Ed Weeks
Partner
I am a commercial lawyer who resolves legal disputes for business people and companies. My particular expertise is in relation to internal company disputes and shareholder disputes.
As head of the commercial dispute resolution team I lead a team of lawyers who are dedicated to resolving disputes for business clients efficiently and cost-effectively and I like to lead by example.
I see my role as being to identify the legal problem and find a solution. Each client, problem and solution is unique and a fresh and exciting challenge. I help solve clients’ problems by listening, understanding their aims and objectives and then applying my knowledge of the law and my experience to the problem in hand. My normal aim will be to avoid court proceedings but where they are required then I will progress them vigorously and tenaciously.
One of the best things someone has ever said about me as a lawyer is that I will always fight a client’s corner but never lose sight of why we are fighting.
I also specialise in shareholder disputes in family businesses, and authored A Practical Guide to Shareholder Disputes in Family Businesses.
Expertise
- Shareholder disputes
- Internal company disputes
- Contractual claims
- Corporate risk analysis/business advice
- Commercial litigation
- Alternative dispute resolution including Arbitration, Mediation
& Adjudication - Partnerships and LLPs
Qualifications & memberships
Institute of DirectorsRecent articles:
- Model Articles – are you quorate as a sole director?
- Employee shareholders – beware of restrictive covenants attached to the shares
- Overpaid for a business – what are your options?
- The impact of COVID-19 on calculating damages for breach of contract
- Nipping shareholders disputes in the bud
- Six years is no limitation for directors in breach of fiduciary duty
- Late payers beware - the Late Payment Act can bite
- The role of a company's auditors and accountants in shareholders disputes
- The unique challenges in shareholder disputes
- Legitimate expectations in family businesses
- Excessive directors’ pay and unfair dividends in family businesses
- Early Share Valuation in Shareholders' Disputes
- Guide to Mediation
- Guide to the law relating to shareholder disputes
- Shareholders in family businesses behaving badly – the court’s response
- Unfair prejudice petitions — quasi-partnerships and the importance of fairness (Re Westshield Ltd Waldron v Waldron)
- Declaring dividends – dangers for directors
- Guide to dispute resolution
- Corporate Governance - What directors need to tell shareholders
- How to avoid personal liability – a guide for company directors
- Excessive directors’ pay and unfair dividends – what can a minority shareholder do?
- Shareholders behaving badly in s.994 petitions
- Guide to shareholders rights
- Beware of gentleman’s agreements in family companies
- It’s not fair! Sibling conflict in family businesses
- What’s in a partnership?
- Litigation and the rise of the machines
- Deadlocked companies.....how do you break the deadlock?
- New Commercial Disputes blog
- Valuation of shareholdings - on what date?
- Top ten things to know about shareholder disputes
- Invoice fraud – a real threat to your business
- Forcing a third party buyout of a minority shareholder
- You can’t see that - it is privileged!
- Just & Equitable winding up - the last resort?
- Shareholder / Director - different hats / different duties?
- To resign as a director, or not resign, that is the question?
- Fines payable by directors for regulatory breaches
- Unfair prejudice and insolvent companies
- Minority shareholders rights
- Court upholds the right to contract out of s.994
- The impact of divorce on shareholders and shareholdings
- Don't delay - Act today
- The extent of directors' fiduciary duties re-affirmed
- Nominee directors - you can nominate but not dominate
- Rubber Stamping by Directors can lead to Liability - Lexi Holdings -v- Luqman