Expertise/Corporate Law

Service

Corporate Governance

The charter and internal documents of an LLC or JSC determine which decisions are taken by the owners, the board of directors and the executive management, and by what procedure.

We are most often instructed by:

  • Participants and shareholders of companies
  • Investors and new partners joining a company
  • Growing companies and groups of companies

The information on this website is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute a public offer.

What the Service Includes

Timing and Fees
from 10business days
from ₽fee on request

Timing and fees are indicative and are confirmed when the engagement is agreed.

01 / Overview
When corporate governance needs to change
  • The composition of owners changesThe entry of an investor or a new partner may require changes to the allocation of control, the competence of the management bodies and the procedure for taking material decisions.
  • Owners step back from operational managementThe scope of the executive management's powers and the matters that should remain at the level of the owners or the board of directors are determined.
  • A board of directors is being establishedIts place in the governance system, its competence, the procedure for its formation and its interaction with the owners and the executive bodies are determined.
  • The company or group has grownAs a business grows, the existing procedure for approving decisions may slow down day-to-day work or leave material matters outside the owners' control. It is checked what changes are needed in the composition of the bodies and their powers.

Owners' participation in management

The size of an interest or a block of shares affects participation in management but does not determine everything an owner can do. The charter, the composition of the bodies and arrangements on the exercise of corporate rights also matter.

  • Material decisionsIt is checked for which matters a qualified majority or additional approval can be required and in which document the relevant rule should be set out.
  • Special rightsThe possibility of granting additional rights to an individual owner is assessed.
  • Access to informationThe procedure by which participants and shareholders exercise their right to obtain the information needed to take part in management and to monitor the company's activities is taken into account.
02 / Outcome
Service Outcome
  • Governance modelAn agreed allocation of powers between the general meeting, the board of directors and the executive bodies.
  • Company charterA new version of the charter or amendments to it, setting out the chosen governance rules within the limits permitted by law.
  • Internal regulationsDocuments on the operation of management bodies, voting and the approval of material decisions.
  • Corporate resolutionsPrepared resolutions and documents for introducing the agreed model.

The outcome of the service is the work performed within the scope agreed with the client.

03 / Projects
Selected Projects
01 / 05

Liquidation

Liquidation of a company with a participant from an “unfriendly” jurisdiction

Challenge

The sole participant in a Russian LLC was a foreign company from a state committing unfriendly actions against Russia. The standard liquidation procedure could not be used: clearance from the Government Commission was required.

What was done

Clearance was obtained. The liquidation procedure was carried out from start to finish in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Division of a business

Division of a joint business taking account of the tax consequences

Challenge

The partnership was being terminated with a redistribution of assets. A direct division of the assets would have had significant tax consequences for both parties, so the exit structure had to be worked out separately.

What was done

The transaction structure was reworked in the light of the legal characterization of each operation and its tax consequences, while preserving the balance of the parties' interests.

Director's liability

Liability of a former general director for the company's losses

Challenge

A former general director had caused losses to the company. There were many transactions, the structure was complex, the causal links were blurred, and the former director was counting on the evidence being impossible to gather.

What was done

The chronology of decisions was reconstructed, the link between the transactions and the loss was established, and the former director's bad faith was proven. The court awarded the damages in full, without any reduction.

Corporate dispute

Compelling a distribution of profits in favour of a minority participant

Challenge

The majority participant systematically blocked the distribution of profits by voting at the general meeting. The company was generating income, while the minority participant received no share of the profits.

What was done

The general meeting's resolutions were challenged. A mechanism compelling the distribution of profits was implemented through the courts.

Relations between owners

Owners' roles and decision-making procedure in a medical business

Challenge

Advising on structuring the relationship between the partners of a company providing medical services. The corporate model had to be built around the specific features of an operating business.

What was done

The allocation of the owners' roles, the procedure for taking material decisions and possible scenarios for changes in the relationship between the partners were defined. An agreed corporate and contractual model was put in place.

04 / Questions
Frequently Asked Questions

A board of directors must be established in the cases provided for by law. In other cases, it may be useful where there are several groups of owners, when an investor is brought in or when day-to-day management is handed over to the management team.

This depends on the type of company and the nature of the right. It is checked whether the law permits the chosen mechanism and which resolutions are needed to introduce it.

For example, voting arrangements may be set out in a corporate agreement, whereas the structure and competence of the corporate bodies must comply with the law and the charter.

First, it is determined which rules need to be changed: the competence of the bodies, the voting procedure or other provisions. Amendments or a new version of the charter are prepared, together with a resolution approving them. Amendments to the charter are subject to state registration. The scope of support for their implementation is agreed with the client.

An hourly rate, a fixed fee or a combined model is used; in some cases part of the fee depends on the outcome achieved. The fee is determined by the time actually spent, the complexity of the matter and the overall timeframe of the project, and is agreed before work begins.

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