Family succession in private companies
For many people, the shares they hold in their family business comprise the largest and most valuable asset in their estate.
Here's how we can help
Through our work over the last 20 years with many of the region’s most successful private companies, we have unrivalled experience in guiding you through the issues around the lifetime transfer of such shares or in the challenging issues of devolving them through your will.
Effective advice in this area requires an understanding not only of wills and private client work in general but, more particularly, around some of the provisions within a company's constitution which can often restrict the free transfer of such shares.
In addition, many private companies are owned jointly with business partners. Good planning normally requires cross options to be put in place, backed up by life policies, in order to make sure that, firstly, a surviving business partner can acquire the shares from the estate of the former business partner and, secondly, to ensure that the estate can receive the true value of those shares.
We have genuine expertise in this area; it takes a detailed understanding of wills and corporate constitutions and few firms offer that combined expertise.
For further information on how we can help please contact Hugh Welch, call 0191 211 7903 or alternatively email us at advice@muckle-llp.com.
Related Resources
in the Muckle LLP Resource Centre
- What are the most common problems with family businesses?
- How far in advance should I start planning to pass the business on?
- I'm married and just want to leave everything to my spouse. We have no children. Surely I don't need to make a will to do that?
- How can we minimise the risk of disputes over the running of the business?

