Corporate Structures Newsletter - June 2016 Baker & McKenzie Amsterdam For more information please contact: Ilona de Schipper Associate +31 20 551 7806 Director Disqualification Act enters into force on July 1, 2016 On July 1, 2016, the Director Disqualification Act (in Dutch: Wet civielrechtelijk bestuursverbod) will enter into force. The purpose of this act is to combat bankruptcy fraud and prevent managing directors from continuing mala fide activities through existing or new legal entities. Similar legislation is already in place in at least 11 other European Union member states.
Conducting Business in Ukraine 2016 Conducting Business in Ukraine 2016 Conducting Business in Ukraine 2016 Baker & McKenzie Renaissance Business Center 24 Bulvarno-Kudriavska (Vorovskoho) St.
Doing Business in the Slovak Republic 2016 Doing Business in the Slovak Republic 2016 Preface Since gaining its independence in 1993, the Slovak Republic has been adopting new laws at a rapid pace. As a country in transition, its legal system continues to develop. Therefore, the Prague office of Baker & McKenzie and its Slovak counsel Marek & Partners have prepared the document Doing Business in the Slovak Republic as a general guide for any company or individual considering an investment in the Slovak Republic.
In three similar decisions of 17 March 2015[1] the Austrian Supreme Court (“OGH”) clarified how insolvency proceedings may affect an already pending arbitration.
The "running account" defence to an unfair preference claim is a fragile flower. In a recent decision, the Queensland Court of Appeal has reminded solvent counterparties that suspension of a customer's trading account will probably break the "running account", exposing a solvent counterparty to greater unfair preference risk.
Need to know
Dispute Resolution Beijing/Hong Kong/Shanghai Client Alert Court of Final Appeal Widens Shareholders’ Rights for the Winding-up of Foreign Companies in Hong Kong The Court of Final Appeal’s recent decision in the Yung Kee saga (Kam Leung Sui Kwan, Personal Representative of the Estate of Kam Kwan Sing, the deceased v Kam Kwan Lai & Ors (FACV 4/2015, 11 November 2015)) has widened the door to winding-up relief for shareholders of foreign companies.
Update on Dutch partnerships Willemijn Punt The Dutch Supreme Court recently delivered two important and interesting judgments in the matter of partnerships. The first judgment relates to the consequences of bankruptcy of a general partnership or a limited partnership for its partners. The second judgment pertains to a matter that has kept opinions in case law and legal literature divided for a long time, namely whether or not an acceding partner is liable for debts of the partnership going back to a moment in time prior to his or her accession.
On 19 August 2016, the new law of 10 August 2016 on the modernization of the company law was published in Luxembourg's Official Journal (Mémorial A, n° 167) following its adoption by Parliament on 13 July 2016. The new law will enter into force 3 days following this publication date, i.e., on 23 August 2016.
The new rules will become immediatly applicable on August 23, although companies incorporated before that date will benefit from a 2-year grace period to amend their articles of association.
What you need to know
The High Court yesterday affirmed the flexibility of the purposes for Deeds of Company Arrangement (DOCA). In its reasoning, the Court placed very few limits on the use of what are commonly called "holding" DOCAs. It confirmed that a holding DOCA can be validly accepted by creditors to allow more time for an administrator to investigate the future options for an insolvent company.
Introduction
The concept of winding up does not exclusively apply to insolvent companies. Solvent companies can also be wound up, on the initiation of the company’s directors and shareholders (for example, as part of a corporate reconstruction or to close down non-operating or redundant entities).
An overview of the two key procedures to effect the dissolution of a solvent Australian company, being Members’ Voluntary Liquidation and Deregistration, is set out below.