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Succession planning for sole director/members — do you have a valid Will?
If the sole director and shareholder of a company die without leaving a will, the risk of uncertainty regarding the operation of the company is much greater because:
- there is no one with the legal authority to make financial or business decisions on behalf of the company;
- the company cannot be easily sold, as there is no legal owner of the shares who could authorise their transfer; and
- it takes time (several months) to apply to the Supreme Court for letters of administration to manage the director's estate and during this time, the reputation of the company can also be severely impacted.
ASIC's information sheet: Importance of sole company directors/shareholders having a will outlines some of these issues.
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Senior Associate
+61 3 9258 3819
jack.coventry@maddocks.com.au
Qualifications: BA (Philosophy), Monash University, JD (Juris Doctor), University of Melbourne
Jack is a member of Maddocks Commercial team. He advises a range of corporate and private clients on:
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- corporate reorganisations, and
- legal and tax structuring.
Jack acts for clients on both buy-side and sell-side and specialises in founder-owned businesses and Australian subsidiaries of multi-national companies. He works across a number of sectors including information technology, professional services, and property development and management including land lease.
Jack's structuring work includes assisting multinationals to structure Australian operations, listed companies to achieve regulatory compliance / optimisation and providing general tax structuring. He has also represented clients in tax controversies including before the General Anti-Avoidance Review Panel (GAAR Panel) and the Federal Court of Australia.
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