Overview
Weak governance rarely starts with a crisis. It usually begins with unclear roles, outdated documents and decisions made without proper process. The consequences — regulatory intervention, shareholder disputes, stalled transactions and boardroom breakdown — can be financially and reputationally severe.
STA Legal advises boards, directors, shareholders and investor groups on governance and ownership structures that withstand scrutiny. Our objective is to reduce the risk of disputes, support effective decision-making and preserve value in the business and its relationships.
What We Handle
• Director duties, conflicts of interest and related-party transactions
• Board procedures, decision-making frameworks and minute-taking standards
• Director appointments, removals and succession planning
• Shareholder rights, information access and minority protections
• Shareholders’ agreements and bespoke articles of association
• Founder and investor arrangements — drag/tag, leaver provisions, options
• Share reorganisations, new share classes and capital reductions
• Unfair prejudice petitions and derivative claims
• Negotiated buy-outs, governance resets and mediated settlements
Our Approach
Governance is most effective when it is built quietly into the everyday running of the business — not bolted on after a problem emerges. We work with boards and shareholders to put the right framework in place, document decisions properly and surface conflicts early.
Where disputes do arise, we act swiftly and discreetly. Many of our governance instructions resolve without proceedings because the underlying documents and processes give one side a decisive position from the start.
Working with Boards
We are regularly instructed by chairs, non-executive directors, general counsel and major shareholders to advise on sensitive board matters, including succession, alleged misconduct and disputed strategic decisions. Our advice is direct, commercial and designed to protect the long-term value of the business.
