the other shareholders have a right of third refusal.
• Provisions for shot-gun buy-sell offers.
• Provisions for a call by the other shareholders if a shareholder becomes involved in a divorce or matrimonial property settlement.
• Provisions for a buy-sell upon the death or disability of a shareholder.
• Provisions for a call by the corporation if a shareholder ceases to be employed or contracted by the corporation.

The Alberta Unanimous Shareholder Agreement template can be easily customized for your exact needs. Download yours today.