One afternoon. Three sessions. Experts will share with you their insights into shareholders’ agreements that work from day one to exit and throughout the entire lifecycle including through to the shareholder dispute resolution. Understand how to manage the risks for the Board, protect shareholder interests and ensure proper governance. Walk away with the confidence to draft and advise on shareholders’ agreements that protect your clients, stand up as their business grows and changes, and reduce the risk of costly disputes. Hear from practitioners who work in this area every day and take their practical insights straight back to your practice.

Presenters

Mike King, Partner, Lane Neave
Mike is a Partner in Lane Neave’s dispute resolution and litigation team. He has advised and appeared in Court and arbitrations on a wide range of commercial and civil litigation disputes including shareholder disputes, property matters, agribusiness-related disputes, defamation, and insolvency matters. Mike acts for a diverse range of clients including large organisations, local councils, high-net-wealth individuals, as well as SMEs. He has developed specialist expertise in acting for clients involved in relationship property, and trust and estate disputes in both the Family Court and High Court.

Laura Monahan, Consultant, McCaw Lewis
Laura leads a team of talented lawyers in the firm’s commercial law area. Laura has extensive experience in commercial law, and advises clients on a wide variety of business matters including limited partnerships, ownership arrangements including shareholders’ agreements and share sales and purchases, negotiating and preparing commercial contracts, commercial property matters, commercial lease arrangements, Financial Markets Conduct Act issues, Overseas Investment Act matters, construction contracts and business sales and purchases. More recently, Laura has moved towards particular specialisation in the area of Māori commercial matters, assisting iwi clients to establish post settlement governance entities and make arrangements to best manage iwi assets. She enjoys working with our commercial clients to help them meet their business goals, priding herself on keeping things simple and understandable. Prior to joining McCaw Lewis, Laura worked in the corporate and commercial team at a large Auckland law firm, before moving to London to work as in-house legal counsel for a healthcare company. Giving back to the community she grew up in is important to Laura, and she is on the boards of the Waikato Family Centre Trust and the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Old Girls Association Committee. She has recently established a local networking group for women in business in the Waikato together with Stacey Martin from BNZ Hamilton and Jan Gatley from PwC Hamilton. Outside of the workplace, she likes to spend time with her husband and two young daughters, keep fit at the gym or along the Waikato River trail, and have weekly Sunday barbecues with her sisters and parents. Laura was raised in Hamilton, returning here to join the firm in 2012, and was appointed as a Director of the firm in 2020.

Jessica Middleton, Special Counsel, Foley Douglas
For the last eight years, Jessica has helped clients find solutions to structural, governance, and transactional issues arising throughout the whole life cycle of their business. Jessica advises across a variety of corporate and commercial issues, including sales and purchases of businesses and shares, shareholders’ agreements, structuring and governance matters, joint ventures, commercial leasing, and complex contractual arrangements. Although she assists a wide range of clients, including professional services firms, SMEs, and charitable trusts, Jessica has a particular focus on Māori commercial work assisting Māori entities from whenua trusts and Māori incorporations to PSGEs and their related subsidiaries. She also has a passion for intellectual property law, with a particular focus on trademarks. Acknowledging that the legal side of business can be overwhelming and complex, Jessica believes strongly in providing practical and accessible advice, making an effort to understand her clients’ values and priorities, and delivering solutions in a way that suits their needs. Jessica serves as a Trustee for the McCaw Lewis Foundation, the firm’s charitable organisation, which encourages healthy and happy children in the Waikato. Originally from Hamilton, Jessica grew up on the North Shore of Auckland and spent time in London, before returning to the Waikato. Jessica joined McCaw Lewis in 2018 and was appointed as a Senior Associate in April 2021.