Overview

Business partnership disputes can arise at any point in the life of a partnership, and require the application of specialist partnership law to determine the rights and obligations of partners and members.

Our team of highly experienced business partnership disputes lawyers are experts in acting quickly and practically to provide accurate and timely advice to clients, whether that relates to a traditional partnership or LLP, or a cross jurisdictional partnership dispute.

Our expertise covers all aspects of partnership law. We regularly assist clients with disputes arising in the course of running a partnership, including partner and member rights and governance matters. We also have in depth experience dealing with the issues that arise on the dismissal and retirement of partners and the dissolution and termination of a partnership, including division of assets.

Collaboration is a key part of our service, and we work closely with our colleagues in Private Wealth, Corporate, Funds and Employment, to provide clients with the expert advice that they need. Our partnership disputes lawyers bring specialist knowledge and practical experience across a range of sectors and practice areas, including professional services, financial services, tax and food and farming. Our team also understands the commercial context and regulatory environment in which businesses and partnerships operate. We work with our clients to provide commercial and pragmatic solutions to what are often complex legal problems.

Areas of focus

Our expertise in partnership disputes includes the following:

  • Dissolution and termination of partnerships.
  • Retirement and dismissal of partners.
  • Partition and division of partnership assets and property.
  • Tax advice.
  • Claims relating to breaches of fiduciary duty and misuse of partnership assets.
Experience

Advising a partner in a highly contested dissolution of a farming partnership, involving valuable freehold and leasehold assets, trust property and development land with multi-party interests, complicated ownership arrangements and complex tax issues.

Acting for the successful party in the leading Court of Appeal case of Harvey v Drake on valuation of partnership assets.

Providing ongoing advice to a Swiss private bank (owned by a Brazilian headquartered group) in relation to its majority investment in a London based LLP.

Advising members of a LLP on maximising development value in land held by the business and managing a tax efficient dissolution of the LLP without court proceedings.

Acting for an individual activist investment professional on a complex dispute concerning the ownership of an investment fund in the activist shareholder space.

Acting for a member of a partnership following his unlawful expulsion from the business by the other partners.

Advising a number of siblings in multi-jurisdictional proceedings against another sibling for breaches of fiduciary duty arising out of his dealings with partnership and trust assets.

Advising a multi-office accountancy practice on the dismissal of a senior partner and related claims for breaches of restrictive covenants.

Meet the team
Michael Ward

Michael Ward Partner

  • Shareholder disputes, partner disputes and LLP disputes
  • Director duty disputes
  • Material contract disputes
Kevin Kennedy

Kevin Kennedy Partner

  • Agricultural Disputes
  • Trust and Probate Disputes
  • Estates and Land

What others say...

My experience of this firm has been very favourable when dealing with them on a long-running and intractable partnership dispute. Their commitment to the case is a standout feature.
Legal 500 2021

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