Governance and control
Board, manager, officer, voting, consent, deadlock, authority, and access disputes.
Ownership and control disputes
Shareholder and partnership litigation when business and personal interests collide.
The Zorkin Firm represents clients in conflicts among shareholders, partners, LLC members, founders, investors, officers, directors, and managers involving governance, control, fiduciary duties, economics, buyouts, exits, and business separation.
Common flashpoints
Control, economics, duties, and exit rights.
Ownership disputes can escalate quickly because the parties may share decision-making authority, information, employees, banking relationships, and legal obligations while the conflict is unfolding.
Fiduciary duties and conflicts
Alleged self-dealing, diversion, concealment, conflicted transactions, misuse of opportunity, or failure to disclose.
Distributions and economics
Compensation, distributions, capital calls, accounting, allocation, expense, and payment disputes.
Buyouts and separation
Valuation, purchase rights, negotiation, transition, release, governance, and post-separation obligations.
Information and records
Access to books, records, communications, systems, financial information, and evidence needed to evaluate the dispute.
Dissolution and emergency risk
Deadlock, threatened asset movement, operational paralysis, injunction risk, and potential dissolution remedies.
Two levels of strategy
Litigate the claim. Plan for the business.
A strong ownership-dispute strategy addresses both the immediate legal position and the practical end state: continued operation, restored governance, a negotiated buyout, an orderly separation, or adjudication.
Direct answers
Frequently asked questions.
These answers are general information, not legal advice. The analysis of a specific matter depends on its facts, law, forum, and objectives.
What issues commonly cause shareholder or partnership disputes?
Common issues include governance, voting, control, compensation, distributions, capital calls, access to information, alleged fiduciary breaches, self-dealing, misuse of company assets, buyouts, departures, and deadlock.
Can an ownership dispute be resolved without dissolving the business?
Often, yes. Depending on the agreements, law, economics, and relationships, possible outcomes may include revised governance, information rights, a negotiated buyout, structured separation, mediation, or other business arrangements.
What documents matter in an ownership dispute?
Formation and governing documents, amendments, cap tables, minutes, consents, financial records, bank information, tax materials, employment or compensation agreements, communications, and evidence of decision-making can all be important.
When is emergency relief considered?
Emergency relief may be considered when there is threatened asset movement, loss of access, destruction of evidence, operational paralysis, misuse of authority, or other harm that may not be adequately addressed later. Whether relief is available depends on the specific facts and law.
Contact The Zorkin Firm
Does the dispute require senior litigation judgment?
Contact the firm to discuss the parties, general nature of the matter, business objective, and next step. Do not send confidential information before an engagement is confirmed.