Business Structuring and Succession

Structure Your Business and Secure Your Legacy

Our experienced business lawyers help you choose the optimized structure to protect assets and support long-term growth. We also develop succession strategies to protect your company’s future. We provide guidance on options to minimize risk and maximize growth.

We assist entrepreneurs, start-ups, individuals, large corporations, SMEs and international entities, with a variety of business structures for tax advantages and ring fencing liabilities:

• Federal Incorporation: Ideal for businesses operating across provinces or seeking nationwide name protection.
• Provincial Incorporation: Offers streamlined processes and potentially lower fees for businesses primarily within the province.
• Professional Corporations: Regulated professionals can form corporations for tax advantages and liability protection outside the regulated liabilities.
• Nonprofits: We incorporate, organize and provide ongoing assistance to Not-for-Profit (NFP) ensuring compliance with NFP legislation.
• Partnerships and Sole Proprietorships: We develop contracts clarifying rights, responsibilities, and risk management for these structures and articulating key commercial terms.

Your business has its own story. We listen, we understand, and we build a legal strategy around your unique needs — from choosing the right structure to staying compliant every step of the way.

Business Succession Planning

Planning for your business’s future is crucial. We tailor succession plans to minimize taxes and disruptions while maximizing growth.

Succession plans may include:

• Family Succession: Smooth transitions to family members, addressing potential conflicts and ensuring clear governance.
• Sale to a Third Party: Prepare your business for sale to maximize value and secure favorable terms.
• Management Buyouts (MBOs): Structure contracts for your management team to take over.
• Equity-Linked Incentives: Structure ownership transfers to employees with tax advantages and operational stability by considering structures such as Employee Stock Ownership Plans, Phantom Shares or Employee Ownership Trusts.
• Partnership and Shareholder Agreements: Draft agreements for succession protocols, including buyout provisions and dispute resolution relating to settlement or managing communication and next steps as part of a ‘corporate divorce’ where shareholders and board members do not see ‘eye to eye’.