Shareholder Agreements · Calgary
Shareholder Agreement Lawyer in Calgary
A shareholder agreement is the conversation you have while everyone still likes each other. It decides who controls what, what happens when someone leaves, and how disputes end, before any of those questions are urgent. Draft it well and it’s invisible for years. Skip it and it becomes the most expensive document your company never had.
What we handle
What a strong shareholder agreement settles
Under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta), a unanimous shareholder agreement can shift powers from the directors to the shareholders themselves, useful for closely held and family companies. We’ll advise whether one fits your situation and draft it to do exactly what you intend, no more.
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Who decides what
Voting thresholds, reserved matters, board composition, and deadlock mechanisms, so decisions get made cleanly and no one’s surprised by who holds the casting vote.
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What happens when someone leaves
Good-leaver and bad-leaver terms, buyout mechanics, and a valuation method agreed in advance, so a departing shareholder doesn’t keep a stake in a company they no longer build.
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How shares can move
Rights of first refusal, drag-along, and tag-along provisions that control who can become an owner, and protect minority and majority shareholders alike when a sale comes.
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How disputes end
Defined resolution mechanisms, mediation and arbitration before litigation, so a disagreement doesn’t become a lawsuit that drains the company.
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Protecting the company’s value
Pre-emptive rights, anti-dilution protection, and confidentiality and non-compete terms that keep the company’s value where it belongs as ownership evolves.
Draft it well and it’s invisible for years. Skip it and it becomes the most expensive document your company never had.
Obsidian Law · Shareholder Agreements
Common questions
Shareholder agreements, answered
Do I need a shareholder agreement?
If you have more than one shareholder, almost certainly. A single-shareholder company doesn’t need one yet, but the moment you bring in a partner, investor, or employee with equity, you want one in place before the shares are issued, not after a disagreement.
What happens if we don’t have one?
Default corporate law decides for you, and it’s blunt. Without an agreement, there’s no clear process for a founder leaving, no control over who can buy in, and no agreed way to break a deadlock. Most serious shareholder disputes trace back to the agreement that was never written.
How much does a shareholder agreement cost in Calgary?
It depends on the number of shareholders and the complexity of the terms. It’s scoped separately from a base incorporation; we’ll quote it clearly before starting.
Start here
Have the hard conversation now, on paper, not later, in court
Put the control, departure, and dispute terms on paper while everyone still gets along, before any of them are urgent.