Practice areas/Shareholder Agreements
Shareholder Agreements
The constitutional document your cap table actually needs — founder vesting, drag and tag, pre-emptive rights, deadlock and exit — drafted for your business, not off a template.
Fixed fee. Senior lawyer.
Every engagement is quoted upfront and led by a senior lawyer — never a paralegal-first pipeline.
- hello@envisionlegal.com.au
- Sydney · Melbourne · National
How we help
What we handle for you.
Concrete deliverables — not a general "advice" retainer. Each item can be scoped as a one-off fixed-fee package or bundled into a monthly counsel arrangement.
01
New shareholders agreement
A full shareholders deed that sits over your constitution — governance, decision rights, board composition, restraints and exit — drafted from scratch to fit your cap table.
02
Founder vesting & good/bad leaver
Vesting schedules, cliff periods, good-leaver / bad-leaver treatment and reverse vesting for founders who joined after incorporation.
03
Pre-emptive rights, drag & tag
Pre-emptive rights on new issues and transfers, drag-along and tag-along provisions that survive a real exit conversation.
04
Deadlock & dispute mechanics
Shotgun clauses, mediation-first regimes, deadlock buy-outs and independent-director casting votes — decided before you need them.
05
Investor rights on cap raise
SAFE/convertible add-ons, priced-round shareholders deeds, board seats, information rights and protective provisions for seed and Series A rounds.
06
Amendments & re-papering
Amending existing deeds when founders leave, new investors come in, or the arrangement no longer reflects reality — with all-hands sign-off managed for you.
Who this is for
Clients we work best with.
- Co-founders formalising a working relationship before the first raise
- Companies about to take on investor money and needing a proper shareholders deed
- Existing shareholders where the current arrangement no longer reflects reality
- 50/50 partnerships wanting a deadlock mechanism in place before it's needed
How we work
No surprises. Ever.
Fixed fees quoted upfront. Senior lawyer on every file. Clear next steps at every stage.
01 — Brief
Send a short brief or book a 15-minute call. We'll confirm scope and what you actually need — often that's less than you think.
02 — Fixed-fee quote
You get a written scope and a fixed fee before we start. No hourly billing, no scope-creep invoices.
03 — Senior lawyer, on the tools
The lawyer you scoped with is the lawyer doing the work. We turn drafts around fast and stay reachable throughout.
FAQs
Common questions.
- What's the difference between a shareholders agreement and a constitution?
- A constitution is the public, ASIC-facing rulebook. A shareholders agreement is a private contract between the shareholders that sits over it — and covers what actually matters between people (vesting, drag, tag, deadlock). Most disputes are resolved by the shareholders agreement, not the constitution.
- How much does a shareholders agreement cost?
- A fixed-fee shareholders deed for a standard Australian Pty Ltd is typically $3,500–$6,500 + GST depending on complexity. Priced rounds with investor-side provisions sit between $6,500–$12,000 + GST.
- Can you retrofit one if we've been operating without it?
- Yes — and now is the right time to do it, while everyone is still aligned. Retrofitting is straightforward when all shareholders agree; it becomes very hard once a dispute has already started.
- Do we still need one if it's just two founders?
- Especially if it's just two founders. Every 50/50 company should have a deadlock mechanism and a founder-vesting regime. Otherwise a single disagreement can freeze the company entirely.
Talk to us
Legal built for shareholder agreements.
Send us a note about what you're working on. We'll respond within one business day and, if we're a fit, book a free 15-minute consultation with a senior lawyer.