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A shareholder conflict does not have to end in company paralysis.

We turn ownership tension into a concrete legal and business plan: what can be put in order, what must change, and how to restore the company’s ability to operate.

The company formally operates, but ownership is stuck.

Decisions stall, roles start to blur, and the conflict between shareholders spills beyond the ownership relationship and begins to hit the management board, the team, the investment or the pace of project delivery.

“In a shareholder conflict, the most expensive part is often not the dispute itself, but the prolonged deadlock that strips the company of its ability to act.”

In that situation a legal analysis detached from business reality is not enough. You need a partner who can organise the chaos, show realistic scenarios and guide the parties to a solution that can actually be implemented.

Mateusz Sawaryn

Managing Partner Counsel

Most common problems / challenges

The most common problems we solve

Decision deadlock between shareholders Key decisions do not pass because the balance of power or the voting rules make progress impossible. The company loses pace, and the management board works under pressure from unclear expectations.

We analyse the source of the deadlock and design options that restore decision-making: a new decision matrix, a split of influence, consent mechanisms or an exit scenario for one of the parties.

Business benefit: the company regains the ability to take decisions and returns to action.

Risk of inaction: a prolonged deadlock starts to cost more than the conflict itself.

Influence does not match real involvement One of the shareholders no longer contributes real operational value, but still keeps influence and benefits on the existing terms. That creates tension and a sense of imbalance.

We compare scenarios for restructuring ownership relationships: changing the rules of influence, settlements and shareholdings, or preparing an orderly exit.

Business benefit: influence, responsibility and rewards start to match the real role in the company.

Risk of inaction: frustration grows, and the conflict begins to spill into operations and people.

Old arrangements no longer fit the company's current stage The shareholders' agreement, corporate provisions or oral understandings were created for a different business, a different growth pace and a different level of trust. Today, instead of bringing order, they generate further disputes.

We review the current ownership model and rebuild the cooperation rules so they match the present scale, risks and development direction.

Business benefit: the company gains a more predictable and resilient operating model.

Risk of inaction: every further growth stage raises the likelihood of a crisis.

Shareholder separation without rules The parties know that further cooperation does not work, but they have no agreed exit rules, valuation, settlement or transfer of control over the company.

We design scenarios for a safe separation: from valuation and settlements through to documents that implement the agreed departure model and protections for both sides.

Business benefit: an orderly exit becomes possible without destroying company value.

Risk of inaction: the dispute escalates, and the cost of separation grows operationally, financially and relationally.

Disordered ownership governance blocks the next business step The company is preparing for an investor, a sale, succession or the entry of a new partner, but unclear ownership relationships reduce predictability and credibility.

We organise the influence structure, cooperation rules and documents so the company is ready for talks with an external partner or a generational change.

Business benefit: the company becomes clearer, more stable and ready for the next stage.

Risk of inaction: an attractive transaction or investment stalls on ownership risk.

Our solution

What exactly you get

From chaos and emotion to a new ownership order

The service combines legal analysis, assessment of business consequences and implementation preparation. The aim is not to describe the problem, but to reach a solution that works in practice.

Diagnosis of conflict sources

  • analysis of the ownership situation and balance of power
  • identification of points that block decisions
  • assessment of the conflict’s impact on the management board and the business

A risk map and sources of deadlock with action priorities.

Audit of documents and cooperation rules

  • review of shareholders’ agreements and corporate documents
  • catching gaps, ambiguities and flashpoints
  • assessment of which provisions truly protect, and which only appear to organise the relationship

A list of critical risks with a recommendation on what to keep, what to change and what to add.

Design of action scenarios

  • comparison of realistic options for leaving the deadlock
  • analysis of legal, business and operational consequences
  • identification of scenarios for keeping cooperation, rebuilding the arrangement or exiting

A set of decision options with consequence assessment and a recommended direction.

Negotiation support

  • organising the parties’ expectations
  • translating emotions and positions into concrete options
  • support in talks around influence, settlements, responsibility and exit

An agreed target model or a clearly narrowed list of possible solutions.

Design of a new ownership-relationship model

  • decision rules and the scope of control
  • consent, blocking and deadlock-resolution mechanisms
  • exit rules, settlements and future protections

A target ownership architecture matched to the company’s realities.

Documents and implementation

  • preparation or amendment of agreements, resolutions and understandings
  • implementation of new operating rules
  • organising cooperation practice after the change

A complete set of implementation documents and operating rules ready to apply.

Who this service is for

For companies that want to regain control of the ownership situation before the conflict starts destroying the business.

Management board member / COO

when tension between shareholders blocks decisions, scatters operations and makes it harder to deliver the business.

CFO / General Counsel / Head of Legal

when risks must be organised, scenarios compared and a solution prepared that can be defended inside the organisation.

Majority shareholder / owner / CEO

when the stakes are control of the company, pace of action and protection of company value for the next development stage.

Work stages

How cooperation looks

Assess the situation and map risks

We analyze the facts, documents and sources of tension, identifying where conflict most affects decision-making, governance and business security.

Develop options

We prepare possible scenarios, such as a new cooperation model, revised ownership relationships, a partial reset of decision-making mechanisms or an exit.

Negotiate and choose the target model

We support discussions between the parties and align expectations around a workable solution.

Implement and protect the future

We translate the selected solution into documents, mechanisms and company rules.

Write to us

Organise ownership relationships before the conflict starts costing more than solving it.

The longer the company stays in deadlock, the harder it is to regain pace, control and predictability. Start with a conversation about options and risks.

In the form briefly describe the shareholder arrangement, the main point of dispute and whether the goal is to organise cooperation, reduce blocking points or prepare an exit for one of the parties.

Mateusz Sawaryn

They will follow up with any questions or recommend a next step.

Quick response

We usually respond within two hours on business days.

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