Shareholder agreements & joint ventures
Shareholder and joint-venture legal advice for UAE businesses: ownership, reserved decisions, funding, deadlock, transfers and an orderly exit.
Discuss this matter
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Agree how the relationship will work before it is tested
A commercial partnership needs more than agreement on a percentage of shares. The documents should explain how decisions are made, how new funding is provided and what happens if the parties’ priorities diverge.
A joint venture may involve a new company or a contractual collaboration. The shareholder agreement, constitutional documents and business contracts should be considered together so that the intended allocation of rights can be implemented.
How the firm can assist
Hyam El Hachem Law Firm can translate the parties’ commercial understanding into a considered contractual framework, identify points requiring negotiation and coordinate the documentation with incorporation or a proposed investment.
- Define board composition, management powers and decisions requiring consent.
- Address capital contributions, information rights, distributions and conflicts of interest.
- Negotiate transfer restrictions, valuation mechanisms, deadlock and exit provisions.
- The business plan and proposed ownership proportions.
- Existing constitutional documents and any term sheet.
- Funding commitments and the parties’ decision-making priorities.
An initial outline is enough. Detailed records can follow through a process agreed with the firm.
Questions clients often ask
Can these terms be agreed after incorporation?
They can be reviewed at that stage, but existing rights and approval requirements may constrain changes. Addressing them before investment often makes the negotiation clearer.
Is a standard agreement enough?
A template can identify issues but cannot decide the commercial bargain. Control, funding, exit and enforceability provisions should reflect the actual business and jurisdiction.
Define the mandate
Clarify your objectives, the jurisdictions involved and any immediate deadline.
Review the legal position
Examine the relevant documents and identify the decisions requiring advice.
Agree the next steps
Set out the work, professional responsibilities and practical sequence.
Experience with a personal point of contact
Hyam El Hachem is an Attorney at Law with the Beirut Bar Association. Following her training at Awada Tyan Law Firm, she established her own firm in 1996 and expanded her practice to the UAE in 2005.
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