(England & Wales)
Create your shareholders agreement with dividend policies, voting rights, exit provisions, and deadlock resolution.
Professionally drafted — structured following Companies Act 2006 for England and Wales.
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Download a professionally drafted shareholders agreement template for UK limited companies. Also known as a shareholder agreement, stockholders agreement, or SHA. Covers share classes, voting rights, dividend policies, reserved matters, drag-along and tag-along rights, pre-emption rights, deadlock resolution, good leaver and bad leaver provisions, and exit mechanisms. Structured following the Companies Act 2006 for England and Wales.
Essential for any limited company with two or more shareholders — protects ownership interests and avoids costly disputes.
Protect your company ownership with clear, professionally drafted terms
Pre-emption rights give existing shareholders first refusal on any shares being sold. This stops unwanted third parties joining your company.
Tag-along and drag-along rights mean minority shareholders can exit on the same terms as majority, and majority can force a clean sale.
50/50 companies can deadlock. Your agreement specifies how to break deadlocks — mediation, buy-out mechanisms, or casting votes.
A shareholders agreement is a private contract between company shareholders that supplements the articles of association — covering dividend policies, exit mechanisms, reserved matters, and deadlock resolution that the Companies Act 2006 does not address by default.
A shareholders agreement is a private contract between the shareholders of a limited company. Unlike the Articles of Association (which are public and filed at Companies House), a shareholders agreement remains confidential and covers sensitive matters that shareholders want to keep private.
A shareholders agreement provides essential protection that Articles of Association alone cannot offer.
Without a shareholders agreement, disputes over dividends, decision-making, and exit terms rely solely on the articles of association and Companies Act 2006 default provisions — minority shareholders have limited protection and deadlocks can paralyse the company.
Written agreements with clear terms help avoid these costly disputes.
This shareholders agreement template covers share class rights, voting provisions, dividend policies, reserved matters requiring unanimous consent, pre-emption rights, drag-along and tag-along clauses, good leaver and bad leaver provisions, deadlock resolution, and exit mechanisms.
Related documents: Companies typically also need Articles of Association, Director Service Agreement, and NDA.
Common shareholders agreement mistakes include failing to define reserved matters, omitting good leaver and bad leaver provisions, not addressing deadlock resolution, ignoring pre-emption rights on share transfers, and not aligning the agreement with the company's articles of association.
Our template addresses all these issues with clear, professionally drafted provisions.
Articles of Association are public documents filed with Companies House that set out basic company rules — anyone can see them.
A Shareholders Agreement is a private contract between shareholders that covers sensitive matters like share transfer restrictions, dividend policies, and exit arrangements that you don't want publicly visible.
Both documents work together but serve different purposes.
Yes. When completed and signed correctly by all shareholders, this creates a legally recognised contract under UK law.
Shareholders agreements are widely used across the UK to protect company ownership interests.
Our agreement includes pre-emption rights, which means existing shareholders get first refusal on any shares being sold.
The selling shareholder must offer their shares to existing shareholders first, at the same price and terms offered to any third party.
This stops unwanted third parties joining the company without existing shareholders' consent.
Yes. Our template includes minority protection provisions such as reserved matters requiring unanimous consent (preventing majority from making major decisions alone).
We also include anti-dilution protections and tag-along rights so minorities can exit on the same terms if majority shareholders sell.
Many complete standard shareholders agreements without a solicitor. Our template is based on UK company law and includes all essential clauses.
Consider solicitor review if: multiple share classes, external investors (angels/VCs), complex vesting arrangements, or high-value companies (£1M+).
Your choice based on your situation and complexity.
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