A shareholder agreement governs the relationship between the owners of a company, and the provisions that seem unimportant at the start are often the ones that matter most when relationships change.
Pay particular attention to how shares can be transferred, what happens when a shareholder wishes to exit, and how deadlock between owners is resolved. Decision-making thresholds, drag-along and tag-along rights, and valuation mechanisms all deserve careful thought.
Equally important is what happens on death, incapacity, or departure. A well-drafted agreement anticipates these events calmly, before they occur, rather than leaving them to be fought over later.