One of the most stressful situations that a company director can face is their business becoming insolvent.
With the worry of fighting to keep the organisation from falling into administration or being wound up, it is easy to forget that directors’ duties remain applicable.
In fact, the risks and responsibilities increase when a company is in financial strife. This article explains everything you need to know about complying with directors’ duties when your company is insolvent.
The overriding duty
Whether you are starting a new venture, or you have been a company director for several years, you must understand your responsibilities.
Not complying with directors’ duties can lead to disqualification, financial penalties, and even imprisonment.
In this article, you will find the scope of directors’ duties, as set out in the Companies Act 2006 and other legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
In Company Law the will of the majority shareholders usually wins out. This is because the majority tend to be in possession of the most company capital. As such, it is the majority who “should” triumph when it comes to managing the company’s direction. Indeed, the rights of minority shareholders set out in the Companies Act 2006 (“CA 2006”) are small in number. They include:
The Supreme Court has handed down its long-awaited judgment, which as Lord Reed noted, considered issues that go to the heart of our understanding of company law and are of considerable practical importance to the management of companies.
Background to the Appeal