{"id":6025,"date":"2023-09-22T16:53:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T14:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lerins.com\/?page_id=6025"},"modified":"2026-10-23T12:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T10:32:36","slug":"corporate-litigation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lerins.com\/en\/corporate-litigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate litigation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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CORPORATE LITIGATION<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Our team has recognised expertise in post-acquisition disputes, governance disputes (shareholder conflicts and directors' and officers' liability) and restructuring and insolvency matters.<\/p>

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M&A and post-acquisition disputes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The acquisition of commercial companies and businesses entails numerous risks for those involved, during the negotiation and performance phases of the acquisition contract and any ancillary agreements (asset and liability warranties, earn-outs, agreements on intellectual property rights, commercial contracts, non-competition undertakings, etc.).<\/span><\/p>

We also support our clients in disputes arising before or after the acquisition, particularly in relation to the following:<\/span><\/p>

  • Wrongful termination of negotiations<\/span><\/li>
  • Bringing or defending warranty and indemnity claims<\/li>
  • Expert determination of share value (Article 1843-4 of the French Civil Code)<\/li>
  • Claims against the seller for vitiated consent (fraudulent misrepresentation, mistake, etc.)<\/li>
  • Management of disputes arising from the transfer of contracts by way of acquisition (partners, suppliers and customers).<\/span><\/li>
  • Post-acquisition price adjustments (earn-outs)<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

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    Disputes between shareholders and governance related disputes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Shareholders and managers often have diverging interests and business or wealth strategies, which can lead to conflict \u2013 particularly when the interests that first brought them together drift apart over time.<\/p>

    These conflicts are the most complex to resolve, requiring psychology, creativity, mastery of the rules of governance and the ability to work in collaborative mode with the company’s other partners.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

    This is why we are regularly called in to help managers and shareholders resolve disputes that may arise from:<\/span><\/p>

    • The performance or breach of shareholders’ agreements (approval, pre-emption, tag-along, drag-along, non-compete and voting agreement clauses, etc.)<\/span><\/span><\/li>
    • Unbalanced relations between majority and minority shareholders (abuse of majority or minority voting rights, shareholder activism)<\/span><\/li>
    • Corporate governance (convening and holding of shareholders’ meetings and board meetings, compliance with majority rules)<\/span><\/li>
    • The approval and performance of related-party agreements (conventions\u00a0 r\u00e9glement\u00e9es)<\/li>
    • Exclusion or withdrawal of shareholders (implementation of exclusion clauses, determination of share value)<\/span><\/li>
    • Removal from office of corporate officers<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

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      Liability of directors and corporate officers<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Corporate officers are exposed to extensive civil and criminal liability when they are required to perform their duties in compliance with the company’s “constitution” (articles of association and shareholders’ agreements), the scope of the mandate and mission entrusted to them by shareholders, and increasingly complex laws and regulations.<\/span><\/p>

      Our team is regularly consulted on the definition, optimization and implementation of a risk management strategy for corporate directors (risk mapping and delegation of powers), and to support directors or companies in terms of:<\/span><\/p>

      • Enforcement by the company, shareholders or third parties of the contractual or tortious civil liability of the de jure<\/i> or de facto<\/i> director, in the event of breach of the articles of association, mismanagement or misuse of his powers and company assets.<\/span><\/li>
      • Defending de facto or de jure directors in insolvency proceedings (liability claims for shortfall of assets)<\/span><\/li>
      • Criminal defense of the director and the company (liability and sanctions under Book VI of the French Commercial Code).<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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        Difficulties faced by companies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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        We protect clients’ interests when their customers, partners or suppliers default, from filing proofs of claim to asserting ownership (retention-of-title) and contractual rights against the insolvency office-holders.<\/span><\/p>

        Beyond litigation, we work alongside the firm’s other teams in pre-insolvency procedures (mandat ad hoc and conciliation).<\/span><\/p>

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